What is the seminar?

Fall semester seminar & topic in fall 2008

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Newberry Seminar in the Humanities

Fall Seminar

Right: Seminar participants in front of the Newberry Library.

The Newberry Seminar in the Humanities is a graduate-level course designed for undergraduates in the liberal arts. Students and faculty become fellows of the Newberry Library community, working alongside leading researchers from around the world.

A broad interdisciplinary theme provides a center for the semester-length seminar's work. The topic for fall 2008 is "Community and Memory: Texts, Images and Monuments." Recent topics include "Words and Deeds: Speech and Action in Western Culture," "On the Road: Intercultural Encounters in Europe and the Americas," "The Problem of Slavery and Visions of Freedom in Western Culture," "Encountering Worlds: Human Views of Nature," and "Picturing the Past: Studies in the Visual Representation of History."

A set of common readings and lively discussion creates the context for students' research. Students are encouraged to write on topics connected to the themes of the seminar, but any topic may be chosen by a student with a particular research interest, as long as it is supported by research in the library collections, which are broad but idiosyncratic. They work closely with the faculty and their peers to focus and revise their work. At the end of the seminar students write a substantial research paper and present the results of their work to the library community.

Library fellows and staff members welcome seminar students as colleagues. Reference librarians help students find useful resources at the Newberry and other Chicago-area libraries. Each student is matched with a mentor, who can provide informal advice about research, writing, and career plans. The entire Newberry community is genuinely interested in the students and their work.

Seminar participants gain a great deal from their time at the Newberry, including:

• Research and writing skills
• Professional and personal discipline
• Experience in independent work
• Acquaintance with peers and professors as professional colleagues
• Opportunity to live in Chicago

Some students join the seminar because they are considering graduate school and want to test their interest. Others find that the skills they develop at the Newberry are useful in other careers, such as law and business. Many, however, come to the Newberry simply because they enjoy independent work and research. You can explore the experiences of previous students by reading the quotes from alumni, see the topics of previous student papers, and look through the list of past fall seminar topics.

Fall 2008 seminar

The fall 2008 seminar topic will be "Community and Memory: Texts, Images and Monuments." The seminar will be led by Ellen Joyce (history, Beloit College) and Hannah Schell (religious studies, Monmouth College).

In-depth information about recent fall seminars

• "Words and Deeds: Speech and Action in Western Culture" (fall 2007)
• "On the Road: Intercultural Encounters in Europe and the Americas" (fall 2006)
• "The Problem of Slavery and Visions of Freedom in Western Culture" (fall 2005)
• "Encountering Worlds: Human Views of Nature" (fall 2004)
• "Picturing the Past: Studies in the Visual Representation of History" (fall 2003)
• "Confluence of Cultures: Histories and Fictions of the Americas" (fall 2002)

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