KATIE FOREMAN / FEATURE EDITOR

The Humanities Center’s presence has “a tendency to sort of float under the radar,” as the Director of the Humanities Center, Dr. Brian Clack said. Located in Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall (room 200), the Humanities Center was designed to be central to everything, yet there may not be much known about what happens there, what its purpose is, or that it even exists. Clack elaborated on the mission of the Humanities Center, the events and programs that take place there and how students can get involved.

“The purpose of [creating the Humanities Center] was to try to enhance the profile of the liberal arts which of course, also encapsulates sciences certainly,” Clack said.

Clack reflected on what the Humanities Center is all about. “There was a professor in the law school… Bert Lazerow, and he said the Humanities Center is ‘an intellectual candy store.’ I love that… the most basic level of being engaged [is] just by attending some of our events. And then your students who do come get very excited about it, and then keep coming back, but the first step is knowing about things that are happening.” 

Clack noted that the humanities interweave various disciplines to shed light on different perspectives and ways of thinking; the goal of the Humanities Center is to create a space that encourages that kind of dialogue. 

“We wanted to make it [the Center] a student-facing public face, so that it was a place that people could pop in and out, see things that appeal to them. Hence, we did the widest array of programming. And if you look at our programming any semester, there should be something that appeals to anybody, everybody,” Clack said. 

The programs and events at the Humanities Center range from workshops, movie screenings, guest authors and lecturers, art exhibitions, research projects, podcast making and more. 

One series that routinely occurs at the center is called “Natural Landscapes and Human Meaning” and takes place every Tuesday at 4 p.m., until April 16. This series has been ongoing since 2022 and highlights the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Clack explained that it is meant to create conversations from different points of view about how aspects of landscapes and nature can connect to the human experience. 

“One of the things that’sbeen distinctive about the development of the disciplines over the last century or so, is just how divorced from each other the arts with sciences have become. And what we’ve been trying to do is to bring those different spheres of disciplines together again,” Clack said. “So it’s not just people who work in English literature and philosophy and art history working together. We now have scientists who frequently attend our events, and the conversations between us all have been kind of beautiful.”

Clack explained the reason he is so passionate about the humanities and its purpose is because it can bring about a more broad view of life and the world around you.

“The more you hear from different voices in different disciplines, the greater, the more rounded, the richer, the picture of life and existence will be… we’re trying to explore that multifaceted, multi-dimensional understanding of the human experience,” Clack said.

He noted that anyone can benefit from participating in the humanities and its programs.

“It’s very useful for all of us, whatever field a student decides to major in or whatever avenue a particular academic chooses to take with their life. It’s always enriched — that’s the word I emphasize: ‘enriched’ — by an understanding of what other people in different disciplines do,” Clack said.

Inside the Humanities Center is an art gallery that rotates different pieces of art throughout the semester.

“Remember, [students] can come in and there’s no fee to come in and you look at high- end stuff —good artists, workers, printworks [and] we have video artists on display, as well, so you can come in this space. That gallery is the only place on campus fit for video art,” Clack said.

Associate Professor Derrick Cartwright, a faculty member of the Humanities Center, shared about the purpose of the gallery.

“We felt like if you as a student wandered in here to hear a talk, and were inspired to go look in [the gallery], you could have an even richer experience… satisfy your whole self. And that’s the goal, is to make the galleries sort of hum along with everything else that’s happening,” Cartwright said.

The gallery is just one of the many opportunities students have to get involved with the Humanities Center.

“The other thing [students] could do is the research program that we have, the Keck Undergraduate Humanities Research Fellowship,” Clack said. “We fund year-long research fellowships for students doing work in the humanities. So you find yourself a faculty, mentor, a supervisor. Spend a year on your own chosen project. It’s your own research.”

The students who are involved in this research program are given a $5,000 stipend a year and additional funding for travels.

“[Students] could be part of our student board… We have about six, seven or eight students on a student board. What they do is they help promote the Humanities Center. They plan events for the Humanities Center. And it’s really kind of a beautiful thing for students to be involved with,” Clack said. 

Another opportunity students have through the Humanities Center is taking a class with a small number of students that focuses on one particular subject.

“One of the things that I think makes the Humanities Center really unique is that students can interact with the center, due to just their own personal interests,” Assistant Director of the Humanities Center Lindy Villa said. “We have pop-up classes. And sometimes the pop-up class may be something that’s not in the students’ major or minor. It’s just something that’s of interest to them.” 

Dean Noelle Norton commented that the Humanities Center is striving to bring together diverse disciplines instead of looking at them all narrowly. 

“You have to have a space where the humanities are revered. Change the narrative,” Norton said. 

Clack stated that the Humanities Center welcomes students to come see if anything sparks their interest or stimulates their mind, but also to connect with others. 

“Definitely a very, very friendly place. Anytime a student comes in, we’re just delighted,” Clack said. 

There are so many aspects to the field of humanities, as well as the Humanities Center. The reason these members of the center want to encourage students to stop by is because they believe that everyone can benefit from learning more, especially from a wide array of perspectives. 

“It’s the opportunity to bereminded of the very best things that people do in the world and how a place like this can inspire more good work. That’s my favorite part,” Cartwright said. 

To learn more about the Humanities Center and when their next events are, check out their website at https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/centers/humanities-center/ or stop by Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall, room 200. Also, to apply to be a part of the HumanitiesCenter Student Board, go to https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/ centers/humanities-center/.

The series ‘Natural Landscapes and Human Meaning’ taking place at the Humanities Center. Photo courtesy of Lindy Villa