NEH Principles of Civility

Principles of Civility

for NEH Seminars, Institutes, and Workshops

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds Seminars, Institutes, and Workshops to (i) extend and deepen knowledge and understanding of the humanities by focusing on significant topics, texts, and issues; (ii) contribute to the intellectual vitality and professional development of participants; and (iii) foster a community of inquiry that provides models of excellence in scholarship and teaching.

While administering an NEH-funded Seminar, Institute, or Workshop, NEH expects to encourage an ethos of openness and respect, and uphold the basic norms of civil discourse.

Seminar, Institute, and Workshop presentations and discussions should be:

1. firmly grounded in rigorous scholarship and thoughtful analysis;

2. conducted without partisan advocacy;

3. respectful of divergent views;

4. free of ad hominem commentary; and

5. devoid of ethnic, religious, gender, disability, or racial bias.

The NEH welcomes comments, concerns, or suggestions on these principles at questions@neh.gov.