2026-27 Undergraduate Glasscock Scholars
The Undergraduate Glasscock Scholars program promotes undergraduate humanities research through a graduate-level summer research experience. Scholars attend a 40-hour seminar where they learn about specific research topics and research methodologies. This summer, the Glasscock Center hosted 21 Undergraduate Scholars in 5 faculty-led seminars. The program is a result of partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, the University Writing Center, and the College of Arts & Sciences.
Celebrating our 15th cohort
Seminar Topic: "Staging the Self: Identity and Performance in Social Media"
FACULTY DIRECTOR
Tina Budzise-Weaver
College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts
Iris Alviar
Philosophy
Jacklyn Santos
History
Madelyn McGahey
Society, Ethics & Law
Anish Sant
Philosophy
Jordan Wells
Marketing
This seminar delved into the intricate relationship between social media platforms and the construction, performance, and theatricality of identity. Students explored how individuals and groups presented themselves online, the performative nature of these presentations, and the performance and sociological theories that explained these behaviors.
Seminar Topic: "The 20th Century Campus Culture Wars"
FACULTY DIRECTOR
Mark Hlavacik
Communication & Journalism
Pearl Kapoor
International Affairs
Saveli Nosko
English
Autumn Simundson
English
This seminar traced the origins of America’s campus culture wars by looking at its evolution from the 1950s to the 2000s. Participants read five prominent books that contributed to the public argument over what a higher education should be, as well as accompanying academic analyses for each. Students built a list of questions and connections that arose from across the readings and created online learning modules of each book addressed to other college students. The five resulting modules act as a resource that students can use to get caught up on the ongoing, national conversation about the nature and purpose of higher education.
Seminar Topic: "Artificial Intelligence and the Human Experience"
FACULTY DIRECTOR
Glen Miller
Philosophy
Samantha Chastain
Anthropology
Grace Simien
Philosophy
Joshua Gonzalez
History
Vibha Kannan
Society, Ethics & Law
Kimberly Sullivan
Society, Ethics & Law
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to reshape action and experience in nearly every aspect of human life. As its powers and capabilities advance, it increasingly performs tasks that require sophisticated intellectual skills – which, in many accounts, were thought to be the sole property of humans, what separates us from other animals and machines – faster and more accurately than humans. This seminar was designed to help students better understand and appreciate the human experience in a world in which artificial intelligence is always and increasingly active.
Seminar Topic: "From Archive to Public Memory: Researching Jewish Culture and Holocaust History"
FACULTY DIRECTOR
Ashley Passmore
Global Languages & Cultures
Himani Akula
Global Studies
Jackson Mitchell
History, Philosophy
Trenton Himel
History
Mia Lopez
History
Talon Rasmussen
History
This seminar introduced students to the methods, ethics, and public responsibilities of researching Jewish culture and Holocaust history through local archives, museums, and community engagement. Grounded in hands-on humanities research, the seminar emphasized how local collections and lived community memory shape broader understandings of Jewish history, antisemitism, survival, and commemoration. The seminar’s core readings provided students with a conceptual framework for understanding how Jewish cultural identity is formed, preserved, and reimagined through archives, museums, and public memory.
Seminar Topic: "How We Tamed Plants and How They Changed Us"
FACULTY DIRECTOR
Heather Thakar
Anthropology
Emily Nguyen
Anthropology
Tianyang Peng
History
Sawyer Rabalais
Society, Ethics & Law
This seminar delved into how people and plants have shaped each other over time. Working from an archaeological lens, students explored how plant domestication changed what we eat, how we live, and how societies developed—from early farming communities to today’s global food system. Along the way, students connected the history of domesticated plants to culture, technology, and tradition, and considered what these long-term relationships can teach us about sustainability and the future of our modern food economy.