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Rural Humanities is an Andrew W. Mellon supported initiative in public and engaged humanities that uses the tools of the humanities to critically approach, learn from, make visible, and support the realities of rural America, particularly in Central-Western New York: its histories, cultures, challenges, and futures.
Cornell faculty from any discipline to apply for up to $10,000 in support of public-facing research humanities projects and/or engaged community humanities initiatives on rural New York State issues.
Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students can also apply for Rural Humanities microgrants.
A trio of short films showing the pleasures – and perils – of rural life for LGBTQ+ people will show April 26 as part of the Rural Humanities Initiative in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Alexandre Saint-Sauveur is a junior at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York. This essay describes his transformative research internship with the Underground Railroad Research Project.
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PMA professor Austin Bunn wins Best LGBTQIA+ Short Award at CIFF47 for his short film "Campfire" developed with Rural Humanities faculty grant funding from the Mellon Foundation.
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This spring event, sponsored by Cornell's Rural Humanities Initiative, will feature three award-winning short films by writer/director Austin Bunn, Associate Professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts.
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Moving beyond rural environments as objects of study and fields of research in academic settings, the 2023 summer practicum will rely on ethical engagement with places, people, and practices that seek to transform Ithaca and its broader environs towards livable, equitable futures.
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2022 Exemplary Project Grant recipient Jessica Ness describes her experience delving into the history of the Seward family and their role in abolitionist politics.
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In an essay as part of the RH Pamphlet Collection, 2022 Exemplary Project Grant recipient Bushra Aumir describes her art installation, Resolute.
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Using a faculty grant from the Rural Humanities initiative, Shorna Allred (CALS) produced "The Stories Trees Have to Tell," a 30-page publication highlighting the stories of five Black owners of forestland in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.
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