Seton Hall event to discuss integrating humanities into business education

The Seton Hall Business Humanities Academy, with partial funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will host “Integrating the Humanities and Business Education,” an all-day symposium that will explore how the humanities can be used to understand and teach business.

The in-person event (from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Bethany Hall) will feature keynote presentations from distinguished leaders in the field, as well as a special session dedicated to courses developed by Seton Hall University faculty as part of the Business Humanities Initiative, a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stillman School of Business.

The symposium, co-organized by Abe Zakhem (associate professor of philosophy) and Elizabeth McCrea (associate professor in management) seeks to help increase awareness of business humanities as an emerging area of study.

“The symposium offers the opportunity for educators, students and professionals both within and outside Seton Hall University to engage in collaborative discussion about how these two disciplines — the humanities and business — can come together for a better integrated, impactful and innovative approach to valued centered learning and leadership,” Zakhem said.

McCrea agreed.

“By integrating the humanities into business education, students will be empowered to become well-rounded leaders who are prepared to navigate complex challenges through a humanistic lens,” she said.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to three keynote sessions from internationally renowned scholars, including:

  • “Using the Humanities to Understand the Value of Business Education Differently,” presented by Christopher Michaelson, Opus Distinguished Professor of Principled Leadership, University of St. Thomas;
  • “Using Humanities Literature to Teach Business,” presented by Joanne Ciulla, professor and director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership, Rutgers University Business School; and
  • “Humanistic Management: Promoting Human Flourishing and the Common Good,” presented by Michael Pirson, professor and James F. Stoner Endowed Chair in Global Sustainability, Fordham University.

Each session will provide cutting-edge approaches to integrating business and the humanities and offer opportunity for conversation and critical deliberation.

Later in the afternoon, Seton Hall faculty will present new courses developed part of the university’s Business Humanities Initiative, whose goal is to integrate perspectives and approaches in the humanities, the liberal arts more broadly, and business to help cultivate ethical and effective leaders and create business practice that protect human dignity, contribute to human flourishing and serve the common good.

Attendees will learn more about the diverse array of course topics available at Seton Hall related to this emerging field, with faculty discussing new courses such as Integrated Business Fiction, the History of Business, Business Ethics Through Film, Christianity and Capitalism, and others.

Registration for this event is highly recommended to reserve a seat. Click here for more info.