UK Gaines Center prepares students for careers in the humanities

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2024) — The University of Kentucky is dedicated to preparing students to lead lives of meaning and purpose through collaborative learning and real-world experiences. This spring, the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities has introduced a pilot course designed to enhance this commitment.

HMN 303: Humanities in Action is a hands-on, high-impact laboratory course that immerses students in various careers within the humanities, taking them beyond the classroom and into the community. This team-taught seminar rotates through three distinct units, all centered on the pressing need for trained humanists in today’s society.

The course was developed for three primary reasons, according to Chelsea Brislin, associate director of the Gaines Center.

“First, it highlights how humanities studies correlate with successful careers that play vital roles in our communities,” Brislin said. “Second, it promotes interdisciplinary engagement among students and faculty. Finally, it fosters high-impact community engagement for undergraduates.”

By taking students out of the traditional classroom and showing them how archivists preserve history, how historians create and correct historical markers and how statewide digitization projects are undertaken, we demonstrate the existence of these careers,” Brislin said. “We also equip students with the confidence and experience to pursue a humanities education.”

Past units have included digitally unwrapping previously buried sea scrolls in the EduceLab with Brent Seales, a computer science professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, training in the circus arts through a philosophical lens, and exploring how memorial markers are proposed, developed and placed.

"This course offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with hands-on applications in the humanities across three different fields within a single semester,” said Michelle Sizemore, director of the Gaines Center.

Founded in 1984, the Gaines Center has long embraced diverse paths of knowledge, striving to integrate creative work with traditional academic learning. While one of the university's primary goals is to prepare students for life beyond the classroom, this mission is equally vital to the Gaines Center’s approach.

“The range of topics covered in the course included both familiar and unfamiliar subjects,” said a student from the Spring 2024 semester. “This made attending class a pleasure and allowed me to explore new ideas in a supportive environment.”

As Kentucky’s indispensable institution, the University of Kentucky transforms student lives and advances the Commonwealth through research, creativity and collaborative teaching and learning. To meet the demands of an ever-changing global landscape, the courses offered must also evolve. Brislin believes that HMN 303 exemplifies this necessary shift. 

“Trained humanists contribute to nearly every aspect of community life, indicating limitless potential for the course's future evolution. We have already engaged computer engineers, local historians, archaeologists, librarians and more,” Brislin said. “We hope to involve every corner of campus — from design to education, medicine to social work — to emphasize how the humanities enhance understanding and deepen engagement across all fields, both on campus and in the wider community.”

The second iteration of HMN 303 will be available for the Spring 2025 semester, taught by Jim Seaver of the Kentucky Historical Society, Matthew Strandmark from UK Libraries and Special Collections, and Elena Sesma from the Department of Anthropology.

To learn more about the Gaines Center, visit https://gaines.uky.edu/.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. 2131940. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.