The
Humanities Studio at Pomona College was established in the Fall of 2018 to
foster interdisciplinary study of the humanities among Pomona students and
faculty, and to enrich the experience of the humanities for students, faculty,
staff, and our affiliated communities.
Study
of the humanities is at the very heart of a liberal arts education, and Pomona
College has long enjoyed vibrant humanities departments and programs. The
Humanities Studio seeks to build connections among the events and exchanges
taking place across campus and raise them up to the level of community-wide
conversations — conversations that encompass the social and natural sciences,
as well, and are organized around an annual theme. We pursue those
conversations through four separate but intersecting streams.
THE
SEMINAR: Each
year we convene a yearlong seminar for the Humanities Studio Fellows—six Pomona
faculty members, six Pomona students engaged in senior research in the
humanities, and the Mellon Chau postdoctoral fellows. The seminar is organized
around an annual theme of broad interest across the humanities and meets three
times each month. Fellows read and discuss seminal texts with broad humanities
application and genuinely interdisciplinary scope, as well as the best examples
of scholarship from within Fellows’ home disciplines. The group also convenes
with visiting scholars, visits cultural institutions, and shares works in
progress.
THE
SPEAKERS SERIES: In
conjunction with the annual theme, thought leaders from various fields — many
of whom are the authors of the books and articles selected for the seminar —
are brought to campus to present public lectures, participate in seminar with
the Fellows, and meet in smaller settings with other students and faculty.
THE
HUMANITIES TOOLKIT: Practical,
small-group presentations and events are held each year to provide
professional-development opportunities for faculty, students, staff, and the
campus community. Topics include publishing with a university press; writing
for a general audience; crafting and placing an op-ed piece; applying for grants,
fellowships, and graduate school; and careers in the humanities. The Humanities
Studio also offers two week-long article or book chapter completion workshops
for faculty.
“RANDOM
ACTS OF HUMANITIES”: Forged
on the spot and in the moment, these partnerships with departments, programs,
faculty members and students seize programming opportunities that fall outside
the Humanities Studio’s annual theme. For example, we recently partnered with
the Honnold Mudd Library to sponsor “Cage @ Claremont,” a week of lectures,
performances, and hands-on experiences celebrating the work of John Cage.
As we move through our fifth year and look to the future, we’re
grateful for your support. You — humanists, humans, students, staff,
faculty, alumni, families, Sagehens — you’re the reason we do what we do.
