Student Success

Navigating the Academic Job Market

Posted on by

2026–27 UCHI Student Success. Navigating the Academic Job Market with Katrina Kish (St. Catherine’s University), Britney Murphy (University of Alabama Birmingham), and Najnin Islam (UConn English). October 25, 12:15pm. Virtual.

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpreting, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Please send accommodation requests at least five days in advance whenever possible.

Navigating the Academic Job Market

with Katrina Kish (St. Catherine’s University), Britney Murphy (University of Alabama at Birmingham), and Najnin Islam (UConn English)
September 25, 2025, 12:15pm
Live • Online • Registration required

Register

Does applying for academic jobs feel like navigating a winding river without a map? Join us for this workshop where a panel of recent UConn PhDs and UConn faculty will offer advice for current graduate students on navigating the academic job market. There will be plenty of time for questions.

Support UCHI

For twenty-five years the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute has served as the hub for the study of human society and culture at UConn. Help us celebrate UCHI at 25 with a gift to the Institute. Every gift will help us promote innovation and creativity in humanities research for the next twenty-five years.

Undergraduate Fellows’ Talk: Josephine Burke and Suleen Kareem

Posted on by

Undergraduate Humanities Research Fellows. Josephine Burke, “Higher Education in Prison in Connecticut: An Overview of Experiences, Constraints, and Institutional Politics.” Suleen Kareem, “Gendered Resistance in Anfal: Kurdish Women’s Epistemic Survival in the Aftermath of Genocide.” April 22, 4:15pm, UCHI Conference Room.

Undergraduate Humanities Fellows Research Colloquium

Josephine Burke (Political Science, UConn) and Suleen Kareem (Human Rights & Philosophy, UConn)

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 4:15pm, Humanities Institute Conference Room (HBL 4-209)

The event will also be livestreamed with automated captioning.

Register to attend virtually

Josephine Burke, “Higher Education in Prison in Connecticut: An Overview of Experiences, Constraints, and Institutional Politics”

What does it look like to practice higher education in carceral settings, where dynamics of control, power, and violence are omnipresent? What can we learn about the realities of higher education in prison (HEP) from the experiences of professors and former students? This talk will offer an overview of the landscape of higher education in prison in Connecticut, exploring how power relations and institutional interactions at the individual and institutional levels influence the experience of HEP through a discussion of constraints, motivations, and competing understandings.

Josephine Burke is a junior Honors student studying Political Science, American Studies, and History at UConn, Storrs. Her interdisciplinary academic and research interests center around the fields of political theory, critical prison studies, critical university studies, and gender studies, and she is most interested, both within and outside of her research, in the ways in which communities understand, respond to, and resist systems of oppression and control. You can often find Josephine with her nose in a book, immersed in her favorite music, weightlifting at the Rec, or spending quality time with her friends and family. Josephine’s fellowship project advisor is Sandy Grande.

Suleen Kareem, “Gendered Resistance in Anfal: Kurdish Women’s Epistemic Survival in the Aftermath of Genocide”

This talk examines Kurdish women’s experiences of the Anfal Campaign in Iraq (1987–1988) through the lens of epistemic injustice. While existing narratives of genocide have centered on state violence and legal recognition, women’s histories of survival, memory, and resistance remain underrepresented. Drawing on feminist historiography, oral history, and critical epistemology, this project explores how Kurdish women produce and sustain knowledge in the aftermath of violence. Through legal testimonies, oral traditions, and intergenerational memory, their narratives challenge the limits of dominant historical frameworks. In doing so, this research reconsiders what counts as historical knowledge in the study of genocide.

Suleen Kareem is a junior at the University of Connecticut, double majoring in Philosophy and Human Rights. She is the daughter of Kurdish refugees who fled northern Iraq and settled in the United States after surviving mass displacement, executions, and chemical attacks during the Anfal Campaign. These experiences have shaped Suleen’s scholarly interests and commitments, especially to refugee advocacy and the preservation of marginalized histories. Suleen’s fellowship projects advisors are Brendan Kane and Nana Amos.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible.

Undergraduate Fellows’ Talk: Autumn Scott and Bryce Turner

Posted on by

Undergraduate Humanities Research Fellows Colloquium. Bryce Turner, “The Unseen Impact: Community Perceptions and Responses to Rural Maternal Healthcare Challenges in Willimantic, CT” and Autumn Scott, "Trinities in World Mythology: Why Separate Cultures Construct the Same Cosmology." April 15, 4:00pm. UCHI Conference Room, Homer Babbidge Library, 4th floor.

