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Event Series LAUNCH of Global Humanities initiative Website & INVITATION to 3rd Annual Conference on “What is the Business of the Humanities?”

LAUNCH of Global Humanities initiative Website & INVITATION to 3rd Annual Conference on “What is the Business of the Humanities?”

We are delighted to announce the launch of the website for the Global Humanities initiative (GHI). Check who we are, what we aim for, and what projects we are currently pursuing. Visit us at the website below & consider joining an ongoing project for MITHIC proposals in preparation (check out the “Ongoing Projects” for brief project pitches and contact): https://comparativeglobalhumanities.mit.edu/ Moreover, we are delighted to invite you to our Third Annual Conference on What is the Business of the Humanities? on November 8 & 9, 2024, at Dominican University of California. Co-hosted with the Francoise O. Lepage Center for Global Innovation at Dominican University of California, we convene scholars and leaders from Higher Education, business, and philanthropy to explore and reimagine the “Business of the Humanities” in today’s business-and-STEM-driven world. How can we expand the cognitive & creative, ethical & social, playful & healthful contributions of the humanities to our world and its pressing challenges, beyond their traditional role as producer of scholars and educators? What new leadership roles could humanities graduates and scholars play in our societies? What should the “Business of the Humanities” include today? How can we reimagine the humanities in order to create a shared future for our world’s […]

Ancient & Medieval Studies Colloquium presents, Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull “Editing Tolkien”

MIT Building 2, Room 190 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge

Abstract: J.R.R. Tolkien, a prominent scholar of medieval English language and literature, rose to even greater acclaim as the creator of Hobbits and the maker of Middle-earth. In this talk, the husband and wife team of Hammond and Scull will discuss their work of more than three decades devoted to Tolkien, in particular their experiences editing his children’s stories Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham, his long “romance” The Lord of the Rings, his collection of poems The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and most recently the three volumes of his Collected Poems. They will explore the trials of working with Tolkien’s sometimes fiendishly difficult handwriting, and describe the slings and arrows an editor of Tolkien must expect to receive from critics along with the praise of devoted fans. Bios: Wayne G. Hammond is the emeritus Chapin Librarian of Williams College, where he administered and taught with a notable collection of rare books and manuscripts. His writings include the standard bibliographies of J.R.R. Tolkien (Winchester 1993) and Arthur Ransome (New Castle, Delaware 2000). Christina Scull is the former Librarian of Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, for whom she wrote The Soane Hogarths (London 1991). In addition to their edited works by Tolkien, Hammond and Scull have produced many essential books in Tolkien studies, […]

MIT Global France Seminar presents, Morgane Cadieu “The Infrastructures of Social Mobility in Contemporary French Literature”

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Abstract: Morgane Cadieu will discuss her book On Both Sides of the Tracks (Chicago, 2024), which demonstrates that socially mobile writers and characters are the digest of our literary and political moment. Focusing on works by Annie Ernaux, Kaoutar Harchi, Michel Houellebecq, Édouard Louis, and Marie NDiaye, among others, her research aims to offer a new perspective on class mobility as a literary question. It is through forms that the book addresses pressing social issues: Is upward mobility a matter of birth or becoming? How long does one remain mobile? Do social climbers emancipate others in return? The lecture will explore several literary devices used by authors to convey class mobility, as well as the literary settings that have replaced the idiom of the "social ladder" today, especially doors and trains. Morgane Cadieu will also share her current research on the ecology of social mobility and the importance of paintings and letters in Ernaux's works. Bio: Morgane Cadieu is Associate Professor of French at Yale University and the author of two books: Marcher au hasard: clinamen et création dans la prose du XXe siècle (2019) and On Both Sides of the Tracks: Social Mobility in Contemporary French Literature, published this year with The University of Chicago Press. She also co-edited the […]

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

The Green-Taylor Lectures: A Black Life and Letters Speakers Series presents, Sara Zewde

Building 7, Long Lounge (7-429) 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, United States

Sara Zewde is founding principal of Studio Zewde, a design firm practicing landscape architecture, urbanism, and public art. Recent and ongoing projects of the firm include the Mander Recreation Center Campus (Philadelphia, PA), the Midtown Activation Project (Seattle, WA), and Graffiti Pier (Philadelphia, PA). Zewde previously held faculty appointments at Columbia University and at the University of Texas School of Architecture. She holds the Master in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a master in city planning from MIT, and a BA in sociology and statistics from Boston University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. The Green-Taylor Lectures is a speaker series celebrating the intersections of Black Studies, Architecture and Design. Over the course of the year, the series will feature voices from across these fields in an effort to illuminate both the unique history of African American architects here at MIT—the Institute's first Black graduate, Robert R. Taylor, as well as two of the first Black women to attend MIT, Marie Turner and Gloria Green, all studied architecture during their time on campus—and contemporary work in the field that honors the role of worldmaking in the Black expressive tradition.

