The Humanities Studio

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.