HSS Humanities Center Events: Fostering Scholarship-Centered Community

The HSS Humanities Center holds events throughout the year to bring together scholars at all career stages from across HSS.

January 2026

DATE	TIME/LOCATION	EVENT NAME	EVENT DETAILS
1/22/26	1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Open House	The HSSHC invites all faculty, staff, and students to drop by our brand-new space in Howe Russell. Learn about our suite of programming, talk with the HSSHC Director and Advisory Board members, share ideas, or just enjoy our comfortable space and light refreshments. We look forward to chatting with you on day one of our special two-day launch event.
1/23/26	10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Open House	The HSSHC invites all faculty, staff, and students to drop by our brand-new space in Howe Russell. Learn about our suite of programming, talk with the HSSHC Director and Advisory Board members, share ideas, or just enjoy our comfortable space and light refreshments. We look forward to chatting with you on this second day of our two-day launch event.
1/28/26	12:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Momentum Workshop	The HSSHC Book Institute’s Momentum Workshop Series welcomes Mari Rethelyi (Religious Studies and History; Director, Jewish Studies). We will discuss her chapter, “Race of Hungarians, the Race of Hungarian Jews, and their Common History,” from her book on Jewish nationalism in twentieth-century Hungary. All faculty and graduate students are invited to attend. You do not have to read the chapter in advance to participate in this energizing conversation. Email Prof. Pallavi Rastogi (prastogi@lsu.edu), co-director of The Book Institute, if you would like to read a pre-circulated copy of Prof. Rethelyi’s work or if you have any other questions about The Momentum Workshops. The chapter will be available electronically at the event. Light refreshments will be served.

February 2026

DATE	TIME/LOCATION	EVENT NAME	EVENT DETAILS
Week of 2/9/26	Time TBA, HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Reading	The HSSHC and LSU Creative Writing will host a reading featuring work by faculty and students. Join us for literary brilliance and community.
2/12/26	3:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Lecture	Andrew High (Penn State University) will deliver a public lecture on "Navigating Multiple Channels for Engaging in Supportive Interactions," as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Kellie Brisini (Communication Studies) and the students of CMST 7912.
2/13/26	11:30 a.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Graduate Student Workshop	Andrew High (Penn State University) will lead a graduate student workshop in the "Hidden Curriculum: Pizza and Professional Development” series, as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Kellie Brisini (Communication Studies) and the students of CMST 7912. All interested HSS graduate students are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.
2/25/26	12:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Lecture	Daniel Smith (Purdue) will deliver a public lecture on “Being is a Problem: Deleuze’s Metaphysics of Manifolds,” as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Michael Ardoline (Philosophy) and the students of PHIL 7910.
2/26/26	12:00 p.m., 211 Coates Hall	Graduate Student Workshop	Daniel Smith (Purdue) will lead a graduate student workshop on “Research in Continental Philosophy,” as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Michael Ardoline (Philosophy) and the students of PHIL 7910. All interested HSS graduate students are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.
2/27/26	10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Books in Progress Symposium	The HSSHC is proud to sponsor the symposium “Asians on the Third Coast: Other Races, Other Cultures in Louisiana,” in support of the essay collection of the same name, edited by Madoka Kishi (English) and Pallavi Rastogi (English), and under advance contract with LSU Press. Contributors to this volume will present their research and creative activity, discuss the work in progress, and offer feedback to one another. Join this thrilling discussion, featuring authors reflecting on the rich, textured, and often-obscured aspects of the Asian and Asian American presence in Louisiana. All are welcome; light refreshments will be served.

