Humanities Institute

Message from the Director

The humanities exist at an exciting juncture of traditional and evolving disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. More than ever, our world requires global citizens who can think historically, critically, culturally, and creatively. Its present and future depend on leaders and problem solvers who can transcend formulaic approaches, recognize the human dimension, synthesize multiple categories of knowledge, and articulate nuanced ideas to multiple audiences. The humanities are thus more relevant, and more instrumental in the professional and public lives of college graduates, than ever before. If you would like to hear more about the growing impact of the humanities on contemporary social and professional life, I encourage you to watch Humanities at Work Lecture video.

Here at Fairfield, the Humanities Institute has undergone its own renaissance. Founded in 1983 with the aid of an NEH challenge grant, then revitalized as a freestanding and multifunctional Institute in 2014, under the directorship of Dr. Ronald Davidson, we now enter a growth phase in which our aim is to broaden the impact of our programming, support, and outreach.

‌It is an honor to lead the Humanities Institute in its mission to promote the Humanities as the nexus of intellectual livelihood at Fairfield University. Among our recent highlights is an expanded Humanities Institute Seminar, directed by Dr. Kris Sealey, which welcomes six faculty fellows every two years, and six student fellows each year. Fellows receive reassigned teaching time to work on innovative research projects and support one another’s progress while also mentoring our eight student fellows, advising them in original research. The interdisciplinary seminar format provides valuable interactions between faculty scholars while also offering some of our top humanities students the kind of tutorial-based, one-on-one experience that will prepare them for graduate school or other intensive intellectual environments outside of Fairfield. 

The program grants committee, now directed by Dr. Ryan Drake, will look to continue and enhance its exemplary work in assessing and funding faculty projects. Recently funded projects range from restoration of ancient Greek art to representations of China in Italian film, and from mapping Irish emigration in Rhode Island to guiding veterans in the writing and performance of their remarkable stories. Each of the program grants has been successful in infusing the dynamic energy of the humanities into the fabric of the University.

One of the Humanities Institute’s core concerns, the Digital Humanities Consortium, co-directed by Dr. Ron Davidson and Dr. Shannon Kelley, is now a permanent part of the Institute, and will continue working with the DiMenna-Nyselius Library to enhance its web-based hub for the promotion and dissemination of student and faculty digital projects. Other planned initiatives of the Humanities institute include exciting new public humanities programming and outreach, as well as the new course  “Technical Skills for Liberal Arts Majors,” which will train humanities students in the specific software skills that surveyed employers say will make them competitive after graduation.

We will also continue to explore the possibilities arising from the recent formation of the School of the Humanities, including the ways in which the two entities in the College of Arts and Sciences will work collaboratively to promote teaching, scholarship, and initiatives in the Humanities.

We hope you will join us in the various events we are planning and connect with the remarkable faculty and students of this University as they ask difficult questions of themselves and their peers, seeking answers that challenge entrenched positions while also expressing intellectual generosity and empathy with others, whether in agreement or difference of opinion.

Nels Pearson, PhD
Professor of English
Director, The Humanities Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences
Fairfield University

Program Grants

HI 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 available on the downloadable Call for Proposals).

*NEW! There are now two different applications available: one for grants involving faculty development or research; 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.

Quick Grants

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.

Mid-Career Research Grants for Humanities Faculty

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.

Eligibility: Rank of associate professor at the time of application. While priority will be given to humanities faculty and projects, all faculty with a research project in a humanities area are encouraged to apply for the course-release grant, including those whose project has a substantive humanities component but who do not teach in a humanities department. Projects with an evident path to completion are most competitive, but they may currently be at any stage of the process. Preference is given to faculty not participating in the Humanities Institute Seminar during the same award year as this Mid-Career Research Grant.

Application Deadline: February 10, 2022, to be awarded for the 2022-23 academic year.

