Julia Schleck (Associate Professor, Department of English) has been awarded a $150,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to co-director a NEH Summer Institute for College and University Professors with colleague Kaya Şahin (Department of History, University of Indiana, Bloomington). Entitled “Beyond East and West: Exchanges and Encounters in the Early Modern World, 1400-1800”, the institute will take place at the University of Indiana from June 19-July 7, 2017.
In this three-week summer institute for twenty-five college teachers, participants will discuss the important dynamics of global history between 1400 and 1800 CE, during the so-called early modern period. Instead of focusing solely on the achievements of European societies, the institute will treat the rise of an interconnected early modern world through imperial consolidation, travel, and commercial and cultural exchanges. The directors noted, “over the past few decades, human beings have become increasingly aware of living in a global environment through the creation of global cultural artifacts (ethnic food, modern art, music, literature, movies) as well as their exposure to global problems (the deterioration of nature, global refugee crises, economic shocks). We thus believe it is particularly relevant to rethink the origins and development of global exchanges and interactions.” Schleck is a scholar of early modern English Literature and Şahin of the Ottoman Empire, ensuring the interdisciplinary nature of the institute across both disciplinary and geographical boundaries. They will be joined by visiting lecturers from UCLA, the University of Minnesota, University of California San Diego, Saint Louis University, and Western Connecticut State University.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.
