The following feature article appeared in the campus publication Mosaic in September, 2001.

Promoting scholarship and the exchange of ideas among
 faculty and students

 W hat part did 19th-century newspapers play in teaching freed slaves to read?  How did newspapers help early black writers become established? These and other questions were investigated last fall as part of the junior seminar—required for all American studies majors—taught by Director of American Studies Todd Vogel. Having students learn the ropes of research with primary sources is certainly outcome enough, but Vogel expanded the enterprise with help from the Trinity Center for Collaborative Teaching and Research. Thanks to the advice and financial and administrative support of the TCCTR, Vogel and his class brought a series of distinguished speakers to Hartford in collaboration with the Connecticut Historical Society.  What’s more, they created and published copies of a 300-page annotated anthology and curriculum guide on the black press for local social studies teachers. Vogel calls the TCCTR “one of the best things about teaching at Trinity.”

Established in 1998 with funding from the Hewlett Foundation and an endowment from Tom Johnson, chair of the Board of Trustees, the TCCTR seeks to be “a resource to support intellectual activity,” according to its director, Associate Professor of International Studies Michael E. Niemann. In addition to supporting unique projects like Vogel’s, the TCCTR promotes interdisciplinary and collaborative work through a number of programs.  Through the center’s seminar series, visiting scholars, artists, and performers on the cutting edge of their fields give campus presentations of their work.  At the center’s “Brown Bags”—informal lunchtime gatherings—newer faculty members introduce their areas of research to colleagues and students.  Todd Vogel observes that the Brown Bags can be the catalyst that sets faculty members off in new directions for research and teaching. When he presented his research on the black press, a number of his colleagues immediately saw ways they could use the material to enhance courses they already teach. 

Reading groups—which include students, faculty members, and sometimes members of the Hartford community—have become one of the TCCTR’s most popular initiatives.  They’ve sprung up around such topics as queer theory, the individual and society, and globalization. The center supported 16 reading groups last semester, some of which will continue this term in addition to a whole new crop.

Promoting collaborative research              (Put cursor on photo for caption).
Like the reading groups, the TCCTR’s Fellows Program promotes exploration of particular themes, but the emphasis is on conducting concurrent research. Each fall, the center announces a topic for the spring term and invites faculty members to submit related research proposals. These faculty fellows then select undergraduates to participate as student fellows. Some students assist in the faculty fellows’ research, perhaps even co-authoring a paper to be delivered at an academic conference. Others pursue their own projects. The entire group meets regularly, with discussions grounded in a common reading list. Says Niemann, “The hope is that each individual research project will benefit from the ongoing conversation of the group.”

Patricia Thornton [left] was a fellow in the spring of 2000, when the topic was the culture and politics of dissent. She investigated the specific reasons why the Falun Gong movement is so objectionable to the Chinese government.  In the course of her investigation, she read major texts associated with the group and complemented her reading with interviews with local Falun Gong members. Thornton went on to organize a symposium—co-sponsored by the  Greenberg Center for Religion in Public Life—that included a representative from Human Rights Watch Asia and a local Falun Gong practitioner.  She also wrote and presented three conference papers, which will likely be published. Having earned a reputation among the media as a Falun Gong expert, she was interviewed by National Public Radio host Brian Williams for the “Talk of the Nation” show. 

So much research-related activity takes time, and Thornton says the course reduction benefit of being selected as a fellow is crucial.  As Michael Niemann notes, the TCCTR serves an important purpose in enabling junior faculty members to advance their scholarship and meet the requirements of promotion and tenure. Such activity, he adds, directly affects teaching on campus. Thornton concurs, attesting that the wide-ranging, interdisciplinary group discussions on dissent “enriched” her teaching in related courses. “It’s incredibly stimulating,” she says of the Fellows Program.

Benefits for students
Students in the Fellows Program find it equally exciting. In discussion groups, they have a chance to see their professors as students pursuing intellectual challenges. They also gain some insight into the scholarly life. Says Niemann, “To have students see the research process from the inside is very important.”

Samantha Lewins ’02, a history and comparative development studies major, was a participant in the reading group on globalization when Professor of International Studies Raymond W. Baker invited her to be a fellow for last spring’s “Knitting Us Together: Culture, Society, and Networks” theme. A native of Zimbabwe, Lewins says, “I was interested in it because it relates to my own life as an international student.”

Lewins particularly valued the meetings of the whole group. The faculty participants had more expert knowledge to contribute to discussions, she notes, but “were very conscientious about including students in what they were saying and taking their questions.”  The real treat, though, was having an interdisciplinary panel of faculty members whose brains were available for the picking.  Says Lewins, “Often, a student would ask a question and get multiple answers—and very often they would disagree with each other.” 

Limitless possibilities             (Put cursor on photo for caption).
Michael Niemann says that there is no limit on ways the TCCTR can promote intellectual life on campus. In the future, he says, the center will likely explore other models of reading groups, perhaps pedagogy groups and writing groups. This fall, the TCCTR—which over the summer moved to new space at 155 Allen Place—is launching a yearlong exploration of issues of scientific freedom and responsibility. Co-sponsored by the Human Rights Program and the Science Center, the events will begin with a panel discussion in the fall and include an ongoing film series and a major symposium of outside scholars in the spring. 

Christine Sommers ’02 notes that there are many ways for students to benefit from the TCCTR.  Last year, she was one of two students serving on the center’s advisory board. A new IDP transfer student and a math major, Sommers immediately saw the TCCTR as a way to meet faculty members beyond the math department and to become integrated into the intellectual community. Participating in the center has, she says, “made me aware that I’m interested in other things besides math. It has definitely enhanced my experiences as a student.”

–Leslie Virostek