Classics and LCSL collaborations awarded by Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities Presidential Initiative
Young Richard Kim, Associate Profess and Head of Classics and Mediterranean Studies, was awarded a grant under the University of Illinois System’s second Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities. This innovative project, listed below, was co-authored with Christine Dunford (School of Theatre and Music).
Luis Alfaro's "Are You Listening?": Tragedy, Trauma, and Therapy Mental Health in the Latinx and BIPOC Communities of Illinois, $140,000
Young Richard Kim and Christine Dunford (UIC)
The project intends to showcase the transformational impact of the arts and humanities, using a residency by the acclaimed playwright Luis Alfaro (who is a University of Southern California associate professor) as a catalyst for students and to draw other artists and audiences to the UIC campus. Alfaro has written numerous plays that have been produced around the country. While the project will be based at UIC, its leaders plan for its reach to extend both into the city of Chicago and to the system’s two other universities in Urbana-Champaign and Springfield through engagement events.
The UIC School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics also participated in another project awarded to the UIUC School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, listed below:
IC@Illinois: The Illinois Intercultural Competence Initiative, $171,000
Elena Delgado (UIUC)
Focused on undergraduate students, IC@Illinois intends to make the University of Illinois System a hub for intercultural communication and intercultural studies. The project will use a humanities-centered approach to focus on the trajectories and histories of U.S minority populations, as well as relationships among different cultures. Undergraduates will be able to earn certification in Intercultural Competence, which refers to the ability to interact and function effectively across cultures. Graduate students will have roles, too, contributing to the development of courses, workshops and teaching modules.
The Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities Initiative is a system-wide funding opportunity aimed at highlighting and amplifying the public good flowing from the arts and the humanities. The goal of the program is to promote the transformational impact of the arts and the humanities at our universities and beyond.
This is the second time LCSL faculty have received this award with Prof. Kim Potowski being a recipient in 2019.