The consultative forum will take place Wednesday 9 December 2015 in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin. We very much want to hear your views, and your attendance and contribution would be of immense value.
Programme
10:00-10:30 Tea/Coffee & Registration
10:30-11:30 Introduction and Panel Discussion
'The IHA Humanities Strategy Interim Report: What Do the Submissions Tell Us?' by Professor Patrick O Donovan, Chair of the IHA Strategy Group and Head of College, with the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences at University College Cork
'Some Strategic Issues for the Humanities’ by Professor Rick Rylance, Director of the Institute of English Studies (IES) in the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, outgoing Chief Executive of the AHRC and outgoing Chair of Research Councils UK
11:30-13:00 Roundtables 'Towards a Humanities Policy: Building on the Interim Report'
13:00-14:00 Lunch and Networking
14:00-15:30 Roundtables 'How should we design a 5 Year Humanities Strategy?'
15:30-16:00 Wrap up Session
The background to the consultative forum is that across Europe today, higher education and research are major strategic focuses, as policy is increasingly shaped by economic as well as social and cultural imperatives, and as participation in Horizon 2020 is a key factor in the development of new research directions. More immediately, the forthcoming higher education and research strategies in Ireland, and cutbacks Northern Ireland, means there is a pressing need to address the place of the humanities in higher education and research policy and to promote the value of the humanities.
The humanities in both jurisdictions enjoy an excellent international reputation. As a result, the IHA decided to engage widely with the humanities community in member institutions on the strategic issues that face our disciplines in both jurisdictions and to ensure that humanities perspectives are represented in research and higher education policy-making discussions.
The IHA Strategy Steering Group carried out an initial consultation with the humanities community to identify the strategic issues that face the humanities disciplines in both IHA jurisdictions. As you may be aware the submissions have now been received and reviewed by the Strategy Group. An Interim Report will now be drafted and circulated as a discussion paper to all who attend the workshop in December. Thereafter a scientific strategy and policy paper will be published detailing the issues that emerge from the consultation and conference; and an additional translational paper for communication and advocacy purposes will also be published. Communicating the humanities perspectives to a variety of different target audiences is a central element of the remit of the Strategy Steering Group and the outputs will reflect this.
This project is coordinated by the Strategy Steering Group, whose members are Dr Noel Fitzpatrick (DIT); Dr Victor Lazzarini (MU); Professor Imelda Maher (RIA); Professor Patrick O'Donovan (Convener, UCC); and Dr Aoibhín de Búrca (IHA).
The Interim Report is available: click here.