The University of Connecticut’s Humanities Institute has begun a year-long focus on loneliness and social isolation, with a focus on how the humanities are key to training people to navigate meaningful human connections. So far, they’ve held a “Let’s Talk About the Loneliness Epidemic” workshop with the CT Collaborative to End Loneliness and a “Pick Up the Thread: A Post-Election Connection” group fiber arts project.
Other planned events will focus on how art, literature and philosophy can help people relate to one another. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve devalued the humanities across the board from K to 12 and through college, and now we’re in a loneliness epidemic,” explained Anna Mae Duane, director of the Institute. “I’m not saying it’s causal, but we stopped teaching students how to think and talk to each other with empathy and respect. At the same time, screen culture has taken students away from looking each other in the eye.”
A class about friendship may be offered, too. “Everyone knows we should have friends, like we know we should eat our vegetables and sleep eight hours, but we’re not doing it,” Duane said. “Why not? What are the obstacles? What are other options? What are the ways people have found their way to this? Asking these questions, both inside the classroom and on campus, is a necessary first step in finding solutions.”
Read more about it all here.
