The Humanities, Transformative Texts, and the Reinvention of General Education

What if the readings students encounter in their undergraduate experience could shape not just their transcripts, but their lives? Through the Teagle Foundation's Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative, campuses across the country are proving that the humanities belong at the center of general education, and that transformative texts can equip students to read closely, write clearly, engage across differences, and connect what they learn to the lives they hope to lead.

This free webinar brings together four grantee institutions to share how they are reinventing general education using common readings, transformative texts, and cross-disciplinary course clusters. By design, Cornerstone fosters interdisciplinary and integrative learning, bringing the humanities into conversation with technical, pre-professional, and STEM fields so that students draw connections across domains and apply humanistic thinking to real-world problems. Panelists offer a candid look at what it takes to make this work: designing gateway courses that draw students in, building faculty buy-in, navigating curricular change, and assessing whether students are truly learning for life beyond the classroom.

The session will also demystify the grant process, offering concrete guidance on what distinguishes a successful application, from framing a compelling vision to designing a sustainable program. Whether you are exploring Cornerstone for the first time or preparing to apply, you will leave with practical strategies and inspiration centering the humanities in your general education program.

Join us to explore how transformative texts are helping students broaden their understanding of the world and themselves – and why the future vitality of the humanities may well depend on what happens in general education.