Research and Publications – CUNY Humanities Alliance

The CUNY Humanities Alliance, supported by two grants from the Mellon Foundation, has been working toward many of CUNY’s strategic roadmap goals since its first phase. We offer this selection of publications to CUNY and the general public because we believe that knowledge is a public good and we wish to make meaningful contributions both within and beyond the walls of our institution. This page showcases many of the projects and much of the research we have been conducting over the last four years, and it will be updated continually as our latest research approaches readiness for publication. We frame the publications below within the larger context of CUNY’s strategic roadmap.

Capsules of HA Fellowships

The capsules below showcase some of the most successful projects initiated and carried out by the graduate fellows. This sampling may be useful to future leaders and fellows looking for ideas of the kinds of projects a campus-based fellow could undertake.

Key Take-Aways from Campus Mentors

A summary of interviews with mentors at the HA partner campuses. Findings may be relevant to leaders working to establish graduate fellowship programs at partner campuses, and especially relevant to the designated mentor responsible for the fellows at the partner campus.

CAPSULES Content Download

Key Take-Aways Download

Former HA Staff and Colleagues Publish Humanizing Collectivist Critical Pedagogy

In 2023, former HA staff, Kaysi Holman and Sujung Kim, and Professor of Linguistics and Education at LaGuardia, Leigh Garrison-Fletcher, celebrated the publication of Humanizing Collectivist Critical Pedagogy: Teaching the Humanities in Community College and Beyond.

The book provides concrete examples of humanizing collectivist pedagogy in which students’ agency is celebrated and they co-create the learning space, playing a leading role in re-making higher ed.

HA Fellows Showcase: Cohort 2021-2023

“This document aims to showcase the work produced by the first cohort of Humanities Alliance fellows (21-23) and to celebrate their tenacity and compassion towards themselves and others.” —Luis Henao Uribe, Humanities Director

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The HA Fellows arm of the program is aligned with CUNY’s second strategic goal. The Campus Mentors provide the fellows hands-on “world-class professional development and leadership training” aligned with initiative #2. This on-site training allows doctoral fellows to explore diverse career pathways in the academy and ultimately make informed, authentic decisions about their careers, contributing to initiative #3: “Prepare students for successful careers by creating intentional connections between the disciplines, workforce skills, and employment outcomes.”

In addition to their on-site training, the fellows meet together as a cohort biweekly and one-on-one with the Humanities Director in an environment that prioritizes care and a pedagogy of listening. Both the fellowship and CPL program have established wide networks of care and support across campus, particularly for undergraduate and graduate students, contributing to Goal #2, initiative #4: “Strengthen a university-wide ethic of care that prioritizes the well-being of our students, faculty, and staff, embraces diversity, and engenders a true sense of belonging.”

CUNY Peer Leaders (CPL)

The CUNY Peer Leaders (CPL) arm of the program brings CUNY undergraduates together from across campuses, meeting at the Graduate Center, and exposes them to numerous aspects of graduate education through invited speakers and mentors who either hold or are pursuing graduate degrees at CUNY. CPL draws a large number of students of color and other underrepresented groups seeking mentors who understand their lived experiences. By bringing these students onto a campus devoted to graduate education, CPL encourages participants to see graduate education as an attainable, viable pathway and future. CPL supports initiative #4 of CUNY’s first strategic roadmap goal: “Increase the pipeline of students of color and other underrepresented groups entering graduate and professional programs to amplify equitable outcomes.” In addition, by encouraging students to engage in self-reflection, activities that foster self-actualization, and opportunities to explore both conventional and unconventional paths, the CPL program also contributes to Goal #2, initiative #3, preparing students for successful, authentic career trajectories. Click on the report below to learn more.

Peer Possibilities: A CUNY Peer Leaders Report by Sham Habteselasse

This report, authored by Sham Habteselasse, a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at the GC, details how one equity-oriented, college-based program, CPL, is fostering care on college campuses. The program roots its culture of care in their co-constructed programming, peer engagement and empowerment, and a culture of emotion sharing.

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Humanities Alliance Research

Finally, the research arm of the Humanities Alliance has contributed to CUNY’s third goal of the strategic roadmap, initiative #3: “Develop stronger ties with alumni and friends of CUNY to amplify opportunities for engagement, new sources of financial support, and a culture of life-long learning.” Through conference presentations and networking, both in person and online, the Humanities Alliance leadership team and Senior Research Associates have developed stronger connections with comparable programs across the nation.

Humanities Alliance Bibliography of Resources about Open Pedagogy, Experiential Learning and Issues in Doctoral Education

This collection of resources, compiled by Drs. Sujung Kim and Jessie Fredlund in 2020-2021, edited by Thayer Hastings with a new Executive Summary by Dr. Christina Katopodis added in 2024, surveys a wealth of references. The bibliography focuses on open pedagogy and experiential learning in higher education, including foundational texts and an array of articles exploring implementation, as well as references related to the landscape of doctoral education issues in the humanities, such as articles that rethink doctoral education and professional development, and ones that focus on the experiences of BIPOC and first-generation doctoral students especially.