The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UCHI) is proud to be the recipient of a $275,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the programming of an exhibition entitled “Seeing Truth: Art, Science, and Making Knowledge (1750-2023).” This exhibition will be presented at the William Benton Museum of Art during the 2023 academic year in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. UConn President Thomas C. Katsouleas made the announcement at the reception marking the 19th season of UCHI’s fellowships. The grant, whose principle investigator is UCHI Director of Academic Affairs, Alexis Boylan, will bring together various scientific, cultural, and educational artifacts to challenge our notions and ideas of what counts as a “scientific” object or a work of “art.” Seeing Truth is one part of UCHI’s larger upcoming initiative entitled The Future of Truth. To learn more about Seeing Truth, visit a UConn Today article on the grant.
You Should…Read: What the Eyes Don’t See (Juli Wade-CLAS Dean)
This terrific memoir is a story of a public health disaster and the courageous pediatrician who provided the research that eventually forced officials to respond to the truth members of the community had been speaking, unheard. When a decision was made in 2014 to switch the source of water for the impoverished city of Flint, MI to the Flint River without adding appropriate corrosion inhibitors, lead from pipes leached into the water and poisoned the population of about 100,000 people. In addition to documenting the crisis, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, director of the pediatric residency program at Flint’s Hurley Medical Center and a Michigan State University faculty member, poignantly describes the community she serves, her personal passions and connections, and the circumstances that drove her to investigate and publicize the crisis. I also worked at MSU when the disaster unfolded and lived less than 50 miles from Flint. I was appalled and saddened, and proud of the people who worked tirelessly to move forward in a positive way. For those (like me) who love a good detective story, particularly one grounded in science and full of positive human nature, I highly recommend this read. If only it were fiction…
– Juli Wade
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
University of Connecticut
Who is Juli Wade? In December 2018, Juli Wade was named the new Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Prior to this, Professor Wade was the Associate Provost at Michigan State University, where she had joined the psychology department in 1995. She received her Bachelors’ degree in psychology from Cornell University and her doctorate from the University of Texas. Wade’s research focuses on understanding “how structural and biochemical changes within the central nervous system regulate behavior, using lizards and songbirds as model organisms.” Read more about Dean Wade in UConn Today.
Michael Lynch’s New Book Explores the Cultural Toxicity of Social Media
The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UConn-UCHI) director Michael Lynch has a new book: “Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture.” Michael’s book, published by Liveright Publishing, explores how social media, despite what we may think, is used not for disseminating knowledge and facts, but as a means of expressing our outrage at those who do not share our convictions. This has only served to fan the flames of our public divide and tribal political affiliations: white nationalism and authoritarianism to the right, and identity politics and arrogant liberalism to the left. What’s the solution? Perhaps a dose of humility. Michael is the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of philosophy at UConn. He also served as the Principle Investigator of UCHI’s Humility and Conviction in Public Life Project (HCPL) funded by UConn and The Templeton Foundation.
The Schedule of UCHI Fellows Talks for 2019–2020
As is customary, every year each of our resident fellows delivers a talk on their ongoing research while at the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute. These talks are open to the public and take place at UCHI at the Homer Babbidge Library, 4th Floor. More details will be disseminated on social media prior to each talk.
President Herbst’s Legacy Heralds a Bright Future for UCHI
As the larger UConn community says farewell to President Susan Herbst, who served as its 15th president from 2011 to 2019, we at the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UCHI) would like to add to the chorus of well-wishers. President Herbst was an advocate for the humanities and arts on campus, which is exemplified by her initiative to establish the Susan Herbst and Douglas Hughes Family Scholarship in the Humanities, awarded annually to incoming undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who show academic achievement and financial need. UCHI was honored to be a part of Herbst’s commitment to building a stronger core of humanities scholarship and outreach at UConn. Evidence of this commitment can be seen in the remarkable grow and productivity of UCHI since 2011. Some of the key accomplishments of UCHI under the Herbst administration include:
The Humility and Conviction in Public Life initiative from 2015 to 2019, which was funded by UConn and a $6,000,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation. HCLP engaged in multiple research projects, educational opportunities, and regional outreach programs with the goal of promoting intellectual humility and investigating how humility promotes more constructive and meaningful public dialogues. HCPL also supported several residential fellowships and funded 22 cross-disciplinary projects at UConn and from around the world, all with the aim of exploring the meaning of public discourse and developing strategies to encourage better-informed public debates.
