The Center for the Humanities encourages excellence in Humanities research, teaching, and campus and public programming at Drake University. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center serves the entire campus by initiating Humanities-centered projects and activities and by funding proposals made by faculty and students. The Center strives not only provide monetary support, but also to contribute to an environment of vibrant, ongoing, and collaborative inquiry.

Humanities@Drake News

National Endowment for the Humanities to Offer

Grant-Writing Workshops and Consultation at Drake

On Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, 2012, Drake University will host Daniel Sack, of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Mr. Sack will lead a workshop on NEH grant-writing and will meet individually with Humanities scholars to advise them on crafting and submitting their individual proposals.

All Humanities scholars in the Central-Iowa region, regardless of their institutional affiliation, are welcome to attend the workshop on Friday morning. There is no registration or attendance fee.

Pre-registration is required by April 1, 2012. Those scholars who plan to submit a proposal to the NEH by the May 1, 2012 deadline may also reserve a 15-minute time slot for meeting with Mr. Sack. To register for the workshop and to reserve a one-on-one meeting time, please follow this link:

Registrants will receive a confirmation email detailing the activities for the workshop and providing information about room location, driving directions, and parking at Drake. Those who request a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Sack will also receive confirmation of their meeting time and place.
 

English Professor delivers Annual Luther W. Stalnaker Lecture

Jody Swilky (Professor of English) gave the annual Luther W. Stalnaker Lectureon Wednesday, Sept. 21. The lecture, titled "Composing Culture: Working with Words and Images" took place in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. Among other topics, Professor Swilky discussed his recent projects in documentary filmmaking, which have received ongoing support from the Center for the Humanities. Swilky said his films, which attempt to address academic and broader audiences alike, have produced ethical and aesthetic challenges concerning collaboration and representations of culture. His 2007 film, “A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa,” received the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival’s highest documentary prize, The Gold Eddy.

Drake Professor Performs Two Concerts to Celebrate Release of her new Compact-Disc Recording

Sarah Plum (Assistant Professor of Music—Violin Performance) used her research travel grant from the Center for the Humanities to spend ten days in Berlin this summer.  She played two concerts—pre-release events for her new compact-disc recording "Absconditus":  one at the Berlin avant-garde venue Theaterkapelle, on August 24, and the other as part of the Ankunft: Neue Musik series at the central Berlin train station. These events grew out of her first research travel grant from the Center for the Humanities two years ago, which took her to Berlin to work with composer Sidney Corbett, whose music is featured on the recording.  In addition to performing two concerts in celebration of the recording, Professor Plum learned an entire program of new music and performed the world premiere of a site-specific piece by composer Laurie Schwartz—a piece that was completed only a few hours before the performance.

Humanities Symposium, 2012

This year's Humanities Symposium theme is Humanities, Science, and Technology. It will feature four events: On Friday, February 17, from 3:30-5:00, two panel discussions will be held (stay tuned for details!). Then, on Saturday, February 18, the Center for the Humanities will co-host two discussion sections as part of the Engaged Citizen Conference at Drake. During the following week, a reading/discussion forum will be held, focusing on George Saunders's recent book of short stories, In Persuasion Nation. Finally, Saunders will read from his new work as part of the Drake Writers and Critics Series on Monday, February 27, at 7:30, in Cowles Library Reading Room. Check back for further details.

Humanities Reads! 2011-2012

This year's common book for the Humanities Reads! series is George Saunders's In Persuasion Nation. Saunders's wry humor gently--and sometimes not so gently--satirizes the increasing technologization of human identity and civil society. Click the "Humanities Reads!" link on the main menu (on the left side of your screen) to learn more about how Drake faculty, staff, and students can take part in the reading program.

Humanities Center Faculty

All Drake Faculty engaged in Humanities research or teaching are eligible to join the Humanities Center, regardless of their department affiliation or academic background. Humanities Center Faculty members receive updates and information about the Humanities at Drake, are eligible to participate in Humanities Center Programming, and have access to resources supporting research, teaching development, and programming. Send a request to humanities.center@drake.edu to join.

Join the Humanities Center

Put your email address on our mailing list by sending a request to humanities.center@drake.edu. You'll receive information about Humanities-related programs and events, and we'll periodically ask for your input as we grow and develop.