Humanities Institute

What is the future of the humanities in the age of algorithms, content, and artificial intelligence? What is the value and relevance of the humanities in our modern economy and mass society?

These are not idle questions considering that the humanities have been for centuries at the heart of Ignatian pedagogy. Fairfield University’s vision of cura personalis is thus fundamentally grounded in the liberal arts. To this end, the Humanities Institute fosters and funds innovative scholarly research, teaching, and programming in the humanities. We are committed to the exploration of all facets of the human experience: to our histories, stories, ideas, faiths, and the manifold ways we have expressed ourselves artistically over the millennia and across the globe. We believe that the study of the humanities equips us with the critical skills and conceptual vocabularies necessary to critique systems of power, to develop visions of social and environmental justice, and to thrive in the modern economy. We view an education in the humanities as a means of empowering individuals and fostering the good life. Likewise, research in the humanities is essential to vibrant, free, just, and sustainable societies.

In pursuit of our mission to support faculty research and student learning in the humanities, the Humanities Institutes offers grants for research, scholarly and artistic collaboration, and campus programming. The Humanities Institute Seminar provides a unique space for a select group of faculty and undergraduate students to meet monthly to discuss ongoing faculty research and for student fellows to engage in year-long research projects under the mentorship of faculty fellows. We are also especially proud of our undergraduate humanities research journal Apollon, which, under the dynamic leadership of faculty and student editors, publishes work by young scholars from around the world.
In pursuit of our goal to develop Fairfield University as a hub of research and teaching in the humanities, the Humanities Institute is committed to supporting the various initiatives of Fairfield University faculty as both researchers and pedagogues. If you have a vision, if you want to do or create something, we are here to support you in bringing that vision to reality. We can support you in many modest ways, but we also invite your big ideas and ambitious initiatives.

I am grateful to the previous directors of the Humanities Institute, Dr. Nels Pearson and Dr. Ronald Davidson, for their vision, dedication, and for their belief in the future of the humanities. I am also grateful for the work and wisdom of the Associate Directors, Dr. Jennifer Adair, Dr. Ryan Drake, and Dr. Sara Diaz. And, as always, I thank Julie Garbarino for keeping the ship afloat and making things happen.

Dr. Sunil Purushotham
Associate Professor, History
Director, The Humanities Institute in the College of Arts & Sciences
Fairfield University

Created by an NEH Challenge grant in 1983, the Humanities Institute in the College of Arts & Sciences is an endowed initiative established to ensure that the humanities will flourish at the heart of a Fairfield University education. Since its inception, the endowment has funded hundreds of lectures, events, film series, workshops, and seminars, as well as most of our successful curricular and engagement initiatives. Over the past 30 years, the Humanities Institute has been one of the most significant sources of educational innovation and change at Fairfield University.

Moving forward in the 21st Century, the Humanities Institute continues to lead the way in catalyzing humanistic inquiry and dialogue across disciplines to inspire, guide, and respond to transformations in our lives and our societies, contributing to imagining and creating a more just, humane, and sustainable future for humankind. The Institute revitalizes the University, placing our traditional strengths at the center of our strategic priorities and ensuring that our students are not only technically equipped to analyze, innovate, and address real problems in professional contexts, but intellectually and ethically capable of doing so in ways that fulfill our educational pledge and deliver on Jesuit education’s promise.

Humanities Institute Program Grants are for projects that enhance the educational experience of students and/or faculty development through programs or research in the humanities (history, philosophy, religion, language, linguistics, literature, archaeology, jurisprudence, and ethics, as well as the history, theory, and criticism of the arts). Proposals in the social sciences, mathematics, and the natural sciences that intersect substantively with humanities methodologies and disciplines will also be considered. All applications will be evaluated based on their potential contribution to teaching and research in the Humanities. Applications may be submitted by any CAS faculty member. (Further guidelines are available on the downloadable Call for Proposals).

*NEW! There are now two different applications available: one for grants involving faculty development or research; and one for grants involving events, lectures, and other campus and community programming. Both applications are available to download at the links below. Before applying, please review the updated Call and Guidelines for Proposals, (available below).

