We seek to foster creative scholarship, transformative teaching, and intellectual collaboration by bringing humanities departments and programs into dialogue with arts and sciences.
With the fall semester officially in the books, here’s a look at some photo highlights from Fall 2025 at the Humanities Council.
Humanities Colloquium + Welcome Reception
The 19th Annual Humanities Colloquium brought together faculty, graduate students, and staff for a scholarly conversation informed by the year’s chosen theme: “Timeliness.”
The Council’s 2025-26 Old Dominion Professors – Eduardo Cadava (English), Elena Fratto (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Eric Gregory (Religion), and Effie Rentzou (French and Italian) – served as featured speakers, presenting talks that explored the theme through the lens of their own research. Acting Chair of the Humanities Council Christina Lee (Spanish and Portuguese) moderated the discussion. “In these challenging times for higher education, in which humanities departments and programs are being cut and reduced, I feel incredibly grateful to be at an institution that continues to support the humanities in all its diversity, views, and approaches,” she said. Photos by Tori Repp/FotobuddyAt a reception following the Humanities Colloquium, the Council welcomed new faculty, scholars, staff, and visitors to Princeton’s vibrant humanities community. Photos by Tori Repp/Fotobuddy
A Gauss Seminar on Fredric Jameson
The Humanities Council’s Gauss Seminars in Criticism hosted “The Aesthetics of Singularity: A Gauss Seminar on Fredric Jameson.” The daylong seminar gathered scholars and theorists to explore the significance of Jameson’s work today.
Speakers included Princeton University faculty Andrew Cole (English) and Hal Foster (Art & Archaeology), as well as Alexander R. Galloway (New York University), Ranjana Khanna (Duke University), Lisa Lowe (Yale), and Neferti X. M. Tadiar (Barnard College). The event was organized by Brooke Holmes (Classics), director of the Gauss Seminars, and Andrew Cole. Photos by Charles R. Plohn/Fotobuddy
Fall Break Trips
Over fall break, dozens of Princeton students enriched their coursework as they traveled abroad with University faculty and administrators on trips sponsored by the Council. Four unique and interdisciplinary trips—to Egypt, Germany, Greece, and Italy—provided undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to encounter course materials firsthand, deepen their understanding of their studies, and strengthen the ties between the humanities and the present moment.
Led by AnneMarie Luijendijk (Religion), graduate students from the Departments of Classics, Religion, Art & Archaeology, and History traveled to Egypt as part of the classics course “Problems in Ancient History: Fashion and Footwear in Late Antiquity.” The trip was sponsored by the Council’s Program in the Ancient World. Photos by Elizabeth HaneUndergraduates in the journalism course “International News: Migration Reporting,” taught by Deborah Amos (Journalism), traveled to Berlin where they learned the fundamentals of field reporting on the refugee crises. Photos (from top) by Siyeon Lee ’27 and Tania BosterStudents from last year’s Humanities Sequence “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture” traveled on one of two Mediterranean study trips, sponsored by the Council’s Program in Humanistic Studies with support from the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies. The trips offered students experiential engagement with literature, the arts, history, philosophy, and religion. Council Chair Esther Schor (English), and Benjamin Morison (Philosophy) led a group to Athens; Beatrice Kitzinger (Art & Archaeology) and Michael Wachtel (Slavic Languages and Literatures) led another cohort to Sicily. Photos courtesy of the Program in Humanistic Studies and by Luke Grippo’28, Lucy McWeeny ’28, and Elena Eiss ’28
What’s a Fact, Anyway?
The Council’s Program in Journalism presented a slate of topical events this semester, including a lunch talk series featuring visiting journalists in conversation with University faculty, as well as workshops for undergraduate students focused on trauma-informed reporting, digital safety, and fact-checking.
The program’s signature event, “What’s a Fact, Anyway?” featured Fergus McIntosh, Head Research Editor at The New Yorker and David Baumgarten ’06, general counsel for The Atlantic. The conversation explored the essential role of fact-checking and legal review, which are increasingly critical in today’s media landscape. The event was a collaboration with the Princeton Humanities Initiative, and moderated by Program Director Eliza Griswold, with Ferris Professors Rozina Ali of The New York Times Magazine and Carolyn Kormann of The New Yorker. Photos by Sameer Khan/Fotobuddy
Special Events
The Council hosted a talk celebrating the publication of “Unchanged Trebles,” a new book by Deputy Dean of the College Rebekah Peeples. In conversation with Brian Eugenio Herrera (Lewis Center for the Arts and Gender and Sexuality Studies), Peeples discussed her research and writing process, and her personal connection to the “peculiar world of contemporary boy choirs.” Photo by Morgan Constuble
Violinist Kevin Matheson and pianist Tim Fuller presented music by the Romanian composer and virtuoso George Enescu during “From Paris to Romania,” a special event co-hosted by the Council and the Department of Music. Photo by Mary Cate Connors
Council Program Snapshots
The Council’s academic programs held various events and excursions for undergraduate and graduate students this year.
Programming (pictured above, from top) included a welcome gathering hosted by the Program in Medieval Studies, an ice cream social with the Program in Journalism, a trip to the Tenement Museum with the Program in European Cultural Studies, a close reading workshop presented by the Program in Humanistic Studies, and an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities open house. Photos by Mary Cate Connors, Sameer Khan/Fotobuddy, and Spyros Papapetros
Council Visiting Fellows
The Council is supporting 11 visiting fellows in the 2025-26 academic year. These distinguished scholars, artists, writers, and practitioners enrich the University community through their work in the classroom and through public lectures, conversations, and workshops.
Christy Wampole (French and Italian) and Robert Pogue Harrison (Stanford, emeritus), Class of 1932 Short-Term Visiting Fellow in the Humanities Council and the Department of French and Italian, celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the “Entitled Opinions” radio show with an event at Princeton Public Library. Photo by Mary Cate Connors
Jerry Brotton (Queen Mary University of London), Class of 1932 Short-Term Visiting Fellow in the Humanities Council and the Department of English, gave a public lecture titled “Reorienting the Tudors: from Istanbul to Virginia.” Photo by Sarah Malone
Council-Supported Projects
The Council provided support for more than 35 faculty-led projects in the 2025-26 academic year through Magic Grants, Collaborative Humanities Grants, and Special Grants from the Faber and Cone Funds.
The Council provided co-sponsorship for a host of humanities-related events this semester, including conferences, workshops, lectures, performances, and reading groups.
Co-sponsored events (pictured above, from top) included the annual Fagles Lecture featuring poet, translator, and classicist Anne Carson; a conversation with deaf writer and educator Rachel Kolb and ASL Program Director Noah Buchholz (Linguistics) about Kolb’s new book “Articulate;” the Keller Center’s 2025 Innovation Forum; a new “Scholars Insights” pre-show conversation series at McCarter Theater; a performance from Athens-based poet Jazra Khaleed; and the two-week French theater festival Seuls en Scène. Photos by M.C. McCoy, Mary Cate Connors, Debbie Bisno, Catherine Curan, and courtesy of Keller Center and the Department of French and Italian