March 2026

DATE	TIME/LOCATION	EVENT NAME	EVENT DETAILS
3/5/26	5:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Lecture	Alys Eve Weinbaum (University of Washington) will deliver a public lecture as part of her mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Alex Meany (English) and the students of ENGL 7974.
3/4/26 or 3/5/26	Time TBA, HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Graduate Student Workshop	Alys Eve Weinbaum (University of Washington) will lead a graduate student workshop as part of her mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Alex Meany (English) and the students of ENGL 7974. All interested HSS graduate students are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.
3/31/26	12:00 p.m., 210 Stubbs Hall	Brown Bag Event	Jeffrey Church (University of Wisconsin—Madison) will discuss “Hegel on Bureaucracy” at the Political Science Research Series brown bag event, as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. James Stoner (Political Science) and the students of POLI 7982.
3/31/26	4:30 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Lecture	Jeffrey Church (University of Wisconsin—Madison) will deliver a public lecture on “The Birth of Academic Freedom,” as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. James Stoner (Political Science) and the students of POLI 7982.

April 2026

DATE	TIME/LOCATION	EVENT NAME	EVENT DETAILS
4/1/26	12:00 p.m., 216 Stubbs Hall	Graduate Student Workshop	Jeffrey Church (University of Wisconsin—Madison) will lead a graduate student workshop, “Conversation on Podcasts, Conferences, and the Public Face of Political Theory,” as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. James Stoner (Political Science) and the students of POLI 7982, and in tandem with the Political Theory Lunch Colloquy.
4/6/26	2:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Momentum Workshop	The HSSHC Book Institute’s Momentum Workshop Series welcomes Cat Jacquet (History and WGSS). We will discuss a chapter from her monograph in progress. All faculty and graduate students are invited to attend. You do not have to read the chapter in advance to participate in this exciting conversation. Email Prof. Pallavi Rastogi (prastogi@lsu.edu), co-director of The Book Institute, if you would like to read a pre-circulated copy of Prof. Jacquet’s work or if you have any other questions about The Momentum Workshops. The chapter will be available electronically at the event. Light refreshments will be served.
4/7/26	12:00 p.m., HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	Public Lecture	Adam Rosenthal (Texas A&M) will deliver a public lecture on “Organic and Inorganic Intelligences: Evolution, AI & Biotechnicity,” as part of his mini-residency, hosted by Prof. Deborah Goldgaber (Philosophy and WGSS) and the students of FREN 7970/PHIL 4003.

June 2026

DATE	TIME/LOCATION	EVENT NAME	EVENT DETAILS
6/1/26 – 6/5/26	HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell	HSSHC Book Institute	If you’re working on a book–whether your first or your twentieth–the HSSHS Book Institute is here to help you chisel through writer’s block, overcome those knotty conceptual problems, and advise you about the promotion process. During a week-long cohort model which will convene from Monday, June 1 to Friday, June 5 2026 from 10 am to 3.00 pm (with a break for lunch), Book Institute Fellows will receive detailed feedback on one chapter and the larger project, mentorship from peers, guidance from editors at university presses, and, above all, reassurance that they don’t have to go it alone. The Institute’s mentors will lead workshop reviews of Fellows’ manuscripts and assist them in developing concrete plans to publish their books. The call for applications for the 2026 HSSHC Book Institute will be announced early in Spring 2026. For more information on the Book Institute, click here.

DATE

TIME/LOCATION

EVENT NAME

EVENT DETAILS

6/1/26 – 6/5/26

HSS Humanities Center at W151 Howe Russell

HSSHC Book Institute

If you’re working on a book–whether your first or your twentieth–the HSSHS Book Institute is here to help you chisel through writer’s block, overcome those knotty conceptual problems, and advise you about the promotion process. During a week-long cohort model which will convene from Monday, June 1 to Friday, June 5 2026 from 10 am to 3.00 pm (with a break for lunch), Book Institute Fellows will receive detailed feedback on one chapter and the larger project, mentorship from peers, guidance from editors at university presses, and, above all, reassurance that they don’t have to go it alone. The Institute’s mentors will lead workshop reviews of Fellows’ manuscripts and assist them in developing concrete plans to publish their books.

The call for applications for the 2026 HSSHC Book Institute will be announced early in Spring 2026. For more information on the Book Institute, click here.

Watch this space and like LSU HSS on Facebook (@LSUHSS) or follow on X (@LSUHSS) and Instagram (@lsu_hss) for updates. For a list of past event, click here.