• Program Grant Application (for programming, events, initiatives) (PDF)
• Program Grant Application (for individual faculty development or research) (PDF)
• Call and Guidelines for Proposal (PDF)
• Budget Planning (DOC)

Application Deadlines are typically August 1, October 15, and February 10.

The Humanities Institute of the College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to present a
list of its grant competition recipients. The following projects were identified by the Humanities Institute Program Committee as meritorious and worthy of support.

Spring 2023

• Sara Brill, “Birth: Power, Politics, and Reproductive Life in Ancient Greek Literature”
• Kristin Culbertson, Jason Smith, Kris Sealey, “Philosophy and Current Events: Hope in the Face of Climate Change”
• Ryan Drake, “Ruling Orders: Teaching Plato on the Arrangement of Cosmos, City, and Soul”
• Sonya Huber, “More than a Land Acknowledgment: Engaging with Indigenous Nations in Fairfield County and Beyond”
• Laura Gasca Jiminez, “Student Workshop and Research Talk on Translation and Interpreting Studies with Dr. Christopher Mellinger”
• Rachel Robinson-Zetzer, Karen Langton, “The Social Justice in the Humanities Colloquium at Fairfield University”
• Peter Van Heerden, “Senior Fellowship in the Arts and Humanities for Michael Keegan-Dolan”
• Jiwei Xiao, “Archival Research and Interviews on Global Asian Art Cinema”
• Jo Yarrington, “Interrupted Transmission: Cyanotype Interactive Book and Print Series Using Pigment Suspension Process”
• Zhu Zhang - “Winning Over the Capitalists: The Rivalry Between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party in the Early 20th Century”

Fall 2022

• Sara Diaz, “2023 DMLL Alumni Career Panel”
• Michelle DiMarzo, “Student-Curated FUAM Exhibition- Transmutations: In their Element(s): Women Artists Across Media - by Phoebe Charpentier”
• Karen Langton, “Women's Work: Seeing the Bible”
• Brian Torff, “Researching Southern Music and Race Issues”

SUMMER 2022

• Kim Gunter, “Factory Floors, Church Pews, and Kitchen Sinks: Counter-Literacies of the South’s Women Apparel Workers, 1964-1984”
• Michelle DiMarzo, “Cuban Poet Maya Islas: Campus Visit and Public Reading”
• Michelle Farrell, “Soft Power or a Space for Resistance: The Havana Film Festival NYC”

Spring 2022

• Mary Ann Carolan, “Visions of Italy and America in Film”
• Johanna Garvey and Shannon Kelley, “Carlota Ocampo's "Hidden in Plain Sight: Acknowledging and Addressing the Impacts of Racist Incident Based Trauma"
• Shannon Kelley, “Portsmouth Athenaenum and Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education”
• Shannon Kelley, “History of the Renaissance Book at the California Rare Book School”
• Jo Yarrington, “Following the Uranium and the Light: Cyanotype traces of utilitarian objects and artifacts”

Fall 2021

• Alfred Babo, Janie Leatherman, Melissa Quan, Julie Mughal, “Scholar at Risk (SAR) Visit, Dr. Sayed Hassan Akhlaq”
• Brian Torff, “Harvard on the Road to Civil Rights”
• Jo Yarrington, “Seeing is Believing: Crossings and Transpositions Part II,” and “Crossings and Transpositions Extended: Reflections from China”

Summer 2021

• Sara Diaz, “The Language of Food in Italian Culture: Pasticum”
• Jo Yarrington, “Redefining and Re-Assessing Traditionally Feminine Work through the Cyanotype Process”
• Jiwei Xiao, “Asian Cinema as World Cinema Film Series”

Spring 2021

• Jo Yarrington, “The Conceptual and Political Renaissance of the Domestic and Utilitarian Object: Felting as a Redefining and Re-Assessing of Traditional Feminine Work”
• Lauren Gaskill, “Drag and Activism: 1970s - 1990s in Images from One National Gay and Lesbian Archives”
• Michelle DiMarzo, “Co-Curating with Students: Italian Renaissance Painting Exhibition”

