Voices of Excellence

David Brewer, Associate Professor in the Department of English, talks about his research on 18th-century literary culture, the history of the book, and the fantastical and historical functions of magic. He discusses his upcoming book project The Fate of Authors, which challenges conventional literary-historical narratives and emphasizes the impact of reputation on authors in the 18th century. He also speaks on several classes he’s taught, including a book history class that ended with students researching and curating texts from the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library here at Ohio State.

Dr. Joyce Chen, Professor of Economics in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University, discusses her research and teaching at the intersection of economics and societal contexts. She highlights how she integrates a feminist and humanistic approach to economics, developing courses such as “Data Feminism”, which teaches students to apply new ways of thinking to data analysis. The conversation also touches on Dr. Chen’s research on climate-induced migration in Bangladesh, as well as her focus on aiding communities and non-profits through research insights.

Harriet Fertik, Associate Professor in the Department of Classics, discusses her research in classical reception, as well as her focus on literature and political thought in the early Roman empire. She speaks on her most recent project, Traditions Lost and Found: W. E. B. Du Bois, Hannah Arendt, and Classical Antiquity, which explores the intersections of these two thinkers and their uses of classical antiquity in their respective works. Fertik also talks about her involvement with the group Eos, a society dedicated to Africana receptions of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the Ohio State Humanities Institute working group “Metaphors of Reception, Reception as Metaphor”.