A few weeks ago, I was strolling through the first floor of the Science Building, glancing at the display cases lining the walls. Dozens of students smiled back at me, proudly adorning descriptions of research projects, travel opportunities and community initiatives. I exited the building, made my way up the paths and entered Hiemenga Hall. The stark difference hit me like a truck. The third-floor walls of Hiemenga Hall are largely bare and whitewashed, their only ornamentation a few art pieces and plaques. What bothered me most, however, was the lack of student presence on the walls.
Where are the displays of arts, humanities and social science research?
From the outside, you’d never know that rigorous, inquisitive, insightful and paid student research is happening in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). But it is.
The Civitas Lab in the Paul B. Henry Institute. The McGregor Summer Fellowship Program. The Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. These are all Calvin-based sources of funding for work in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Research projects are baked into the very foundations of history, politics and religion courses. Every day, students of HASS are undertaking exciting internships, traveling the world, working closely with Grand Rapids community entities, assisting with faculty publications and working on projects that have real impact on intellectual communities and everyday life. I believe that work deserves physical representation on Calvin’s campus.
I want to understand the deeply compassionate work undertaken by Kate Wilmot last summer under the supervision of Professor Kristine Johnson of the English department, where the identities of third-culture kids were explored through the medium of creative writing. I hope to learn more about the work Grace Lunger is doing to help produce the Henry Conversations Podcast with Professor Micah Watson in the Politics and Economics department. I’d love to see featured profiles of the current Hudson-Townsend Student Fellows appointed each year by the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing.
In contrast to scientific research, work in the arts, humanities and social sciences is often more diverse, more accessible and more reflective. There is diversity within scientific projects, and the extensive facilities and equipment Calvin has dedicated to various scientific disciplines certainly caters to each field of scientific inquiry. However, the school of HASS combines three radically different categories of academia into one, meaning that its research work is extremely varied in scope, intent, technique and methodology. As much as I’m impressed by the level of technical detail in scientific research exhibits, the results are not easily understandable to the average viewer. I’m sure the formulas and graphs mean something cool, but to me, they are gibberish. HASS projects are much more understandable to a non-HASS observer, using terms and ideas easily identified in daily life. Science research seeks a single answer, a solution, a new discovery. HASS research is often open-ended, resulting in questions without clear answers, with the only goal to stimulate thoughtfulness in the reader. Sometimes research translates to tangible outcomes, especially in the social sciences, but more often it is knowledge for the sake of knowledge.
With all this in mind, adding physical displays of HASS student work presents unique challenges and wonderful rewards. If we’re going to do this, it needs to be done well. One question is how to best display HASS work. While scientific projects can typically be distilled into a poster, research in the arts, humanities and social sciences often isn’t so easily exhibited. Either the ideas are too convoluted, the portfolios too large or the work too cerebral. I don’t have the answer for how HASS student work can be creatively and effectively displayed, but innovation and dialogue are certainly required. Displays would also require long-term investment. As in the sciences, new projects emerge all the time in the school of HASS, and the displays would need to be routinely updated to mirror changes. Aesthetic considerations are a third hurdle. Unlike the Science Building, Hiemenga Hall revolves around unadorned symmetry, crisp corners and direct pathways; therefore, careful consideration is necessary for any visual displays that would interrupt an otherwise plain thoroughfare.
Despite the challenges, the rewards of such investment are numerous. First, prospective students would see and acknowledge the existence of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences at Calvin. Second, current students would see and appreciate the creativity and hard work of their peers on truly unique projects. Third, the goal of raising the profile of HASS research to match the reputation of science research at Calvin would be furthered. Fourth, students and professors alike would be made aware of opportunities to pursue their own passions and ideas through the various research pathways at Calvin.
My conviction about this issue is partly driven by a desire for fairness. However, it also stems from the belief that Calvin is made better by the difficult questions, tenacious and meticulous work and thoughtful questions spawned by research in the arts, humanities and social sciences. In an era of university history when funding and resources increasingly migrate to the scientific and professional fields, this could be a powerful way to recognize the complex and beautiful entity that is the school of HASS and all who work under its guardianship.