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The Humanities Foundation News |
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725 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 107 Boston, Massachusetts 02215 T 617-353-6250 F 617-353-5374
Supporting Humanities at Boston University since 1981
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The Humanities Foundation has undergone many exciting changes this academic year. Starting in September 2008, we welcomed Professor James Winn as our incoming Director, with Professor Katherine O’Connor continuing as Co-Director for the 2008-2009 year. As of September 2009, Professor Winn will be the sole director of the Humanities Foundation. Longtime Foundation Administrator Frances Heaton retired over the summer, and Christine Loken-Kim became the new Administrator in October 2008. The Humanities Foundation also moved to a new office suite located in room 107 at 725 Commonwealth Avenue across from the Dean’s Office. To assist Professor Winn in selecting persons and projects for Foundation support, and to set new policies going forward, Dean Sapiro has appointed a new Foundation Executive Committee, whose names are listed below. We are deeply grateful to them for their service. |
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New Director, New Administrator, New Office, New Policies |
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Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2009 |
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Jeffrey Henderson Senior Research Fellows 2008/2009 |
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· New Director, New Administrator, New Office, New Policies · Letter from the Director · Jeffrey Henderson Senior Research Fellows 08/09 · 08/09 Junior Fellows · 08/09 Executive Committee Members |
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Newsletter Spotlight |
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Clockwise from top left: Charles Capper, Sofia Perez, Bruce Schulman, Michael Prince, Shahla Haeri, and Susan L. Mizruchi. |
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Projects Charles Capper — Professor, History Shahla Haeri — Associate Professor, Anthropology Susan L. Mizruchi — Professor, English and American Studies Sofia Perez — Associate Professor, Political Science Michael Prince — Associate Professor, English Bruce Schulman — Professor, History |
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Faculty Project Highlights 2008/2009 |
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Letter From Director James Winn |
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BU Center for the Study of Asia — Spring Conference April 2—3, 2009 Presenting the innovative Balinese Shadow Play Wayang Kali, featuring Balinese puppeteer I Made Sidia with Balinese and Western Musical Accompaniment
The International Center for East Asian Archaeology & Cultural History — The East Asian Archaeology Forum, a year long series of lectures including: “A Yuan Dynasty Tomb at Dong’ercun: Changing Identities in the Chinese Afterlife” by Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt; “Cultural Heritage Management in China: General Trends and a Micro-focus on Luoyang Municipality” by Luca Zan. Religion Department — author Mary Gordon discussing her memoir Circling My Mother. Religion Department — Conference entitled: What the Gods Demand: Blood Sacrifice in Mediterranean Antiquity. Modern Languages and Comparative Literature Department — Bernard Schlink, author of The Reader, speaking on “The Presence and the Past.”
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The Humanities Foundation supported a number of faculty projects over the 2008/2009 academic year. Here are a few of the highlights. Art History and The African Studies Center— the art exhibition, Exposures: Other Histories in Early Postcards from Africa. November 21, 2008—January 18, 2009, and the related symposium, Cosmopolitan Identities and Alternative Histories: Africans in Front and Behind the Camera, November 22, 2008.
Archaeology Department — Context and Human Society, a week of lectures by Dr. Richard Hodges. Women’s Studies Program — lecture series on Women, Power and Knowledge including a lecture by Hilary Neroni, on the topic of “The Violent Woman: Femininity, Narrative, and Violence in Contemporary American Cinema.” |
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Humanities Foundation Junior Fellows 2008/2009 |
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Projects Brooke L. Blower— Peter T. Paul Assistant Professor, History Arianne Chernock— Assistant Professor, History Robert Chodat— Assistant Professor. English Irit Kleiman— Assistant Professor, Romance Studies Meg Tyler— Assistant Professor, College of General Studies Broken Sonnets |
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From left: Brooke L. Blower, Robert Chodat, Meg Tyler, Irit Kleiman, and Arianne Chernock |
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Dear Friends, As my first academic year in this position draws to a close, I am filled with gratitude towards many. My thanks to Gina Sapiro for her faith and support, to the hardworking Executive Committee for their high standards and fresh ideas, to Katherine O’Connor for her institutional memory, to Chris Loken- Kim for her passion for detail, to the resident Fellows for their vigorous intellects, and to all our colleagues for their forbearance as we have worked to learn our jobs. In this transitional year, we have sought to improve our communications with all our constituencies: with chairs and administrators, faculty colleagues, students, alumni, and the wider humanities community. We have learned much from organizing the competitions for junior and senior fellowships, humanities projects, and student awards. Next year, we shall try to put that knowledge to work in order to improve the clarity and efficiency of our programs. We have also taken an important step in announcing a Foundation theme for the 2009–10 academic year: “Judgments of Value.” Several funded projects will explore that theme as it relates to specific disciplines, periods, and regions, and the Foundation itself will sponsor a reading group and a conference to foster sustained interdisciplinary discussion. The Foundation belongs to the groups it serves, and we earnestly solicit your ideas for future themes, improved programs, and continuous innovation. Yours faithfully, |
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Puppeteer I Made Sidia, Dr. I Made Bandem, and BU Music Professor Brita Heimarck. |
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Lectures in Criticism, April 6th lecture by Rey Chow “Making Diaspora Visible: The Provocation of Asian Cinema.” |
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The Humanities Foundation Executive Committee has selected the Jeffrey Henderson Senior Research Fellows and the Junior Fellows for the 2009/2010 academic year. Congratulations to: Jeffrey Henderson Senior Research Fellows
Humanities Foundation Junior Fellows
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Junior and Senior Research Fellows 2009/2010 |
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Allison Blakely, Professor of History and African American Studies |
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Humanities Foundation Executive Committee 2008/2009 |
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Clockwise from top left: Allison Blakely, Fred Kleiner, Bonnie Costello, Abigail Gillman, Patricia Johnson, Dorothy Kelly, Allen Speight, Joshua Rifkin, Frank Korom |
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Student Awards The Humanities Foundation will present Merit Awards to 20 undergraduate students and 13 graduate students at our annual student award ceremony, which takes place on Tuesday May 12, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Castle. |
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Charles Griswold, Philosophy |
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Michael Zell, Art History |
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Mark Alonge, Classical Studies |
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Christopher Lehrich, Religion |
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Christraud Geary and Cynthia Becker exhibition curators |