The Importance of Humanities
Technological innovation is transforming the way everyone lives.
Because of this, humanities and social science disciplines are emerging as a crucial element in understanding where technology is taking everyone and what the human future will look like.
The Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Australia’s La Trobe University explained that as disruptive technologies such as AI and big data gather pace across the world, it is essential that a humanities perspective is incorporated into discussions because it guarantees a deeper understanding of the human consequences of these technologies.
Digital disruption, according to him, is opening up a Pandora’s Box of exciting opportunities as well as raising complex and ethical questions.
According to a recent press release, the Bachelor of Humanities, Innovation and Technology bridges an important gap between humanities, business and the science of emerging tech.
This is the University’s response to calls from leading scientists and CEOS for graduates who are trained in problem-solving across humanities, business and technology.
For instance, big data offers opportunities for companies to increase their efficiency and make better informed decisions.
However, it also raises fundamental questions around privacy and increased cyber security risk.
Benefits of the degree
While most degrees that teach emerging technologies focus primarily on the science, the new degree program brings together the University’s expertise from across humanities, business, science and technology in order to develop the ability of students to respond to urgent questions around inequality and sustainability brought about by disruptive technologies.
Students who will be taking the program will graduate with a wide range of skills and attributes highly sought after by employers.
This will include critical thinking, complex and ethical problem solving, data analysis and interpretation, as well as digital literacy and adaptability.
The new degree is designed to prepare graduates for jobs that do not exist yet and to be tomorrow’s leaders in this new and exciting space.
The combination of social, legal, commercial and scientific knowledge will uniquely equip the students with understanding of the technical and human side of a problem and solve it using ethical reasoning.
Students will be taught by world-leading La Trobe experts in areas such as cyber law, AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), sustainable development, innovation thinking and economics.
They will learn from industry leaders throughout the course, engaging with contemporary real-world issues.
The Bachelor of Humanities, Innovation and Technology will be tackling several topics. These topics include:
- Ethical global citizenship
- Data-based critical thinking
- Cyber law and policy
- Economics for a changing world
The first intake of students will be March 2020 for the three-year full time, while six-year part time equivalent, degree. Applications are now open.