Each semester, the institute hosts a variety of humanities events for faculty, students, staff, and the public, occurring both on the university campus in and in the wider community. To stay in the loop about our events, including the ones described below, please sign up for our newsletter.
The institute’s marquee lecture is the Sandeen Lecture in the Humanities, named for the institute’s founding director, Dr. Eric Sandeen. Each year, fellows in the Humanities Research Group vote to decide who among them will deliver this annual faculty lecture. The process shows that the winner has the respect of their peers and that their work showcases some of the finest humanities research on campus. The Sandeen Lecture occurs every December on the Monday before finals week. The series began in 2019 and has included the following lectures:
2019: Rachel Sailor, "The Broad Movement: Pictorial Photography in the American West, 1900-1950"
2020: Caskey Russell, “‘Then Fight For It’: The History of Alaskan Native Civil Rights"
2021: Tracey Owens Patton, “Womb Wars: Mixed Race Children and Whiteness in the Post-Nazi Era”
2022: Breezy Taggart, “Reclaiming Mental Health Representations through Contemporary Art”
2023: Kayla Burd, “The Plight and Peril of Children in Wyoming’s Juvenile System: A Legal, Historical, and Psychological Analysis”
2024: Allison Caine, "The Herder's Laboratory: Indigenous Climate Science in the Peruvian Andes." More information about this year's lecture.
Check out some of these lectures on this YouTube playlist:
Along with celebrating top-notch humanities research on campus, the institute also hosts speakers from outside the university to speak about important and timely humanities topics. These distinguished lecturers are chosen by the institute’s program committee based on the quality of their scholarly and creative work and their abilities to communicate that work to a broad and diverse public. When these lectures are held, the institute purchases copies of the lecturer's books and distributes them free of charge.
Recent distinguished lectures have included:
Eric Hayot, "How to Think Like a Humanist, and Why"
Nicholas Kristof, "Rebuilding the American Dream"
Danielle Allen on the urgency of thinking about democracy
Angela Davis on capitalism, racism, and social justice
Red Pine, "China’s Hermit Tradition: The Importance of Solitude"
Jefferson Cowie on Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power
The Democracy Lab program culminates in a one-day public symposium in which participants present their research on issues related to the quality of democracy in the state, the nation, and the world. The 2023 and 2024 events have occurred at Albany County Public Library in April.
Check out this YouTube playlist to see presentations, keynotes, and discussions from both symposia:
Since 2020, the institute has regularly hosted a Silent Book Club. Unlike other book clubs where everyone reads the same text, participants bring a book of their choice and read together as a community. Read more about the program and the many clubs across the world.
For Fall 2024, the institute has partnered with Albany County Public Library to continue the Silent Book Club. Meetings take place at the Laramie branch of ACPL from 5-6pm on the third Tuesday of every month: September 17, October 15, November 19, and December 17. Check out ACPL's calendar of events for more information about this event and many others.
The institute regularly hosts other events, such as events on scholarly publishing and public humanities talks like our Think & Drink series:
We also hope to help the humanities flourish across campus, the community, and the state. If your department or organization would like to request funds to support an event, please review the application for co-sponsorship awards.