Fall 2020

• Sergio Adrada Rafael and Laura Gasca Jiminez, “Understanding Heritage Language Learners"
• Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in Mixed Language Programs” Hindsight 2020
  Sonya Huber and Kris Sealey, “Lauren Alleyne”
• Jo Yarrington and Mehmet Cansoy, “Bringing Power Back to Politics with Eitan Hersh”

Summer 2020

• Sunil Purushotham, “Maps for From Raj to Republic: Sovereignty, Violence and Democracy in India”

Spring 2020

• Anita Deeg-Carlin, et al, “Visiting Scholar, Arturo Brandt: Interdisciplinary Conversations about Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities”
• Ryan Drake, “Ruling Orders: Teaching Plato on the Arrangement of Cosmos, City, and Soul”
• Michelle Farrell, “Digital Humanities at Oxford Summer School”
• Sally O’Driscoll, “Preparing a New English Course: Creating Literary Digital Editions with Students”
• Jo Yarrington, “Seeing is Believing: Crossings and Transpositions Part II”
• Jo Yarrington, “The Conceptual and Political Renaissance of the Domestic and Utilitarian Object: Twining as a Redefining and Re-Assessing of Traditional Feminine Work”
• Jerelyn Johnson and Liz Hernandez, “La Paz Perputna at the Repertorio Espanol in Manhattan”

Fall 2019

• Ashley Byun, “Connecting Kids to Wildlife Conservation”
• Anita Deeg-Carlin, “Cheche Lavi – Looking for Life”
• Sara Diaz, “Cantautori: Italian Singer-Songwriters and the Popular Lyric”
• Michelle Farrell, “The Young Filmmaker’s Showcase on the Brink of Legal Recognition”
• Laura Gaskill, et all, “Student Workshop and Research Talk on Heritage Language Education with Dr. Jose Torres”
• Sunil Purushotham, “Indexing for Sovereignty, Democracy and Violence: India from Raj to Republic 1946-52”
• Aaron Weinstein, “Haegly Museum Library Visit for America's Forgotten Conservatism”

Additionally, the Humanities Institute provided support for William Abbot, Nels Pearson, and Marion White, “Irish Filmmakers Festival.”

In order to expand and diversify the Humanities Institute’s support of the scholarship and/or creative projects of humanities faculty, we now offer a competitive grant for one course-release for an associate professor in the humanities. The intent of this grant is to provide support for associate professors working toward promotion. One grant per academic year will be awarded.

Apply for a Mid-Career Research Grant

Alfred Babo, Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology, for research project “Negotiating Cultural Identity Transformation: A Look at Three Young Refugees' Experiences of Adjustment to Living in the United States”

The Humanities Institute is accepting abbreviated applications for its new Quick Grants program. Grants will be reviewed on September 1, November 1, December 1, January 1, March 1, April 1, and May 1.

