Robert Townsend oversees Humanities, Arts, and Culture programs and day-to-day work on the Humanities Indicators at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 

He is the author of History’s Babel: Scholarship, Professionalization, and the Historical Enterprise in the United States, 1880-1940 (University of Chicago Press, 2013) as well as an abundance of scholarly work on U.S. history, the public humanities, and the challenges and opportunities of higher education.

Prior to his work at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Townsend worked for 24 years at the American Historical Association.

In the videos below, Dr. Townsend discusses employment and earnings data for humanities graduates, the lure of humanities students for current employers, and the future of the humanities in an age marked by artificial intelligence. 

You can also access Dr. Townsend’s YouTube playlist directly. 

Dr. Robert Townsend explains the data about employment and earnings for humanities graduates

Dr. Robert Townsend reflects on the disparities between academic and public conceptions of the condition of the humanities

Dr. Robert Townsend explains how CEOs of major companies are seeking humanities graduates to navigate ambiguities in the age of Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Robert Townsend warns of the risk of academic scholars in humanities becoming perceived as elitist by the public

Dr. Robert Townsend encourages humanities scholars to hone their messaging the value of their work–especially for public audiences