What are the humanities, and how do they function in our daily lives? It might be that they’re primarily academic disciplines studied in universities and cultural institutions. Or some say they’re the everyday conversations and reflections that make us fully human—like discussing a movie with friends or questioning our assumptions. In this episode, Jodi Graham, Executive Director of Utah Humanities, discusses how both formal programming and informal human interactions serve the humanities mission.

With host Scott Black, she explores why face-to-face connection remains irreplaceable in our digital age, how community-driven programming strengthens Utah’s cultural infrastructure, and why the humanities’ role is to ask probing questions rather than provide predetermined answers.

They also examine how fifty years of state humanities work has evolved from simple grant-making to comprehensive community engagement, and why this work is especially urgent in a culture of mistrust and division. 

(Episode image: Detail from Victor Arnautoff, City Life, mural in Coit Tower, 1934) 

Episode edited by Ethan Rauschkolb. Named after our seminar room, The Virtual Jewel Box hosts conversations at the Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. Views expressed on The Virtual Jewel Box do not represent the official views of the Center or University.