Skip to main content

Homepage

A student browsing through books in the Humanities Center.

Fostering multidisciplinary perspectives

Professor Russell Peck with a student.

Supporting collaboration

A pile of Post family letters and photographs.

Exploring artifacts of the human experience

What is the Humanities Center?

As scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences at the University of Rochester, we examine human culture in its myriad forms: literature, language, media, philosophy, religion, history, anthropology, visual and performing arts, and much more. We are committed to critical thinking, reasoned discourse, inclusiveness, civility, empathy, and compassion—values that lie at the center of humanistic inquiry and that are essential for a thriving democratic citizenry. The Humanities Center, located in Rush Rhees Library, is our home base for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration. We offer programs for faculty, students, and the public. To become an affiliate of the Center and receive emails about our events, contact humanities@rochester.edu.

Upcoming Events

Recent News

William Bridges awarded NEH fellowship

March 11, 2025

Congratulations to associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and former ...

Tanya Bakhmetyeva Receives CHCI Grant for 'Just and Inclusive Climate Havens' Project in Global Justice Initiative

March 5, 2025

Associate Director Tanya Bakhmetyeva has received an award from the Critical Humanities Spaces Netwo ...

Two Open Letter books nominated by National Book Critics Circle

December 21, 2024

Rochester’s literary translation press edited and published two of the longlisted books for th ...

2024 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

December 20, 2024

Congratulations to Ani & Mark Gabrellian Director of the Humanities Center, Peter H. Christensen, wh ...

Dignity Matters: Architecture’s Role in Honoring the Lives That Inhabit It

November 25, 2024

Read about this collaboration with the Stanford Humanities Center here.

Bogliasco Foundation recognizes UR faculty Jennifer Grotz

October 21, 2024

The Van Cleef and Arpels Fellowships in Choreography and Poetry sponsors annual Fellowships for a ch ...

On Thinning Ice

September 11, 2024

‘ICE HUMANITIES’: In a sense, glaciers have become a new endangered species. For a ...

May 15, 2024

Anna Rosensweig Receives President’s Ferrari Humanities Research Award

May 14, 2024

Anna Rosensweig, an associate professor of French and the director of the Graduate Program in Visual ...

More News

Research Spotlight

Research at Rochester: Windows of opportunity? SMASH the CRASH and bird collision prevention

“Smash the Crash,” a research initiative made up of a team of dedicated student volunteers and faculty, hopes to accurately document these collisions and recommend solutions for preventing bird-window collisions on campus. The study is led by anthropologist Dr. Richard Fadok, a postdoctoral fellow in the Humanities Center.

The cover of the annual report.

Annual Report

2023-2024 Annual Report Now Available

We are proud to feature the highlights and accomplishments of the Humanities Center in our new annual report.

View the Report

The Humanities Center

Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration

In the Humanities Center, faculty, fellows, students, affiliates, and the public gather to collaborate and create community. Seminars, workshops, lectures, digital projects and other forms of humanistic inquiry animate our beautiful new space in Rush Rhees Library. 

Watch Video

24departments and programs

With majors and degree programs that incorporate dozens of disciplines.

115humanities clusters

Comprised of hundreds of courses based in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Support the Center

Rochester is uniquely positioned to pursue research that spans the arts and humanities. If you would like more information about the humanities at Rochester or the Central New York Humanities Corridor, please contact us.

Learn More


We welcome all inquires about any of the Humanities Center programs and activities.
Contact us for more information.