FSU Humanities Center announces inaugural class of undergraduate fellows
The Florida State University Humanities Center, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is welcoming 15 senior undergraduate fellows as part of its inaugural class.
Representing a range of disciplines, including English, history, modern languages and linguistics and philosophy, the undergraduate fellows will collaborate with faculty, staff, and each other through a continuous year-long forum contributing to interdisciplinary conversations focused on defining the humanities for the 21st century.
“The 15 fellows are stunningly accomplished young researchers who are brimming with ideas about the role of the humanities in higher education,” said John Corrigan, FSU Humanities Center Director and Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion and Professor of History. “A group like this naturally creates an intellectual playground in which ideas are generated and debated, disciplinary boundaries crossed, and new theories tested.”
The 2026-2027 FSU Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellows include:
Maggie Boyd, double majoring in history and Middle Eastern studies through the Department of History and the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Project title: “Reforming Views: Christian Perspectives on the Ottoman Empire during the Reformation.”
Emma Brown, pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in Middle Eastern studies and criminology through the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics and the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Honors in the Major project title: “The Arab Resettlement Community of Little Palestine (Tampa, Florida).”
Kristen Cavanagh, majoring in literature, media and culture through the Department of English. Project title: “The Convert as a Rebel: Exploring the English Catholic Literary Revival as a 'Literature of Protest' in the Twentieth Century.”
Lauren Cavanagh, majoring in literature, media, and culture through the Department of English. Project title: “Ulysses: The Vegetarian Conscience of Leopold Bloom."
Victoria De Jorio-Koegler, pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in literature, media, and culture and political science through the Department of English and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Project title: “The Genealogy of Digital Distraction: Media, Morals, and the Subject.”
Helena Helmke, double majoring in history and international affairs through the Department of History and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Project title: “The Appropriation of Dante: Italian Political Culture from the Risorgimento through Fascist Italy.”
Hailey Heseltine, majoring in editing, writing, and media through the Department of English. Project title: “The Shadow Sings: Crywolf’s OBLIVIØN and the Sublimity of the Self.”
Jordan Kosanke, pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in theatre and interdisciplinary social science through the College of Fine Arts’ School of Theatre and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Project title: “Wasteland, Baby! A Hozier Musical: A Post-Apocalyptic Reinterpretation of Dante’s Divine Comedy Integrating the Music of Hozier.”
Rachel McFatter, majoring in classical civilization through the Department of Classics. McFatter’s project, “‘The Outsider Citizen’: Metics, Migrants, and the Limits of Citizenship from Ancient Greece to Today,” examines citizenship in ancient Athens — particularly fourth and fifth centuries B.C. — and places it in conversation with how we currently think about immigration and citizenship in the United States.
“I’m excited to develop the contemporary side of my research alongside these folks,” McFatter said. “I want humanities programs and the work they produce to feel accessible.”
William Merrix, pursuing dual degrees in computer science and linguistics through the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Project title: “The Language of Politics: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Popular Political Rhetoric in Nouchi in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.”
Shogo Oviawe, majoring in creative writing through the Department of English. Project title: “'Psyker Patient' And Other Anomalous Adolescents: An Illustrated Exploration of Affected Pubescence.”
Grayson Russell, double majoring in linguistics and philosophy through the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics and the Department of Philosophy. Project title: “Creaky Voice and Uptalk as Indexical of Masculinity in American Men’s Speech.”
Larissa Todd, majoring in literature, media, and culture through the Department of English. Project title: “Wampeters, Monads, and Granfalloons: An Investigation of Pluralism and Leibnizian Symbols in Kurt Vonnegut’s Fiction.”
Sasha Veltri, double majoring in biology and French through the Department of Biological Science and the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Project title: “Trauma and Recovery in Francophone Media about the Rwandan Genocide.”
Laney Williams, double majoring in history and environmental science and policy through the Department of History and the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science. Her project, “Climate and Humanity: A Tale as Old as Time,” investigates global climatic shifts in terms of solar irradiance, ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, and volcanism from the years 1250 to 1350.
“This is a great opportunity to incorporate more of the historical perspective into my combined thesis and also allow me to communicate the science more clearly,” Laney said. “Understanding how past climates have affected humans can help us problem-solve for what's to come or what’s already happening in our climate.”
To learn more about the inaugural class of fellows and for more on FSU’s Humanities Center, visit humanities.fsu.edu.