2021-2022 Faculty Fellows

John Craynon

MINING ENGINEERING, BENJAMIN M. STATLER COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MINERAL RESOURCES

“Materials for the Future” will charge students with examining the challenges of meeting today’s needs for raw materials and energy while also taking into account geopolitical issues and growing concerns of global climate change. Students will hear from experts in a variety of fields and gain an understanding of how data and knowledge from science, engineering, economics, social sciences and other disciplines can be used together in decision making. How do we balance our societal needs for these materials with the impact attaining them has on our quality of life? What are the ecological, economic, political and social costs to acquiring these materials and energy?

View the Fall 2021 "Materials for the Future" lecture recording here.

Stefanie Hines

ENERGY LAND MANAGEMENT, DAVIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DESIGN

“The Road to Inequality” will examine the history of systemic racism in land ownership and property rights in the United States, from conflicts between early settlers and Native Americans to today. Re-examining long-held ideas about the American dream, housing, land rights and racial discrimination, students will conduct their own hands-on research through historical records, policy and data. State-of-the-art software and interactions with community members and local politicians will help bring to life the landscape of inequity and factors that created the massive divide in land ownership that continues today.

View the Fall 2021 "The Road to Inequality" lecture recording here.

Renée K. Nicholson

DIRECTOR, HUMANITIES CENTER

“Arthurdale, WV Matters” teaches students how to connect with historical sites and the non-profit organizations and people who run them. Combining business and marketing with public humanities, students will develop skills in promoting and preserving sites of cultural and historical importance. Focusing on Arthurdale, students in this team-taught course by Renée K. Nicholson, Anne Pancake, and Michael Walsh will explore Arthurdale’s history from the New Deal to the present day, examine problematic aspects of the site related to class and race, interact with Arthurdale craftspeople, learn about issues facing Appalachia and rural communities, and gain the tools to help sustain sites of significance. Students will also reflect on heritage, traditions, and history and their relevance to civic and cultural life today.

View the Fall 2021 "Arthurdale, WV Matters" lecture recording here.

Ann Pancake

HUMANITIES CENTER

Devin Smart

HISTORY, EBERLY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

“Extractive Capitalism” will use the concept of extractivism to investigate the changing relationship between the economy and the natural world since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Extractivism refers to the ways that modern economies drive the mass extraction of natural resources, and students will study the political, socio-economic and environmental consequences of this process. Specifically, the course will examine fossil fuels and the worlds they have created, starting with how coal formed the basis of post-1800 industrial societies. Then, students will move to the petroleum age, considering how this new form of energy transformed the world. Along the way, students will learn about other extractive industries, as well as global inequalities shaped by colonialism, decolonization and the role of power in the world economy. The course concludes with a focus on extractivism and more recent globalization, and their connection to climate change.

View the Fall 2021 "Extractive Capitalism" lecture recording here.

Jennifer Walker

MUSIC, COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS

In “Dangerous Music,” students will explore the ways music and danger have become intertwined and, in some cases, inseparable. Focusing on select themes throughout history, this course will draw on studies in fields of political science, religious history, gender studies, sociology and music. Dangerous music can be found throughout historical periods, musical styles and global cultures. It has at points been seen as a seductive peril, a threat against society and culture, and even been used as an instrument of punishment and torture. Students will ask how “dangerous” music is perceived in terms of gender, sexuality, race and politics. Who has considered music to be dangerous and why? How in history has music been seen as a threat to established norms? What are our responsibilities as consumers? Students will create micro-podcasts exploring the themes of the course throughout the semester.

View the Fall 2021 "Dangerous Music" lecture recording here.

Amy Welsh

WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, DAVIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DESIGN

In the Honors add-on to “Principles of Conservation Ecology,” students will delve deeply into current issues of biodiversity and conservation with hands-on activities and discussions, developing management strategies and policy ideas. They will engage with current news related to the field, developing important skills in communicating and sharing their knowledge with the public. Working together, students will impact the community by developing and implementing a conservation community service project.

View the Fall 2021 "Principles of Conservation Ecology" lecture recording here.