Apply for a Quick Grant

• Silvia Marsans-Sakly, “Guest speaker Jeff Halper, Israeli anthropologist addresses the Israel-Palestine conflict with HI 3371, The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Question of Palestine”
• Jeffrey Schwartz, “Poet, Erika Meitner from the University of Wisconsin speaks to class, Jewish Identity in Literature.”
• Aaron Weinstein, “ Nicholas Buccola speaking on Constitution Day, Sept 15th, gives public lecture “To Secure the Blessings of Liberty: Frederick Douglass’s Aspirational Constitution”
• Tommy Xie, “Data journalist, Zack Newman, back to Fairfield to visit with Big Data Storytelling course”
• Sergio Adrada Rafael, “Filmmaker Carmen Vidal Balanzat, presents her award-winning documentary: Exiles (Exilios in Spanish)”
• Sergio Adrada Rafael, “Spanish journalist and reporter for the news channel NY1, Juan Manuel Benítez, gives public lecture at the Kelly Center”
• Betsy Bowen, “Library of Congress visit continuing work with “Ex-Slave Project” interviews”
• Jo Yarrington, “Christopher Kaczmarek, conducting a workshop for Studio Art students, in coordination with his exhibition Solar Symphony: a Solo exhibition at Loyola Hall Studio Art galleries, September 17 – November 4”
• Covadonga Arango-Martin, “SPAN 3245 class visit to see the Spanish play, La casa de Bernarda Alba, in NYC”
• Carolina Añón Suárez, “Dr. María Guadalupe Arenillas presents to SPAN 4360-Dictatorships and Revolutionary Movements in Contemporary Latin America class”
  Zhu Zhang, “Visits to Columbia and Yale libraries’ Asian Studies collections - curating a comprehensive reading list for a new course on Chinese Politics in Fall 2023”
• Laura Gasca Jiménez, “Sponsor Spanish major, Melody Olivan Sanchez, to attend the Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language at the Cervantes Institute in NYC”
• Carolina Añón Suárez, “Illustration of cover image by illustrator, Valentina Toro, for volume: “Generación Hijes: memoria, posdictadura y posconflicto en América Latina” [Hijes Generation: Memory, Post-dictatorship, and Post-conflict in Latin America]”
• Michelle Farrell, “Trip to Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language at the Cervantes Institute in NYC”
• Viviana Rigo de Alonso, “Trip to Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language at the Cervantes Institute in NYC”
• Covadonga Arango Martin, “Trip to Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language at the Cervantes Institute in NYC”
• Covadonga Arango Martin, “Trip to NYC to see Spanish play La dama boba with students in SPAN 4311 class”
• Shannon Kelley, “Guest lecture by author Ioanna Opidee visiting WGSS 4999 to discuss her novel Waking Slow (2018) and WGSS issues”
• Shannon Kelley, “Guest lecture by Janet Ortiz, Urban Impact's Program Director, visiting HONR 1101 (co-taught by Bill Abbott)”
• Carolina Añón Suárez, “Cover professional external copy editors for forthcoming volume: Generación Hijes: memoria, posdictadura y posconflicto en América Latina [Hijes Generation: Memory, Post-dictatorship, and Post-conflict in Latin America]“
• Chia-Hua Lin, “Guest speaker, Justin Price, presents lecture to PHIL 2217 on applying logic to his work in the tech industry based in the UK”
• Jo Yarrington, “Public lecture by artist Patricia Miranda on her works with donated, repurposed, lace and linens in site-responsive sculptures and installations, on March 22 in Loyola Hall”
• Betsy Bowen, “Provide knitting needles and yarn to students to reduce anxiety and dependence on digital devices, supporting student learning, engagement and outcomes”
• Karen Langton, “Bellarmine art installation of artist Arthur Szck, student art, and writing competition”
• Zhu Zhang, “Chinese and Indian Diaspora in NYC Commodity Sale Business”

The Humanities Seminar is a one-year commitment for Student Fellows. Student Fellows receive three credits and individual mentoring by a Faculty Fellow while completing an advanced research project in English, history, modern languages and literatures, philosophy, religious studies, visual and performing arts, or an interdisciplinary field with a substantive humanities component.

Student Fellowships are recommended for Humanities majors and minors, but are open to all exceptional students proposing advanced humanities research.

Congratulations to our successful 2023-2024 Student Fellows for their investiture in their one-year seminar membership:

• Nohea Breeden, 2025
• Thomas Burke 2024
• Caleigh Hopkins, 2024
• Gabrielle Jacob, 2024
• Elijah Perez-Mendez, 2024
• Melody Olivan Sanchez, 2026

The Humanities Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to invite students to apply to become a Student Fellow in the Humanities Institute Seminar.

Apply to be a Student Fellow

Student Fellows Recommendation Form

The Humanities Seminar is a two-year commitment for Faculty Fellows. For each of the two academic years that they participate, Faculty Fellows receive a one-course reduction.

Congratulations to our successful 2023-2025 Faculty Fellows for their investiture in their two-year seminar membership:

• Elizabeth Boquet, Professor of English
• Kimberly Gunter, Associate Professor of English
• Laura Gasca Jiménez, Associate Professor of Modern Languages & Literatures
• Shannon King, Associate Professor of History
• Marice Rose, Professor of Visual & Performing Arts
• Nicholas Allred, Visiting Assistant Professor of English

Apply to Be a Faculty Fellow