Plato and Aristotle have taught us that political crisis is unavoidable and a natural development in the evolution of a community or state. And the evidence of history suggests that no state has ever achieved perfect harmony. But how do people respond emotionally to the abrupt change of crisis and what attitudes or actions allow them to cope? Can an historically alert disposition equip us to respond appropriately or even anticipate political crisis? What characteristics in a society allow its participants to remain resilient in the face of abrupt change? Can the crises of past centuries better inform how we navigate crises in the present? This Humanities Lab will workshop these and other questions to better understand the relevancy of the past to the present. During the first semester of the lab, emphasis will be placed on what we can learn from a series of textual narratives that represent ancient and medieval crises. The range of case studies will provide an opportunity for perspectives from different disciplines of the humanities to inform our understanding of the cause and consequence of different political and cultural crises. During the second semester, students will use these perspectives to identify contemporary crises and to develop projects that offer frameworks intended to foster productive dialogue about those crises.

Applications open in Fall 2025