Ancient & Medieval Studies Colloquium presents, Megan Cook “Dirtbag Medievalism or, Medievalism Without the Middle Ages”

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Abstract: This paper asks how the concept of “the medieval” functions differently than other historical periods by focusing on “minor medievalisms”—those allusions to and invocations of the Middle Ages that are so fully integrated into everyday life and the accoutrements of commercial and popular culture that we can easily miss them. Medievalism everywhere when you start to look for it: advertising underwear and fast food, interwoven into reality television and prog rock, and offering a reliable visual vocabulary for goths and heavy metal fans. I argue that these often-overlooked cultural forms express a distinctive kind of attitude toward the Middle Ages, which I call dirtbag medievalism, in which historical accuracy is a much less important concern than aesthetic and emotional resonance. Superficial and self-referential, dirtbag medievalism provides a lens for rethinking how we as scholars, teachers, and fans understand and respond to the Middle Ages in popular culture today. Bio: Megan Cook teaches medieval literature and book history at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She is the author of The Poet and the Antiquaries: Chaucerian Scholarship and the Rise of Literary History, 1532-1635 (Penn, 2019). With Elizaveta Strakhov, she is the co-editor of John Lydgate's Dance of Death and Related Works (Medieval Institute Publications, 2019) and, with R.D. […]

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Biscuits & Tea Literature Pre-Reg Info Session

14N-417

Come for Biscuits & Tea! Literature's Pre-Reg Info Session is this upcoming Monday, December 2nd. find us in Room 14N-417 for free chai, biscoff biscuits, and Literature's Spring 2025 subject offerings! Biscuits & Tea Literature Pre-Reg Info Session Room 14N-417 • Free chai & biscuits • Undergrads: Come learn about Spring 2025 at Lit@MIT!

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Event Series Pleasures of Poetry 2025

Pleasures of Poetry 2025

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Celebrating our 30th year running! Pleasures of Poetry meets this IAP 2025 in 14E-304 from 1-2 p.m. every weekday from January 6-24th, with the exception of MLK Jr. Day (Jan. 20). This popular activity – which aims to reach all those with an interest in poetry, regardless of experience level – has been offered every IAP for several decades. Each one-hour session is devoted to a poet or two, often a single poem, chosen by session leaders who volunteer to facilitate conversation for that day. Collaborative close reading is the aim and ideal of each hour. Some participants attend every session, but many others may drop in only once or twice during the series to discuss a favorite poet or poem, or to discover new favorites. The roster of poets is typically diverse — from classic Chinese poets to American poets laureate, and from such canonical figures as Shakespeare, Keats, Dickinson, and Bishop to contemporary poets including Louise Glück, Joy Harjo, Terrence Hayes, and many more. Free and open to the public; as well as staff, alumni, and students. Pleasures of Poetry 2025 poetry booklet   Jan 6 Peter Perdue, Tao Qian: "After Drinking Wine: I, IV, V" & "In Praise […]

Event Series Pleasures of Poetry 2025

Pleasures of Poetry 2025

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Celebrating our 30th year running! Pleasures of Poetry meets this IAP 2025 in 14E-304 from 1-2 p.m. every weekday from January 6-24th, with the exception of MLK Jr. Day (Jan. 20). This popular activity – which aims to reach all those with an interest in poetry, regardless of experience level – has been offered every IAP for several decades. Each one-hour session is devoted to a poet or two, often a single poem, chosen by session leaders who volunteer to facilitate conversation for that day. Collaborative close reading is the aim and ideal of each hour. Some participants attend every session, but many others may drop in only once or twice during the series to discuss a favorite poet or poem, or to discover new favorites. The roster of poets is typically diverse — from classic Chinese poets to American poets laureate, and from such canonical figures as Shakespeare, Keats, Dickinson, and Bishop to contemporary poets including Louise Glück, Joy Harjo, Terrence Hayes, and many more. Free and open to the public; as well as staff, alumni, and students. Pleasures of Poetry 2025 poetry booklet   Jan 6 Peter Perdue, Tao Qian: "After Drinking Wine: I, IV, V" & "In Praise […]

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