Undergraduate Humanities Fellows Research Colloquium

Autumn Scott (History, UConn) and Bryce Turner (Anthropology & Molecular and Cell Biology, UConn)

Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 4:00pm, Humanities Institute Conference Room (HBL 4-209)

The event will also be livestreamed with automated captioning.

Register to attend virtually

Autumn Scott, “Trinities in World Mythology: Why Separate Cultures Construct the Same Cosmology”

Throughout various global mythologies, sets of three are a feature which frequently seems to come into play. This occurs not just in Europe and the Mediterranean, but also South Asia, East Asia, and Native North America, in triads and triple deities such as the Hindu triumvirate, Taoist Three Pure Ones, Maya Palenque Triad, the Algonquin three world cosmology of sky, earth and underworld, as well as many others. This talk will explore the tradition of mythological trinities and why they have come to be so prominent, even among cultures that were long entirely separate from one another. I examine the various explanations for the trinity’s prevalence and evaluate their ability to explain the phenomenon as a whole.

Autumn Scott is a junior at UConn, majoring in history, with a focus on the medieval and early modern eras. Scott’s research interests include the reasons behind commonalities in world mythology, cultural interactions between different people groups, and the tactics and strategy of medieval military history. He plans on pursuing a master’s degree in the medieval studies program, followed by a PhD centered around the emergence of gunpowder in the west in the 1400s.

Bryce Turner, “The Unseen Impact: Community Perceptions and Responses to Rural Maternal Healthcare Challenges in Willimantic, CT”

Maternal health care deserts are a recognized and growing crisis across the US, especially in rural and impoverished areas. But what happens when a community loses access to care without being formally recognized as a desert? We worked with community members, activists, leaders, and health care professionals in a non-rural, economically distressed community in Connecticut to explore the impact of a Labor & Delivery closure on health care accessibility, quality, and community perceptions of care in the region. Our findings reveal how vernacular and institutional understandings of maternal health care deserts — including divergent perceptions of care quality and safety — shape how actors respond to the closure and contribute to the formation of latent maternal health care deserts.

Bryce Turner is a senior Honors student studying Anthropology, Molecular & Cell Biology, and Public Health with a minor in Spanish. You can often find him singing with UConn Choirs and with A Completely Different Note acapella, where he serves as the president of the group. He also enjoys swimming at the Rec and working in the Experimental Anthropology lab where he helps bring lab techniques into the field to enhance the study of human culture.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible.

Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium

Posted on by

The fifth-annual Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium (HURS) will take place on April 10th, 2025 from 9:00am–5:30pm in the Humanities Institute Conference Room (Homer Babbidge Library, 4th floor).

The Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium (HURS) celebrates the contributions of UConn’s undergraduate students to an ever-evolving dialogue of thought by providing a platform to share new knowledge and encourage the pursuit of advanced research in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.

This year’s symposium features students from a wide variety of majors—history, journalism, maritime studies, psychological sciences, physiology and neurobiology, political science, human rights, and more. And their talks cover topics from the politics of film, to education in prisons, to environmental injustice.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all attendees and participants. The event will be followed by a reception with refreshments.

HURS 2026 Schedule

9:00am
Breakfast and Welcome

9:15am–10:30am
Society, Future, and The Case for Hope

Josephine Burke, “Higher Education in Prison in Connecticut: An Overview of Experiences, Constraints, and Institutional Politics”
Sugita Mahendarkar, “Building Agency in Connecticut’s Kids (BACK): Sexual and Reproductive Health Education in Connecticut”

10:45am–12:15pm
The Balance of Power: Trump’s Second Term and Connecticut
with Christi Thrower, Charlotte Harvey, Anna Heqimi, and Dan Stark

12:15pm–1:15pm
Lunch

1:15pm–2:30pm
Fascism, Political Resistance, and Social Movements
Kai Febus, “Bodies as Test Sites: Puerto Rico & Ethnicide ”
Danielle Lillis, “Gender, Rebellion, and Power: Roman Miscalculation of Boudica’s Revolt”
Elly Hume, “Assessing the Nuance of Roman Identity in the Ottoman Empire after 1453 CE”

