Academics

Putting the humanities on trial

An undergrad researcher makes the case for empathy, diversity, and inclusivity

It wasn’t your typical project for the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). No beakers, algorithms, brain scans, or blood tests were at play. The only tool? Imagination.

For her UROP project, Alexandra Mascarello (CAS’23) chose to write not only a play, but one where she puts the humanities on trial.

In Defense of the Humanities depicts icons of the Western canon—think Aristotle, Virgil, and Shakespeare—trying to convince a judge their works are still relevant and deserve their place in the pantheon of great books.

“[The humanities] are not necessary because of the job market or employment opportunities,” Mascarello’s sympathetic prosecutor states, “they’re necessary because they teach empathy and connection and reinforce progress.”

Kyna Hamill, a College of Arts & Sciences master lecturer, was Mascarello’s UROP faculty mentor and says the play “started as an elaboration” on an assignment Mascarello did in a class—Making the Modern World: Progress, Politics, and Economics.

“It was going to originally be a dialogue, but since my background is in theater, working with her on a play was a more natural fit,” says Hamill.

While arguing for the importance of the humanities, Mascarello’s other main message is that the canon must diversify beyond what’s colloquially known as Dead White Men. Intentionally, her drama includes no major writer-characters who are female or of color. In the end, the defendants are being tried for exclusivity as well as relevance. Mascarello’s messages have resonated beyond UROP, with BU Orientation staging her show for incoming students this summer, as did the College of Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum, the college’s elective interdisciplinary program.

“In a world that may increasingly adopt a narrative that the humanities are less practical, less relevant,” Mascarello says, “it’s important to remember that they encourage the ideals of diversity and inclusivity.”