University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

July 20, 2001

Contact: Anne Dybek (312) 996-8279; adybek@uic.edu

UIC LAUNCHES HUMANITIES LABORATORY

The University of Illinois at Chicago opens its doors this summer to a new humanities laboratory that will facilitate interdisciplinary research and teaching of the humanities. Sander Gilman, UIC Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a professor in the College of Medicine, is the creator and the director of the laboratory.

Gilman says that the laboratory reflects a vibrant and growing interest in emphasizing the humanist approach in all facets of learning.

"The Humanities Laboratory is a brand new idea and undertaking to promote collaborative and innovative work in the humanities," Gilman said. "It will be the home for research and teaching across the disciplines."

Humanities interests range from inquiries into culture to the teaching of languages, literature and philosophy, and from the development of communication models to the reconstruction of history.

"I find the potential of helping shape scholarship in the humanities, natural and social sciences and medicine an exciting proposition," Gilman said. "UIC will begin to take the lead in innovative scholarship across and within disciplines. The lab will help foster existing projects and develop new ones in collaborative scholarship made available to every aspect of the new global community."

Gilman, a noted cultural and literacy scholar, is known internationally for his work in a wide range of disciplines including literature, medicine, philosophy, sociology, Jewish studies, German studies and film studies. He has written, coauthored and edited more than 60 books.

Gilman says that he hopes the laboratory will find new models for the way knowledge is produced and presented in the humanities.

"In short," said Gilman, "the goal for the Humanities Laboratory is to develop the human capital for the next generation of humanities scholars."

- UIC -