Summer, Fall, and Spring Grant Recipients

Humanities Institute Program Grant Award Winners AY 21-22

Summer 2021 Grant Awardees:

• 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”

Fall 2021 Grant Awardees:

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

Spring 2022 Grant Awardees:

• Mary Ann Carolan, “Visions of Italy and America in Film”
• Johanna Garvey and Shannon Kelley, “Dr. Carlota Ocampo's ‘Hidden in Plain Sight: Acknowledging and Addressing the Impacts of Racist Incident Based Trauma’"
• Shannon Kelley, “Portsmouth Atheænum 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”

Mid-Career Research Grant

• Johanna Garvey, Associate Professor of English, for her book-in-progress Toni Morrison’s Geographies of Trauma

Humanities Institute Quick Grant Awardees AY 21-22

• Michelle Farrell, “Final Exam in the Medical Interpreter Process-National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters”
• Michelle Farrell, “Dominican documentary: A la Deriva (Adrift) in HR 3301 Mothering in the Americas”
• Eileen Wilkinson, "Meet the Schneiders - Tenement Museum class visit”
• Lisa Breunig, “3 publishing professionals’ visit with ENGL 3140 World of Publishing seminar”
• Laura Gasca Jimenez, “Indexing for book Traducción, competencia plurilingüe y español como lengua de herencia (ELH)”
• Lauren Gaskill, “ Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, visiting SPAN 4305 Popular Culture in Latin America”
• Betsy Bowen, “Library of Congress visit to continue work with “Ex-Slave Project” interviews”
• Jo Yarrington, “Christopher Kaczmarek’s workshop for Studio Art Program student”
• Michelle Farrell, “Columbia film festival founder, Diana Vargas visit with SPAN 3271- Hispanic Cinema”
• Michelle Farrell, “Cuban film maker, Javier Labrador Deulofeu, visit with SPAN 3271- Hispanic Cinema”
• Mary Ann Carolan, “Classroom visit and public lecture by translator Prof. Virginia Jewiss”
• Carolina Añón Suárez, “Certificate in Gender and Feminist Movements”
• Anna Lawrence, “Field trip to the Fairfield Museum and History Center for students in HIST 2253 Early America to 1800”
• Elizabeth Petrino, “Field trip to the Fairfield Museum and History Center for students in ENGL 2031 Early American Literature”
• Giovanni Ruffini, “Digitize 750 historically significant photographs taken during 2000 and 2001 visit to Ethiopia”
• Tommy Xie, “Data journalist, Mr. Zack Newman, visit with ENGL 3330 Big Data Storytelling”
• Jo Yarrington, “Capstone project Elemental Shifts, exhibition in the Loyola Studio Art galleries”
• Marice Rose, “New Orleans Art Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art”
• Jill Bodach, “Visit from Sterling HolyWhiteMountain of the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop to 3 Literature classes”
• Mary Ann Carolan, “Indexing for manuscript, ‘Orienting Italy: China through the Lens of Italian Filmmakers’“

Student Fellows Announcement - 2023

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 for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Student Fellows are each mentored by a Faculty Fellow, under whose mentorship the student completes an independent, advanced research project in one of the Humanities disciplines (English, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Visual and Performing Arts) for course credit. Positions are recommended for Humanities majors and minors, but are open to all exceptional students interested in learning more about research in the Humanities.

In both fall and spring, Student Fellows join Faculty Fellows in Seminar meetings to discuss research ideas and work in progress. These meetings take place 4 times per semester on weekday afternoons, usually on Tuesdays 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., so applicants should keep this time slot open when registering for classes. Because all fellows are expected to engage in these seminar meetings, the seminar is generally not recommended for students who will be studying abroad for all or part of the academic year.

Current Faculty Fellows (2021-2023)

• Claudia Calhoun, Assistant Professor of Visual and Performing Arts
• Annemarie Iddins, Assistant Professor of Communication
• Jerelyn Johnson, Associate Professor of Modern Languages
• Silvia Marsans-Sakly, Associate Professor of the Practice of History
• Elizabeth Petrino, Professor of English
• Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

A full description of the program, along with application materials, are attached to the same email as this announcement and are also available on the Humanities Institute webpage.

Any questions about the Seminar and/or application process should be directed to the Seminar Chair, Dr. Sunil Purushotham at spurushotham@fairfield.edu. Applications are due by Monday, April 3, 2023 to Julie Garbarino at jgarbarino@fairfield.edu. See submission guidelines on application form.

We very much look forward to receiving applications.

Nels Pearson, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of English
Director, the Humanities Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences

Student Fellows

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 2022-2023 Student Fellows for their investiture in their one-year seminar membership:

• Peter Baron, 2023
• Phoebe Charpentier, 2023
• Shannon Di Iorio, 2023
• Madeline Hossler, 2023
• Thomas Lane, 2024
• Francis Eddie Nicholas, 2023

Faculty Fellows

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 2021-2023 Faculty Fellows for their investiture in their two-year seminar membership: