2017 Student Research Fellows Announced

SC Humanities is pleased to announce that two Student Research Fellows have been selected for 2017: Elizabeth Matthews of the University of South Carolina and Caleb Wesley Southern of Southern Wesleyan University. Student Research Fellowships are awarded annually on a competitive basis to undergraduate students in their sophomore or junior years attending an accredited university or college in South Carolina to explore research and scholarship in the humanities. The 2017 fellows will conduct humanities research and present their findings in a public program at a South Carolina venue.

Elizabeth Matthews’ project on “Short Stories and Self-Documentation: A Critical Look at F. Scott Fitzgerald” will include research on the recently-rediscovered F. Scott Fitzgerald short story “Temperature,” which she will compare to his personal life using biographical materials from the University of South Carolina’s Hollings Library and Princeton’s Firestone Library.

Caleb Southern will investigate “Rival Team: The Leadership of Jefferson Davis in the Confederate Executive Cabinet” under the guidance of scholar Dr. Kenneth Myers. Mr. Southern’s working thesis for his project is: “Due to his managerial weakness, poor political selections, and personal shortcomings, Jefferson Davis was unable to manage the men of his cabinet to create a team that could successfully prosecute a war and run a government.” He will travel to historic sites and libraries across the South to examine letters and other primary documents related to the Confederate government.

 

SC Humanities Board of Directors made the decision to begin offering Student Research Fellowships again in 2013 after receiving feedback from deans and professors who attended the Humanities in Higher Education Summits in 2009 and 2011. These academic humanists indicated that there were not many research opportunities available for students majoring in humanities disciplines and that such an opportunity would be encouraging in departments that are often losing funding and majors.

Executive Director Randy Akers said: “I believe it is important to support the work of future scholars and professionals in the humanities and to further stress the viability of the humanities in an increasingly technological age.”

SC Humanities looks forward to supporting Ms. Matthews and Mr. Southern in their excellent research plans. For more information about the Student Research Fellowships, including guidelines and application, please visit the website: https://schumanities.org/grants/studentfellowships/ or contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 or tjwallace@schumanities.org.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 23-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.  It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.