Research Project
Poser, Susan
Engaged Humanities Initiative
- Principal Investigator
- Poser, Susan
- Start Date
- 2018-08-01
- End Date
- 2022-07-31
- Funding Source
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Abstract
The Engaged Humanities Initiative will identify undergraduate students early and create a pathway for those interested in the humanities. It will democratize the humanities curriculum by placing undergraduates in a collaborative relationship with mentors to study topics that undergraduates themselves have identified as worthy. Undergraduate students will be taught and mentored in research by UIC’s top humanities faculty committed to helping students find their voices. By locating the program in UIC’s already vibrant Institute for the Humanities, the EHI will also help UIC begin a university-wide conversation about the ways in which humanities education must evolve for the future by engaging with undergraduates and bringing together faculty to discuss and experiment with new pedagogies and new curriculum. As this develops, we anticipate that it will become part of the conversation about the fundamentals of the curriculum as UIC begins a timely review of its general education program. Long term, this program will help UIC become a model of humanities education for the 21st century.