CEAH Research Clusters
The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) fosters
ongoing faculty research clusters (or working groups). Research Clusters
are faculty-initiated groups that focus on topics using diverse
cross-disciplinary approaches. They examine issues from varied artistic,
humanistic, and scientific perspectives to create a unique, collaborative,
and innovative interdisciplinary understanding of that issue.
More Info
Research Clusters:
Contact: ceah-prairie@iastate.edu
Convener:
Dr. W. Stanley Harpole, Assistant Professor, EEOB
(harpole@iastate.edu)
This group analyzes materials that touch on all aspects of the prairie
ecology, making knowledge about its past and present more accessible to the
general public and university educators. Through academic publications and
the development of educational materials, it will provide resources to
increase public awareness and understanding of this landscape, which in so
many ways connects not only to the region's economic vitality and ability to
literally "feed the world," but also to our regional and national identity
and imagination.
Contact: ceah-urban@iastate.edu
Convenor:
Kimberly Elman Zarecor, Associate Professor, Architecture
(zarecor@iastate.edu)
Public Space and Urban Development are topics of interest to scholars from
diverse fields including architecture, history, regional and community
planning, anthropology, and communicative and literary discourse amongst
others. Scholars who wish to understand the topic comparatively and across
disciplines have looked at issues of development, infrastructure and the
politics of urbanization. This research cluster at ISU includes faculty
working in diverse cultural and global contexts, bringing together a variety
of sub-disciplinary approaches from industrial housing in Eastern Europe to
the problems of urban reconstruction in the Middle East to contemporary
American cultural identity and environmental formation. As the group
expands, the geographic coverage and methodological diversity will extend
into other global regions and academic disciplines.
Contact: ceah-debt@iastate.edu
Convenor:
William Carter, Assistant Professor, World Languages &
Cultures (wcarter@iastate.edu)
Debt has a long history and remains more relevant than ever. From global
financial crises to debt ceilings, the rising cost of student loans to calls
for debt forgiveness, debt looms as an ominous threat to survival both for
individuals and for entire nations. And yet, in other cultural and
historical conditions, recognition of indebtedness to others has been a key
building block of social life. As a framework for both human and inhumane
relationships, and for reflections on the value and values of those
relationships, debt brings together concerns throughout the liberal arts and
sciences.
The Debt Research
Cluster endeavors to approach debt from a variety of
disciplines, theoretical perspectives, historical contexts, and contemporary
discussions. We encourage not only faculty participation but also community
and student involvement in discussing a topic that has come to increasing
impact societies, communities, and individuals throughout the world. We hope
to offer a unique approach to current debt crises, both local and
international, while considering their lasting impacts as well as proposing
potential solutions.
