Interdisciplinary work on climate change is underway at universities worldwide, and it’s happening at DePaul, too. Here at
HumanitiesX, DePaul’s Mellon Foundation-funded Experiential Humanities Collaborative, we have just announced the theme for our second fellowship cohort (2022-23):
The Environment: Crisis and Action.
“This theme will allow our LAS faculty and the students in their courses to explore how climate change and environmental calamities can be addressed by ideas and methods from the humanities,” says HumanitiesX Faculty Director, Prof. Lisa Dush. “While we might turn to science if we want to design carbon-capture technologies or mitigate a chemical spill, the humanities can help us to explore questions like, What language is likely to persuade people that climate change is real? What rationales for environmental justice can we find in history, philosophy, or religious studies? What can we learn and accomplish by collecting and sharing the stories of those affected by climate change?"
Miles of Murals: A Rogers Park ProjectThe
HumanitiesX team is excited to use next year to develop new
project-based courses for DePaul students, which explore the environment and climate from interdisciplinary and community-engaged perspectives.
Full-time faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) who already teach about environmental issues as well as those excited to explore this subject area are encouraged to meet with Prof. Dush to brainstorm their ideas for a proposal to become a 2022-23 HumanitiesX fellow and develop a
HumanitiesX course. These courses are designed and deployed by teams of two LAS faculty in different disciplines and a representative from a community organization, with a goal to engage students in projects that benefit the organization. Alumni who work at nonprofit organizations focused on engaged with environmental issues are encouraged to get in touch with HumanitiesX Coordinator Deborah Siegel-Acevedo (dsiegel9@depaul.edu).
Teams awarded this year-long fellowship receive extensive support for the collaborative development and delivery of a co-taught, project-based, community-engaged course to be offered in Spring 2023. Faculty members receive three course releases and a summer stipend. Community-partner organizations receive a generous stipend of $17,600.
“In the collaborative spirit of HumanitiesX, successful proposals for participation in the fellowship typically involve preliminary conversations with our team,” says Prof. Dush. Faculty and community organization representatives may schedule a
30-minute or
60-minute Zoom brainstorm meeting with Prof. Dush in December or January to explore and develop ideas that will make for a compelling application package.
Learn about the courses and projects created by the 2021-22 cohort of fellows
here.
The online application portal for 2022-23 HumanitiesX fellowships opens January 15 and closes March 28.*
Finally, if you're curious to further your understanding of how your field might engage with next year’s theme, here are a few resources to explore:
*Note: The deadline was adjusted after publication and has been edited accordingly. The original deadline was March 4.