2:45–4:00pm
Environment, Place, and Legacy

Michael Wynn, “Environmental Inequality in the South Bronx”
Nicholas Benda, “The Land of Sunshine and Flowers: Steamship Companies, Nature, and Early-20th Century American Interest in Cuba”
James Weitlauf, “Railroad Ferries in American Maritime History”

4:15pm–5:30pm
Art, Media, and Attention

Kim Butynes, “The Thing (from out of this ‘polarized’ world): How Horror Movies Expressed American Political Fears in Trump’s First Presidential Term (2016-2020)”
Breanna Bonner, “Beyond Survival: Gun Violence Prevention Workshops”

5:30
Reception with refreshments

Careers in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Posted on by

Careers in the Humanities and Social Sciences. UConn Alumni Share their Stories. March 2,4 5:00pm. Humanities Institute Conference Room, HBL, 4th floor. Free pizza and snacks for all attendees.

Careers in the Humanities and Social Sciences

UConn Alumni Share their Stories

Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 5:00pm, Humanities Institute Conference Room (HBL 4-209)

This event is targeted to students majoring in the humanities and social sciences in order to share career pathway options from alumni who were once in their shoes. Alumni will be asked to share their career journey including roles, key career decisions and lessons learned, and general advice for students looking to go directly into employment after graduation. After formal Q&A there will be an opportunity for students to speak with the alumni casually and one-on-one.

There will be free pizza and snacks for all attendees.

Organized in conjunction with the Center for Career Development.

Panelists

Drine Paul (English),Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.

Yuka Sugahara (Anthropology and Political Science), Immigration Paralegal & HR Specialist.

Annika Redgate (Political Science and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies), Legal Administrative Assistant with Hinckley Allen.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible.

Humanities Involvement Fair

Posted on by

Humanities Involvement Fair. February 11, 12:30-4:30pm. Student Union 311.

Humanities Involvement Fair

Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 12:30–4:30pm, Student Union 331

Want to learn more about humanities, social science, and arts related activities at UConn? Drop in to the Humanities Involvement Fair. Representatives from clubs, groups, and units across campus will share information about their programs, opportunities, and more.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session

Posted on by

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session. January 29, 4:00pm. Virtual.

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpreting, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities.

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session

January 29, 2026, 4:00pm
Live • Online • Registration required

Register

Interested in applying for a humanities undergraduate research fellowship but don’t know where to start?

We are holding an information session for prospective applicants for the 2026–27 Humanities Research Fellowship—a year-long fellowship for UConn undergraduates pursuing innovative research in the humanities. In this session, we will go over the application process, offer tips and tricks for writing a compelling application, and answer questions.

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session

Posted on by

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session. November 13, 4:00pm. Virtual.

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpreting, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities.

Undergraduate Research Fellowship Information Session

November 13, 2025, 4:00pm
Live • Online • Registration required

Register

Interested in applying for a humanities undergraduate research fellowship but don’t know where to start?

We are holding an information session for prospective applicants for the 2026–27 Humanities Research Fellowship—a year-long fellowship for UConn undergraduates pursuing innovative research in the humanities. In this session, we will go over the application process, offer tips and tricks for writing a compelling application, and answer questions.

Dissertation Fellowship Application Workshop

Posted on by

Dissertation fellowship application workshop. November 12, 3:30pm. UCHI Conference Room, Homer Babbidge Library, 4th floor.

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpreting, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities.

Dissertation Fellowship Application Workshop

November 12, 2025, 3:30 pm

UCHI Collaborative Space, Homer Babbidge Library.

The UConn Humanities Institute (UCHI) is offering a workshop to assist graduate students in the preparation of dissertation fellowship applications in the humanities and associated disciplines. Any UConn graduate student interesting in applying to UCHI’s dissertation research fellowship is especially encouraged to attend.

Applying to Graduate School

Posted on by

Applying to Graduate School. Featuring Rachel Szostak (School of Law), Melanie Newport (History), and Alexander Menrisky (English). November 7, 1:00pm. Virtual.

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpreting, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible

Applying to Graduate School

November 7, 2025, 1:00pm
Live • Online • Registration Required

Register

Thinking about graduate study in the humanities, social sciences, or law? Join us for “Applying to Graduate School” and learn from the people who make decisions about admitting students into graduate programs. Our panelists will explain what they look for in applicants, and what mistakes you should avoid. There will be ample time for questions.

Featuring Rachel Szostak (School of Law), Melanie Newport (History), and Alexander Menrisky (English).

Register now.