This spring's Civic Humanist Program offered a total of 8 events featuring topics about the Medical Humanities and Cultural Heritage. These events included three campus field trips and five off-campus lectures for local Houston high school students.
The Civic Humanist Program launched its 2017 Medical Humanities and Cultural Heritage events this fall, delivering a total of 10 events, which included: five campus field trips and five off-campus lectures for local Houston high school groups.
The Civic Humanist Program kicked off its 2016 Cultural Heritage fall initiative, which proved to be an exciting semester of learning and insights for everyone involved. Fellow Mark DeYoung, a PhD student in the Department of Religion, teamed up with local Houston artist Robert Hodge to give a series of five events for Houston high school student groups, including: three dynamic field trips at Rice University campus and two lectures at Yates High School and the High School for Performing & Visual Arts (PVA) respectively.
The Civic Humanist Program launched a successful 2016 Medical Humanities event series this fall, hosting three field trips for local Houston high schools at Rice and one lecture at Sharpstown High School.
On November 16, HRC team members welcomed DeBakey High School to Rice for the school's first ever Civic Humanist field trip to campus. The theme of the event was on the Medical Humanities, where we explored the history of Houston's medical practices, and how laboratory methods and specialized medical knowledge circulate in contemporary culture and have impact on the human community.
On a beautiful sunny autumn day, a cohort of students from Scarborough High School came to Rice for the HRC’s sixth Civic Humanists field trip of the 2015 fall semester at Rice. It was a wonderful occasion for Scarborough students and HRC fellows alike! The trip started off with a warm welcome fom Amanda Focke to Fondren Library, followed by another informative and stimulating talk by HRC Fellow Jessica Davenport and local artist Whitney Sparks in Fondren’s Collaboration Space.
Alief Elsik High School brought a group of students to visit Rice on November 9, 2015 for the HRC’s Civic Humanists program. Civic Humanist fellow and Rice PhD candidate Jessica Davenport and brilliantly talented, local artist Whitney Sparks teamed up to give a vibrantly meaningful lecture on the intersections of art, culture, social justice, and public life in contemporary society. The group of girls from Alief Elsik were very reflective, discerning and warmly engaged in the overall field trip experience.
What an extraordinary time it was hosting Strake Jesuit College Preparatory HS for a visit to Rice on November 5. This was the first Civic Humanist field trip to host a private school since the program’s inception and we couldn't be happier with the results. Strake's Director of College Counseling Jamy Champenoy along with chaperons Nancy Rodriguez and James Saltzman arrived with thirty college-bound students, all dressed nicely wearing ties and button-up shirts (see picture below!).
Sharpstown High School recently brought a group of students to Rice for our Civic Humanist field trip focused on Public Heritage on Wednesday November 4th. Civic Humanist fellow Jessica Davenport and local Houston artist Whitney Sparks together gave a vibrant lecture on art, public culture, rhetoric and creative social engagement in civic life. This was followed by a tour of some of Rice’s campus art, exploring the nature of cultural identity, place, space, and architectural design in constructions of public art.
The HRC's Civic Humanist team took a trip to the High School for Performing and Visual Arts (PVA for short) on Wednesday, October 14. PVA hosted Fellow Jessica Davenport and local artist and former PVA student Whitney Sparks.