The role of the Humanities Council is (1) to support the interests of the humanities and to promote the intellectual vigor of the humanities at Cornell; (2) to serve as advisory body to the Director of the Society; and (3) to advise and assist the Dean and the Provost in designing and implementing special projects such as the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
The Humanities Council election procedure is as follows: After soliciting names from the humanities faculty, the co-chairs of the Humanities Council and the Director of the Society submit a slate of candidates to the Dean's Office. They consider the representation of departments, disciplines, and fields of continuing and outgoing members of the Council. One of their major concerns in composing a slate of nominees is to arrive at as broad a representation as possible. After the Dean has approved the slate of candidates, a ballot is sent to all faculty in humanities departments.
Members of the Humanities Council serve three-year terms.
Current members of the Council:
- Erik Born (German Studies) - term ends 2025
- Julia Chang (Romance Studies) - term ends 2025
- Michell Chresfield (Africana Studies) - term ends 2026
- Carolyn Fornoff (Romance Studies) - term ends 2027
- Gabriela Gómez Estévez (Music) - term ends 2027
- Athena Kirk (Classics) - term ends 2026
- Kate Manne (Philosophy) - term ends 2025
- Patchen Markell (Government) - term ends 2025
- Suyoung Son (Asian Studies) - term ends 2027
- Peidong Sun (History) - term ends 2026
- Noah Tamarkin (Anthropology; Science & Technology Studies) - term ends 2027
- Lenora Warren (Literatures in English) - term ends 2026