Is the history of the humanities teachable? Before knowing that it was a question, I had taught a course in Taiwan that was close, though not equal, it. That was a course on culture and knowledge, opened to history majors and to the students who looked for courses in general education. It was in a sense a history of science course modified for students who were not primarily interested in natural sciences. I taught subjects that I myself had been doing: the history of science, cultural history of medicine, history of universities, history of reading, writing, and publication, the history of historical studies and the history of philology. It was essentially a cultural history of knowledge course. I think it can be converted to one in the history of the humanities by swapping the cases in science and medicine with cases in the humanities.
Instead of a history of the humanities by disciplines, this course would pay attention to cultural and institutional history; social and political contexts of each case, which Sue Marchand examined in her book on German Orientalism; space, which Kasper Eskildsen’s book showcases; media (orality, writing, and digital publication), and materiality. Such a course can be taught at Taiwanese universities (such as National Taiwan University), and will very likely attract enough students to make a class.