The Humanities Forum

Functioning as a catalyst for critical thinking and cross-disciplinary exchange, the Humanities Forum amplifies the Liberal Arts division’s role in integrating the humanities with art and design education at RISD.

The Humanities Forum is a colloquium series that offers RISD faculty, staff, students and invited guests a platform for intellectual exchange across disciplines. This monthly series provides a dynamic space for scholars to present ongoing research, explore emerging ideas and engage in interdisciplinary dialogue.

Themes and topics

Through the Humanities Forum, we aim to explore an extensive range of themes that embody the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary humanities scholarship and its intersection with art and design. Each academic year, we strive to cover a balanced selection of these themes, ensuring a diverse and stimulating series of presentations. 

While specific topics will vary based on presenters’ expertise and current research, the forum will focus on the following overarching themes:

  • art and design history
  • cultural anthropology
  • cultural studies
  • digital humanities
  • environmental studies
  • area studies and studies of race and ethnicity
  • gender and sexuality studies
  • literature
  • philosophy
  • public humanities and education
  • social sciences
  • urban studies

Participate in the forum

The Humanities Forum convenes for five sessions during the academic year, concluding with a keynote speaker. During each session, a featured presenter will deliver a 20-30 minute presentation of their paper, followed by discussion.

Sessions are moderated to ensure productive and focused dialogue. Presenters may suggest a colleague to serve as a discussant, further enriching the conversation and providing additional perspectives. This structure helps promote in-depth engagement with the presented material, foster lively discussion and accommodate the different presentation styles and preferences of our diverse speakers.

Presentation guidelines

Presenters are requested to prepare a formal paper of approximately 3,000 to 4,500 words, corresponding to a 20-30 minute presentation. You are encouraged to accompany your presentation with an audiovisual component—such as slides, images or other relevant media. While in-progress work is welcome, all presentations should represent substantial, well-developed research or critical analysis.

To propose a presentation or express your interest in assisting with the organization of the Humanities Forum colloquium series, please complete the form below:

Submit the participation form

Humanities Forum coordinator

Molly Kelly — 2026–27 coordinator

Serving as this year’s coordinator is Molly Kelly, an assistant professor in History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences. 

Molly is an interdisciplinary philosopher whose research explores questions of place, politics and power within phenomenal experience. Specifically, she explores how experiences of sounding, listening and silence can provide philosophers and artists alike with rich resources for thinking through questions of oppression and conformity, as well as resistance and transformation.