Photo credit: John Kish IV

Fellowship Gives Unique Support to Humanities

As an institution that values the humanities and supports students who are passionate about these areas of study, Moravian University launched the Humanities Fellowship in the fall of 2021 with its first cohort of 10 students. Directed by Kelly Denton-Borhaug, professor of global religions, and John Black, professor of English, the four-year fellowship welcomes incoming freshman, rising sophomores, and transfer students.

Fellows are now deep into their first year and are immersed in a mandatory yearlong seminar developed specifically for this fellowship that incorporates all the humanities. Kin Cheung, assistant professor of global religions, created a two-semester sequence of the courses “Death, Dying, Rebirth” and “Murder, Mourning, Memory.”

“It’s been awesome,” says history enthusiast Jenna Lenko ’25 about the seminar. “We do a lot of reading about the other humanities that I wouldn’t have come across on my own. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of different things. I discovered a passion for philosophy.”

“We came together with a shared passion for the humanities, but we have different interests within the humanities,” Lenko adds. “I got excited over the readings about history. Another person was excited over the readings about art, and for someone else, it was philosophy. Everyone discovered the interests of the other people in the group and how they are all related.”

The Humanities Fellowship was the tipping point that convinced Lenko to come to Moravian University, and as she continues toward her goal to be a high school history teacher, she knows she made the right choice.

Outside the seminar, students collaborate on unique projects, travel experiences, and service learning. “A social justice component is integral to the Humanities Fellowship,” says Black. “Fellows will be expected to connect their passion for social justice with InFocus—the university’s yearly rotating centers of investigation [health and healthcare, sustainability, poverty and inequality, and war and peace] as well as with outreach in the community.”

“The emphasis is on engaged humanities,” says Denton-Borhaug. “An important component of the fellowship is to connect with the Center for Career and Civic Engagement, the Center for Global Education, and the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” In addition, students receive individualized advice from the codirectors to explore ways to channel their area of study into a career.

Saleh Abdussalam ’23 is another one 
of this year’s fellows. He has chosen to major in philosophy and minor in Islamic studies and may squeeze Africana studies into that mix. He appreciates the opportunities to interact with different faculty in the humanities and the focus on helping students turn their passions into volunteer experiences and vocations. “The fellowship is this really amazing opportunity to learn how to use the humanities to foster social justice,” says Abdussalam, “and how to turn your interest in the humanities into a career.”