2027-28: The Year of PLAY
The Society for the Humanities at Cornell University seeks faculty fellows for year-long residential fellowships who are conducting interdisciplinary research projects exploring play.
The Society for the Humanities conducts several grant competitions for research, writing, and travel throughout the year. These grants are intended to foster the excellence in humanities research and writing for which Cornell faculty and graduate students are known. The Society places particular emphasis on innovative, interdisciplinary projects that involve Cornell colleagues from across the various disciplines of the humanities. In addition, the Society is proud to provide funding for humanities events organized by Cornell’s distinguished faculty as well as sponsor six to eight Visiting Fellows each year.
Society Research/Funding Resources
Upcoming Application Deadlines
| Joseph E. Connolly '72 Memorial Prizes | Prizes for undergraduate essays on the intersection of religion and politics or society. Deadline: April 24, 2026 |
News
Student exhibit explores public health history at Cornell
College of Arts and Sciences student Jeffrey Ho ’26 learned through Cornell University Library’s archives how the campus dealt with HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Ho curated the exhibit "Public Health on the Hill: Creating Community through Communication," up through June 10, 2026 in Kroch Library.
Humanities scholars tackle research across disciplines
Seniors in the Humanities Scholars Program (HSP) in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University will showcase their research at an all-day conference May 1 at the A.D. White House. Their work spans across humanities fields and also highlights intersections with science, technology, business, law and other disciplines.
Panel explores Indigenous voices in Abiayala/Latin America
Cornell University will host “Indigenous Voices in Abiayala/Latin America,” on April 9 at 4:45 p.m., exploring Indigenous media self-representation in Latin America – known as Abiayala in the Guna language. Held in the in the A.D. White House and organized by Polly Lauer, a Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in Romance studies in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, the panel will feature scholars discussing Mapuche and Maya K’ishe’ cultural production, Indigenous languages and broadcasters’ fight to sustain native-language media such as Guatemala’s oldest Maya radio station.
Humanities students take D.C. trip to advocate for funding
Cornell University Humanities Scholars traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased National Endowment for the Humanities and National Archives funding, meeting with congressional offices to highlight the impact of humanities programs on education. Their two‑day trip underscored how federal support strengthens community partnerships, language programs, and public humanities initiatives benefiting campuses and local organizations nationwide.
Rural Humanities
Rural Humanities is an Andrew W. Mellon-supported initiative in public and engaged humanities that uses the tools of the humanities to critically approach, learn from, make visible, and support the realities of rural America, particularly in Central-Western New York: its histories, cultures, challenges, and futures.
Society’s Rural Humanities initiative, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, features a Radically Indigenous focus in the academic year 2021-22, collaborating with the American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program, Cornell faculty, and local community partners to offer a Spring Seminar and a Summer Practicum that address the past, present, and future of Indigenous lives in Central New York and beyond. Additionally, students and faculty can apply for funding to support radically Indigenous research projects.