National University NEH Dialogues of War Project: Veterans Speak

About the National Endowment for the Humanities:

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.

This project is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Program Overview

A Soldier’s Place: Veterans and Civilians Speaking about War, is a collaborative project for veterans and civilians who are interested in studying and understanding war and its impacts on people and societies from ancient Greece to today.

Studying war through the humanities accomplishes two goals: first, it allows us to explore the effects of war on individuals and societies with attention to the key themes of loyalty, heroism, trauma, and homecoming and, second, it creates a space for veterans and others to have meaningful and transformative conversations through facilitated discussions that focus on those themes. With a repertoire of epic poetry, narrative non-fiction, military biography, film, and memoir, the humanities provide important intellectual and cultural frames that give participants a variety of perspectives to understand societies at war and the expectation of those on the battlefield and the homefront.

The project has two parts.

I. The NEH Discussion Leader Preparatory Program enlists veteran leaders or veterans with a demonstrated capacity to be leaders who will help others think more deeply about the issues raised by war and military service. The Program will enhance their existing skills in using historical and literary resources and perspectives to understand and process traumatic and life-changing experiences. Applications are accepted until September 30, 2020; click on the link above for more information.

The NEH Discussion Leader Preparatory Workshop focuses on developing leadership skills in the art of discussion facilitation and close reading of humanities texts (narrative, poems, films, and histories). The program emphasizes personal and professional skill building using an intensive workshop format. NEH Discussion Leaders will improve their teaching, mentoring, and coaching skills while conveying the rich content of the humanities. Working with historians, psychologists, and sociologists, they will learn the art of leading discussions that create space for meaningful dialogue that enables participants to talk about their reflections and understanding of key themes in humanities texts as they relate to the experience of war. Faculty and guest lecturers model and work closely with NEH Discussion Leaders on how to handle emotional topics and recognize the varieties of participants’ personal experiences and perspectives while keeping sight of the most common elements engaged by humanities sources in the no-credit class explained in Part II.

II. National University is offering a free Humanities no-credit class - as part of NEH’s public humanities program “Dialogues on the Experience of War.” The discussion program is open to all veterans and civilians who are interested in the study of war and what it means to be a warrior in both ancient and modern times.

The program supports the idea that reading and discussing humanities texts about war in a supportive intellectual environment can help U.S. military veterans and civilians reflect more deeply about the issues raised by war and military service and compare their experiences and reactions to the experiences and reactions of people from other times and places.

The program welcomes participation from all veterans, active duty members, civilians, and others associated with the military regardless of service branch, service years, deployment history, disability status, age, race, or gender. You do not need to be a student at National University

Participation in the program and all books are free