Humanists, artists, social scientists, and physical and life scientists come together to deepen their approach to problems of global significance.
Building Strength
Critical thinking. Empathy. Imagination. A nuanced understanding of the world’s cultures and religions. These powerful abilities are developed and sustained by the study of the humanities. The Cogut Institute’s distinctive approach to scholarship allows us to push forward creative, critical thought and informed public dialogue about humanity’s central challenges.
When I explain what I do as a historian, I compare it to gathering pieces of a puzzle, putting them together to tell a story, and explaining the story’s importance. It is a process filled with twists and turns and moments of awe at how endlessly interesting the past is and how humbling it is to encounter it. It is a deeply humanistic pursuit that demands sitting with complexity and being able to hold different interpretations without rushing to judgement. They also affirm good virtues for living in this world: Resist false certainty as well as easy defeat. Accept that some things may never be known. And approach every life with curiosity and through a widened lens.
As we move into the future, the Cogut Institute will further raise the University’s international visibility as a major center of scholarship in the humanities. Enhanced opportunities for faculty, graduate students and undergraduates to affiliate with Cogut will strengthen their scholarship. And the Institute will build initiatives that infuse humanistic thinking into the sciences, increasing our capacity to discuss the age-old question of what it means to be human.
Why give now?
You can support Brown’s hub for collaborative research, teaching, and scholarship in the humanities and humanistic social sciences and bring faculty and students from across disciplines together to advance knowledge on critical topics.
For information about specific giving opportunities, contact:
Shelley Roth P’17, P’20
Director of Development for Academic Initiatives
+1 (401) 863-6592
shelley_roth@brown.edu