Reading, writing, and teaching the rust belt: CO-creating regional humanities ecosystems [this summer institute for higher education faculty centers on interrogating, defining, teaching, and…

Reading, writing, and teaching the rust belt: CO-creating regional humanities ecosystems [this summer institute for higher education faculty centers on interrogating, defining, teaching, and crafting the story of the rust belt region in which we live and teach from the inside out. For too long, the narrative of the rust belt has been one of emptiness, decay, decline, and vacancy?and often, our stories are neglected in the national sphere or controlled by cultural outsiders. This seminar would emphasize the power of regionally-based storytelling and the importance of uplifting local voices. Together, the faculty working group would think collectively about what IT means to read, teach, and think from a rooted positionality. How do we leverage civically and publicly engaged humanities practices to equip our students to shape the future of the rust belt, identify and contribute to social solutions, and to reimagine the role of the humanities within this sphere? How do we read, interpret, and create the texts that define and map our regional experience?]