Gaines Center invites faculty proposals for 2028 Bingham Seminar
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities is now accepting faculty proposals for the 2028 Mary C. Bingham Seminar, a unique opportunity to design and teach a humanities-focused course that pairs classroom learning with an immersive travel experience.
Held every other year, the Bingham Seminar allows faculty to develop a special topics course outside the university's regular curriculum while giving students the opportunity to explore a subject through firsthand experiences in the U.S. and abroad. The selected seminar will be offered during the Spring 2028 semester as a 300-level humanities course — HMN 300 — and will enroll no more than 10 students through a competitive application process.
The Gaines Center, founded in 1984 through the generosity of John and Joan Gaines, provides funding to support course development, travel and a Thomas D. Clark Lecturer, whose public lecture complements the seminar experience. Faculty receive a $4,000 research and study grant, up to $2,000 in travel support and up to $2,000 to host the lecturer. Students selected for the course receive a $1,000 travel scholarship to help offset travel costs. The seminar meets throughout the Spring 2028 semester, with the travel portion taking place during spring break or shortly after final exams in early May.
Recent Bingham Seminars have explored topics ranging from sustainable design and the built environment to history and memory, such as “Sustainable Futures Design Lab,” led by Rebekah Radtke, associate professor in the College of Design, in 2026; “Empire of the Goths,” taught by Abigail Firey, Ph.D., William T. Bryan Endowed Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, in 2024; and “Slavery in American Memory,” taught by Daniel Vivian, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Design, in 2022. Past seminars reflect the program’s emphasis on experiential learning, encouraging students to connect classroom discussions with firsthand experiences while exploring complex humanities topics. Faculty selected for the 2028 seminar will have the opportunity to create similarly immersive learning experiences.
“The Gaines Center gave me the resources to build my dream course, and it’s been one of the highlights of my career,” Radtke said. “The students and Gaines Center staff were the best part of the experience because their creativity and hard work made the seminar so fun and fulfilling.”
Vivian said the opportunity to teach a small group of engaged students in an immersive setting made the seminar especially meaningful.
“Teaching the Bingham Seminar was a fantastic experience,” he said. “The chance to explore a specialized topic in detail with a small group of smart, motivated students made for an exceptionally rewarding semester. I cannot imagine a more meaningful, higher-impact teaching opportunity. The support provided by the Gaines Center staff was exceptional. It made my work easy and benefited the students greatly.”
Faculty applications opened July 31 and will close Oct. 5. More information and application materials are available at gaines.uky.edu/programs/bingham-seminar. Questions may be directed to Gaines Center program coordinator Catherine Brereton at catherine.brereton@uky.edu or 859-257-1537.
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