In the Fall of 2026, the Bucknell Humanities Center (BHC) is launching a rethinking of its Humanities Fellows Program. A larger cohort of students will be led by a Fellows Director: this year, Professor Jenna Christian (a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Departments of Women’s & Gender Studies and Geography). Students will enroll in a 1/4-credit thematic course — ideally, multiple times — and get an opportunity to engage with like-minded students with a curiosity in the Humanities.
Fellows will attend a rich slate of programming from the BHC, be involved in event planning and outreach for the BHC, and join in conversation over meals throughout the semester(s). The focus of our programming in 2026–’27 will be on the value, reach, and relevance of the Humanities today. In October, the BHC is hosting a conference “1776 In Perspective,” shining a light on this humanities at this particular political moment—the 250th Anniversary of the United States. This anniversary falls amid a time of deep political division and uncertainty in the country. The course theme for the fall BHC fellows responds to this moment, focusing on “Creativity and Contemporary Political Struggle in the United States.”
Central questions guiding the course and program will be: How is art leveraged during the current political crises, democratic uncertainties, and struggles over belonging in the United States? And how can the students themselves—as budding humanities scholars—participate in these struggles through their own creative production? Throughout the semester, students will participate in BHC events, attend periodic class meetings, participate in humanities dinner parties with faculty and community members, and produce their own politically-engaged creative material.
In sum, the 2026–’27 BHC Fellows program will have three goals:
1) To provide students opportunities to examine, through humanistic perspectives, contemporary political struggles while exploring how artists, writers, and cultural producers respond to moments of crisis and transformation.
2) To encourage humanities students to think of themselves not only as analysts and consumers of knowledge, but also as creative and politically engaged producers of culture that can help us understand, critique, and reimagine the world around us.
3) To offer space for students to build meaningful connections with one another and with faculty, strengthening Bucknell humanities as a space of community-building, intellectual exchange, and civic engagement.
Eligibility
BHC Fellows must have completed at least one semester at Bucknell before applying (i.e. first-years in their Fall semester are not eligible). Students do not need to be majors/minors in a humanities department to qualify. They should simply demonstrate an interest and passion for some arena of humanities scholarship or practices (e.g. art, performance, creative writing, literature or poetry, history, philosophy, religions, languages, linguistics, cultural studies, etc.).
Applications & Registration
Students, please submit your application to register for the course here. Registration information will be provided to students approved to join the program. Questions may be Professor Christian and Professor Barba (Associate Director of the BHC).
Past Fellows
Previously, the fellows program was funded by the Provost’s Office as a merit scholarship. These students were our past Fellows:
- 2024–2026 Cohort:
- Ben Barkovsky
- Hailey Drapcho
- Katie Schadler
- Ninah Jackson
- Ben Cole
- Gina Hinthorn
- 2022–2024
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Elise Hasseltine
- Siobhan Nerz
- 2021–2023
- Shana Clapp
- Paris Gallagher
- Susie Williams
- 2020–2022
- Kareen George
- Cheyanne Stunger
- Julia Tokish
Testimonials
Carlos Gonzalez ’24: “In this age of technology and artificial intelligence, the question of what value the humanities brings to society has become increasingly important to find an answer to. I have taken great pride in being one leader of the Humanities Council and our work to not only provide students with opportunities to pursue an education in the humanities but to also have intellectual discussions about contemporary humanistic issues. Our Hot Topics are a great example of how Bucknellians from all colleges come together and talk about the issues that connect us. One memory that I cherish, in particular, is meeting a student from the engineering college who joined our Hot Topics session and was very vocal. It just serves as a reminder that everybody participates in humanistic discussions, it just takes leaders to create a space to foster this community.”
Elise Hasseltine ’24: “I can state without exaggeration that the Humanities Fellows program has had the greatest influence on my Bucknell experience and personal development…. I do not think I would have experienced this level of personal development without the Humanities Fellowship program and the Humanities Center as a whole. Not only does this program provide students with the opportunity to produce an independent research project, but it provides academically-engaged students to contribute and learn in equal measure while connecting with the Bucknell community.”