Abstract
In the face of escalating global challenges, sustainability demands a holistic understanding that encompasses not only ecological and economic factors but also cultural and social dimensions. Humanities education—particularly language and culture courses—plays a vital role in shaping individuals’ sense of responsibility toward sustainable futures. This proposal explores how humanities curricula foster cultural awareness, empathy, and critical thinking, equipping learners with the ethical frameworks necessary to engage with issues of social cohesion, cultural preservation, and intergenerational equity. By examining case studies from Italian and Mediterranean cultural programs, this research highlights how integrating cultural history and diaspora narratives into education contributes to sustainable social practices and counters the “unseen unsustainability” of cultural erasure. Ultimately, this work argues that humanities education is indispensable for framing responsibility to act in ways that sustain both cultural heritage and social well-being.
Presenters
Tugba SevinProfessor and World Languages Coordinator, Department of Language and Literature, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic, Social, and Cultural Context
KEYWORDS
HUMANITIES EDUCATION, CULTURAL PRESERVATION, CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
