HUMANITIES IN ACADEMIC EDUCATION: PROGRAMMED EXCLUSION, USELESS KNOWLEDGE OR BILDUNG?

Abstract

This article results from theoretical and documentary research, with a qualitative approach, aimed at understanding the trends that guide the inclusion, approach, and/or exclusion of humanities in academic education within the courses of Agronomy, Computer Science, Information Systems, and Veterinary Medicine at the 14 community universities in Rio Grande do Sul. Its purpose is to develop a critique that can creatively support a counter-discourse to the instrumental paradigm in Higher Education. Data collection involved accessing the public websites of universities to identify the profile of graduates, humanities-focused contents/courses, and compliance with National Curricular Guidelines (DCNs). Data analysis was conducted using content analysis methods. The findings indicate weaknesses in the courses regarding human formation, evidenced by the low percentage of humanities disciplines and contents offered in the curricula framework. Inconsistencies between graduate profiles and curriculum design reveal the effects of instrumental rationality and the limitations of reductionist knowledge. The curricular organization perpetuates the fragmentation of knowledge in society as a strategy for workforce training. Dismantling this paradigmatic approach is crucial to moving away from instrumental conceptions that detach education from life experiences and social context, perpetuated by the insular logic of disciplines hindering systemic thinking. The impoverished vision, lacking in humanities, diminishes awareness and limits its contribution to the formative identity of students.