2024-25 Humanities Research Awards
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The Humanities Institute is pleased to announce the 2024-25 Humanities Research Awards competition.
These awards aim to support students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy with humanities-focused projects. Eligible students must be from departments within the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) who are working on an innovative project that intersect with the humanities.
Announcing the 2024-25 Humanities Research Awardees
The Humanities Institute is honored to support students working on innovative humanities projects. We are proud to announce the HI and the HI Advisory Council selection of six recipients.
We congratulate the following graduate students on their compelling research proposal and future contributions to the humanities!
John Anderson
Department: Classics, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Fragments of Aristotle’s Exoterica: Inside and Outside the Lyceum
Brief Project Summary: This work examines Aristotle’s writings from historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives, arguing that Aristotle and his school, the Lyceum, engaged in public-facing scholarship. Unlike the terse and esoteric prose known today, Aristotle’s exoteric works, praised by Cicero for their golden prose, were intended for broad dissemination to promote the Lyceum’s ideas against rivals like Isocrates and Plato’s Academy.
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Danissa Paz Contreras Guzman
Department: Government, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Vox Populi, Vox Dei: The Rise of the Religious Conservative Left and the Reconfiguration of Political Space in Latin America
Brief Project Summary: This work examines Why has the Left adopted Religious Conservatism in some Latin American countries, but not in others? The Left in some Latin American countries adopted Religious Conservatism due to strategic decisions and political constraints. As economic differences between parties narrowed, the Left turned to cultural progressivism, causing a voter disconnect and opportunities for new politicians. Populism supports Religious Conservatism, but party constraints and ties to progressive groups limit it.
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Taylor Renee Joyce
Department: LinguisticseCollege of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: The Experience of Disabled Second Language Learners of American Sign Language
Brief Project Summary: This work examines the American Sign Language (ASL) has become popular in higher education, while the number of students with disabilities has also increased. Concerns exist about how students with learning disabilities fare in second language (L2) courses, leading some institutions to waive language requirements. However, little research has focused on disabled learners in L2 classrooms, especially in signed languages. This study aims to understand disabled students’ experiences in ASL learning by interviewing experienced ASL instructors and disabled students.
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Eduardo Henrique Gorobets Martins
Department: Spanish and Portuguese, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Contemporary Nahua Relationships Between Humans and More-Than-Humans in the Huasteca Veracruzana, Mexico
Brief Project Summary: My dissertation, “Humans and More-Than-Humans: Changes and Continuities in Nahua Relationality During the Early Colonial Period in New Spain,” examines how the Nahuas’ relationships and practices evolved during the colonial period within a Christianized context. I will compare historical data with contemporary Nahua worldviews to show the persistence of certain ideas and practices. Fieldwork in Chicontepec, Mexico, in May 2025, involving interviews with Nahuas, will provide essential data for my dissertation and will be presented at a major conference.
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Sarah Porter
Department: History, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Freedom Now! Defending Black Women Political Prisoners, 1945-1975
Brief Project Summary: “Freedom Now!” examines how activists organized to support Black women political prisoners from 1945 to 1975. While existing literature often focuses on Black men, this dissertation highlights the unique experiences and resistance of Black women prisoners. By analyzing campaigns to free Claudia Jones, Mae Mallory, and Ericka Huggins, it reveals how activists used gender-specific strategies to challenge the racist and sexist legal system. This study provides a new perspective on the twentieth-century prison movement and informs contemporary racial and social justice efforts.
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Clifton E. Sorrell
Department: History, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
Project Name: Black Freedom and Sovereignty on the Frontier in the Early Caribbean: Spanish Jamaica 1585-1690
Brief Project Summary: This project examines maroon leader Juan Lubolo formed an alliance with the English in 1659, who recognized his community’s self-governed status in exchange for military service against the Spanish. This agreement acknowledged the community’s territorial claim and provided them with pay and provisions. Despite Spanish claims of control, Lubolo’s alliance indicates a more complex political situation in Jamaica’s montes during the English conquest.
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2024-25 Humanities Research Awards (HRA) Application Guidelines:
Award Details:
Amount: Up to $2000
Duration: January 2025 - December 2025
Funding Provided By: The Humanities Institute and COLA Office of Graduate Education
Eligibility:
Graduate students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy with humanities-focused projects and whose home department is within the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) are eligible to apply.
Application Instructions:
Submit a Word or PDF document including:
Descriptive Narrative: (2 pages):
a) Summary/Abstract
b) Background
c) Methodology/Activities
d) Expected Outcomes
Budget Table & Outcomes Timeline (1 page)
Email from their advisors stating the advancement to doctoral candidacy.
Short CV (2 pages)
Previous Awards and Other Research Funding Sources
Selection Criteria
Relevance of the project to current humanistic inquiry in the project's field(s).
Quality of project regarding research questions, methods, etc.
Likelihood of the project producing desired outcomes, especially regarding publication, dissemination, and engagement.
The overall contribution of the project to the UT humanities landscape.
Timeline:
Applications Due: November 25, 2024, by 5 pm
Notify Award Decision: December 18, 2024
Application: [CLOSED]
For questions, contact Jeff Meserve at meserve@austin.utexas.edu
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