The New England Humanities Consortium, which was established in 2018 with the support of a $100,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, promotes collaborative research, intellectual exchange, and educational programing for faculty and students at 11 schools in New England. UCHI serves as the executive hub of NEHC, which along with sponsoring numerous cross-campus events, funding research, supporting the public humanities in the region, has supported the Faculty of Color Working Group, an innovative group seeking to encourage and nurture diversity in New England.
The Digital Humanities and Media Studies initiative, which since 2016 has been bringing UConn faculty and students in the humanities and media studies together in a unique interdisciplinary environment. DHMS supports a plethora of projects, including research into the history of Hartford and Connecticut, and various online resources such as the African Film Database.
Increased funding for faculty and graduate research fellowships. Year-long residential fellowships provide scholars with the opportunity to pursue advanced work in the arts and humanities. Since 2011 generous funding from UConn has supported 40 dissertation fellowships for UConn graduate students, over 50 fellowships for UConn faculty from multiple departments and disciplines, and over 30 visiting fellowships for scholars from 26 different institutions from around the world.
During Herbst’s tenure, UCHI emerged as a leading hub of collaborative scholarship at the regional, national, and international stage. Dr. Herbst’s commitment to the humanities and UCHI’s success is echoed in incoming president Thomas Katsouleas’ belief in the importance of the humanities to addressing “societal grand challenges.” We join the greater UConn community to thank President Herbst and wish her the best as she returns to academia, and we look forward to the start of a new chapter at the Humanities Institute.
Photo Credit: Nasya Al-Saidy (Top) and Peter Morenus/UConn Photo (Bottom)
Digital Futures for Humanities Doctorates
Digital Futures for Humanities Doctorates
Monday, March 25, 2019
Hannah Alpert-Adams (PhD, University of Texas, postdoc, Brown University) and Alex Galarza (PhD, Michigan State University, postdoc, Harverford College)
Two events:
12-1.30pm, roundtable on collaborative work and critical digital archives, with catered lunch
4pm-5.30pm, presentation of collaborative digital projects
All events at UConn Humanities Institute Conference Room
Co-sponsors History Department, Humanities Institute, LCL, El Instituto
Early Modern Signal Boost: foinsí Ghaeilge (Irish sources) at The National Archives
A post written by our very own professor Brendan Kane, along with Greenhouse Studios’ Wes Hamrick and Deidre Nic Chárthaigh, was recently featured on the blog of The National Archives. This fascinating read, which details the importance of The National Archives’ Gaelic sources, can be found below or through this link.
Giving
Presenting Science to the Public in a Post-Truth Era
Friday, May 24, 2019 4-7pm
Dodd Center Auditorium
With Dr. Åsa Wikforss (Stockholm University), Dr. Michael Lynch (University of Connecticut), Dr. Tali Sharot (University College London)
Sponsored jointly by the Science of Learning & Art of Communication (SLAC) program and the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UCHI) How can we present scientific information to the public in an era where increasingly expertise and scientific consensus are dismissed as opinion or fake news? Three eminent experts will discuss this challenge, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the audience. Reception to follow Free and open to the public
For more information, contact: Holly Fitch (ROSLYN.H.FITCH@UCONN.EDU) or Charlotte Nelson (CHARLOTTE.NELSON@UCONN.EDU)
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You Should…Read: Micrographia Illustrata
