Four Arts & Sciences Faculty Selected As Arts & Humanities Fellows

Four Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences faculty are among eight selected campuswide by the Division of Research to receive three-year, $15,000 grants as members of Texas A&M’s newest class of Arts and Humanities Fellows.

Dr. Susan Egenolf, an associate professor in the Department of English; Dr. Claire Katz, a former professor in the Department of Philosophy and Humanities and a current professor and interim head in the School of Education and Human Development’s Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture; and Dr. Brian Rouleau and Dr. Daniel Schwartz, associate professors in the Department of History represent half of the 2022 class, announced May 3 by the Division of Research.

The Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program has funded 64 Texas A&M faculty members since its launch in 2015.

“The program represents Texas A&M’s enduring commitment to encouraging its scholars and artists to pursue excellence in the arts and humanities,” said Dr. Jack G. Baldauf, vice president for research and a professor in the Department of Oceanography. “These Arts and Humanities Fellows have proposed outstanding projects that will challenge conventional thinking on multiple fronts. Projects like these advance our understanding of culture and civilization. They also enhance the visibility of Texas A&M as a leader in the arts and humanities. We look forward to the results of these efforts.”

Each year, a new class of Arts and Humanities Fellows is chosen by a peer-review committee from project-based applications. Selections are based on merit and originality, professional qualifications, clarity, benefit to the public and the quality of the overall proposal.

Application to the program is open annually to all Texas A&M faculty engaged in scholarship in the humanities or in creative work in the arts.

“Our faculty submitted many high-quality proposals for this round of funding,” said Dr. Gerianne Alexander, associate vice president for research and director of the fellowship program as well as a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. “We urge all eligible scholars and artists to consider applying for future fellowships.”

Egenolf plans to use her grant funding to develop a standard digital edition of letters written by 19th century British author Maria Edgeworth, drawing on the expertise of Edgeworth scholars, digital humanists, librarians and technology specialists.

Katz will produce a book that examines forgiveness by focusing on three recent cases: the Dixie Chicks, the Magdalene Laundries and the Charleston Church Massacre.

Rouleau will write a biography of Lee Christmas, an American mercenary who worked closely with U.S.-based corporations to topple several Central American governments during the early 20th century.

Schwartz will expand Syriaca.org, a digital humanities project, with a module tentatively called The Syriac Taxonomy, which will serve as a controlled vocabulary of keyword concepts tailored to Syriac studies.

Learn more about the Arts and Humanities Program and related application guidelines.

This story was originally published by Texas A&M Today.