Undergraduate Fellows Program

The Humanities Undergraduate Fellows Program is intended to bring more undergraduates into the Hall Center's intellectual community, joining with faculty members and graduate students in the humanities.

 

The Undergraduate Fellows program is something I would recommend to anyone …. As an Air Force trained student of Engineering and History, it was sometimes hard for me to see the bigger picture of what the humanities are. Over the course of a year, the fellowship provided me with the incentive and the opportunity to explore a wide range of humanities topics from philosophy to science fiction in a way I likely would have never done on my own initiative. One of my favorite moments was seeing one of my faculty mentors present their newest book. It gave me a sense of what I might be able to accomplish in my own career ….
- Past Hall Center for the Humanities Undergraduate Fellow

 

The Hall Center has long focused on supporting faculty and graduate student research in the Humanities; this year we hope to continue bringing more undergraduates into our intellectual community.

Whom We Hope to Attract to the Program

Seeking 5 intellectually engaged, self-motivated students to become part of the 2025-26 cohort. Applicants must be passionate about the Humanities (literature, languages, cultural studies, history, philosophy, religious studies, etc.) OR curious about how these fields connect to each other, and to life beyond college. Applicants must have the time and energy to commit to the program. In addition to attending a variety of Hall Center events, Fellows will be expected to meet at the Hall Center once a month, on Thursday afternoons between 3:30 and 5 pm.

Fellows will have the opportunity to meet some of the top scholars and creatives in the Humanities today, participate in the Lawrence Reviewed project in conjunction with this year’s KU Reads/Common Book selection, and be mentored by faculty, graduate students, and community members for an enriching undergraduate experience that will strengthen networks and bolster professional skills. Each HCH Undergraduate Fellow will receive a free set of books by this year’s speakers, a $300 stipend after attending at least 4 events in the Fall semester, and a $300 stipend for attending 4 events in the Spring semester.

To Apply

Please send the following information, along with your full CV or resume, to the Hall Center at hallcenter@ku.edu by Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 at 11:59 pm:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Hometown
  • Major
  • Class year
  • Course schedule this semester
  • Non-academic commitments scheduled this year (jobs, clubs, travel, family care, etc.)
  • Statement one: Why do you think the humanities are important to an undergraduate education? (max. 200 words)
  • Statement two: What makes you a good fit for joining this cohort of Undergraduate Fellows? (max. 200 words)

Additional Background

The Hall Center for the Humanities is one of 11 research centers on KU’s campus, and located at 900 Sunnyside Avenue. The Hall Center’s mission is to promote and support “humanistic inquiry”: scholarly and creative productions that help us understand who we are as people, how we relate to others, what has led our global society to where we are today—in short, what it means to be human, whether in the present moment, in times past, or in possible futures, across a wide range of locations and cultures.

The term “Humanities” encompasses a diverse set of disciplines. Literature, history, philosophy, and religious studies are most frequently cited, but scholars who frequent the Hall Center come from interdisciplinary units at KU such as African & African American Studies, Classics, East Asian Languages & Cultures, Indigenous Studies, Jewish Studies, and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. They also come from the fine arts, social sciences, and even STEM—fields like Anthropology, Communication Studies, Math, Music, and Visual Arts—all seeking to integrate humanities practices and perspectives in their research.