Four Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences faculty are among seven selected campuswide by the Division of Research to receive three-year, $15,000 grants as members of Texas A&M's newest class of Arts and Humanities Fellows.
Dr. Curry Kennedy, Dr. Regina Mills and Dr. Sally Robinson in the Department of English and Dr. Stephen Riegg in the Department of History are included in the 2024 class, announced August 27 by the Division of Research.
The Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program has funded 72 Texas A&M faculty projects since its launch in 2015.
“Our Arts and Humanities Fellowships inspire our faculty to advance knowledge in the humanities and strive for excellence in the performing and fine arts,” said Dr. Jack G. Baldauf, vice president for research and a professor in the Department of Oceanography. “These disciplines are crucial for shaping our understanding of the world and preparing future leaders. We eagerly anticipate the scholarly and creative contributions these faculty members will make.”
Each year, a new class of Arts and Humanities Fellows is chosen by a peer-review committee from project-based applications. Selections are based on merit and originality, professional qualifications, clarity, benefit to the public and the quality of the overall proposal.
Application to the program is open annually to Texas A&M faculty who are eligible to serve as principal investigators and who engage in scholarship in the humanities or creative work in the arts. Selections are based on merit and originality, professional qualifications, clarity, benefit to the public and overall quality.
“We are delighted with the high caliber of applications we received this year,” said Dr. Gerianne Alexander, associate vice president for research and director of the fellowship program as well as a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. “The work produced by these new fellows will enhance our understanding of complex cultural, historical and social issues.”
Kennedy, an assistant professor in Texas A&M English since 2023, plans to use his grant funding to explore how the arts of language were seen as conduits of divine grace in early modern England, shaping students toward an ideal spiritual citizenship during the Reformation.
Mills, an assistant professor in Texas A&M English since 2018, will explore how video games shape societal ideas of Latinxs by examining representation, narratives and experimentation in games, and by interviewing game developers and writers.
Riegg, an associate professor who joined the Texas A&M History faculty in 2016, plans to investigate how Soviet Russia used various methods to control the Caucasus, comparing Russian practices to other empires and exploring the region’s role in 19th century migration.
Robinson, a professor and member of the Texas A&M English faculty since 1999, will examine how recent popular fiction by women reflects the impact of neoliberal and postfeminist ideas on motherhood, showing how these ideas create pressures and risks for women without resources.
Learn more about the Arts and Humanities Program and related application guidelines.
This story was originally published by Texas A&M Today.