Humanities Research
Featured Research News
Meet the Humanities Faculty
- Professor of English and Visual Culture
Catherine Jurca
We live in a world of images and screens, and visual literacy is an important part of being an educated, thoughtful person in the world."
- Robert M. Abbey Professor of History; Director and General Editor, The Einstein Papers Project
Diana Kormos Buchwald
We are always asked, 'Is there anything we don't know about Einstein?' And as editors of the Einstein Papers Project, we always reply, 'Yes, there is a lot that we are learning and discovering, about his work, and that of many others, about Einstein not being just the icon with funny hair but a professional, hard-working scientist with deep preoccupations.'"
- Assistant Professor of Black Studies and English
Dana Murphy
My commitment to creative works which emphasize care within critical and liberative contexts has only deepened during my time at Caltech. I hope my research and my courses help students navigate an increasingly uncertain world."
- Professor of Philosophy
Charles T. "Chip" Sebens
When students start learning philosophy, they often feel like the scenarios that philosophers discuss are outlandish and not worth taking seriously. An analysis of science fiction allows students to put these concerns aside and ultimately realize that philosophy is relevant to their lives and to other fields of academic inquiry."
- Assistant Professor of History
Danielle Wiggins
I bring to the classroom complex questions concerning inequality and justice that I've often yet to figure out myself. I invite students to think along with me and, through this collaboration, I equip them with tools to confront the most pressing concerns of our time."
- Professor of History
Warren C. Brown
In my classes, students learn the craft of the medieval historian: to read closely the often difficult primary sources from medieval Europe; push past but also take into account their perspectives, assumptions, and biases, as much as possible; and to assemble what they have learned into persuasive written arguments."
- Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of Social Science History; Ronald and Maxine Linde Leadership Chair, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech
Tracy Dennison
Our memories for epidemics are very short. We keep hearing that things will never be the same again, but that's not what the history tells us. Some things may change, but the kind of profound social reorganization one might expect is unlikely."
- Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics and History, Emeritus
Philip T. Hoffman
Caltech is the one place where you really can do interdisciplinary work, whether you are a professor or a student. You never stop learning—or advancing the frontiers of knowledge."
- Professor of History
Nicolás Wey Gόmez
I ask my students to listen to their own assumptions about themselves and the world as they study a broad range of materials that may seem temporally or culturally remote from us."
- Professor of English; Dean of Undergraduate Students
Jennifer Jahner
We live in unprecedented times, but I hope that students leave my classes with the recognition that the questions we ask about inquiry, ethics, environment, and art are not new ones. Attention to the past can make us more creative stewards of the present."
