Humanities Center

Collage of TV remote, pizza and Greek statue

Join us in celebrating the amazing world of humanities!

The Elgin Community College Humanities Center is a vibrant hub for interdisciplinary dialogue, bridging scholars from the humanities and sciences to explore common interests while valuing diverse perspectives. Our Humanities program faculty are recognized innovators and skilled educators, boasting multiple NISOD awards and a YouTube "Silver Play Button" among their accolades.

We aim to engage scholars and community members in tackling profound human questions across disciplines, fostering understanding, and addressing life's most complex issues. We strive to introduce Community College District 509 to important human ideas and topics. With engaging discussions and fun-filled events, we promote understanding, encourage critical thinking, and foster continuous learning for all community members, regardless of background or profession. Join us as we explore what it means to be human and navigate life's fascinating complexities together!

Our Programs

Led by program faculty, The Humanities Center hosts a variety of engaging events for residents of Community College District 509.

Socrates Café

Come on campus for our bi-monthly discussion forums as we delve into deep thoughts with us! Join our philosophical discussion group, where we explore intriguing questions like "What is happiness?" and "Do we have free will?" Plus, we tackle the age-old debate: Is pineapple on pizza a crime or a culinary masterpiece?

Watch Parties

Dive into lively discussions about your favorite web series with fellow ECC community members each week. From Netflix to Disney+, we're watching and analyzing together. Join the fun!

Speakers Series

Join us in exploring and discussing relevant issues that shape our community and world as scholars from outside ECC come to campus for enriching conversations and thought-provoking presentations as they share their research in humanities-related fields twice per semester.

  • Encourage research, teaching, and public awareness of issues related to ethical, aesthetic, and humanistic values.
  • Consider how human beings are interdependent with the social and natural environment.
  • Explore questions of human rights.
  • Encourage and present public forums and conferences on issues relevant to the humanities.
  • Sponsor performances, lectures, and the study of humanistic concerns as depicted in world cinema and dance
  • Sponsor research into public forums on the relationship between the humanities, arts, and religious understandings
  • Sponsor research, public forums, and conferences on the relationship between the humanities and the natural and social sciences
  • Help students and scholars identify grant opportunities in the humanities
  • Provide information to students and the general public about career opportunities in the humanities
  • Provide a forum for the study of effective teaching methods in the humanities
  • Provide teaching internship opportunities for PhD candidates in the humanities
  • Provide a venue for discussion and research into questions of diversity, gender, racism, and sexism from individual, international, and national perspectives.

  • To create a coherent and consistent forum for on-campus dialogues and presentations on contemporary issues in the humanities
  • To foster a spirit of free intellectual inquiry within the ECC community and the larger community it serves
  • To serve as an intellectual bridge for humanistic concerns between the residents of District 509 and the college community
  • To broaden the scope of intellectual inquiry within the college and the greater community by fostering international and diverse perspectives within the humanities
  • Successfully pursue outside funding sources for programs in the humanities through grants and working with the ECC Foundation to secure private donations to the Center.

Did you know?

Humanities faculty have forged valuable connections with European colleagues through the ECC Summer Study Abroad program, with recent engagements in Urbania and Florence, Italy. Plus, they have served as guest speakers on Non-Western Religious Traditions at local churches in Elgin. Learn about our Study Abroad Program.

Upcoming Events

Contact us at humanitiescenter@elgin.edu for more information.

Full Calendar

Forums

We sponsor the following forums:

  • Speakers Series
  • Socrates Café
  • International Film Series

Contact

Humanities Center

Building F, Room F107
847-214-7344
humanitiescenter@elgin.edu

Hours
Hours vary; please contact us via email.