Welcome to a new academic year at the Wolf Humanities Center at the University of Pennsylvania. An innovative research center striving to demonstrate how vital the humanities are to all aspects of our lives, the Center supports an annual theme-based fellowship program, together with a series of public events and a variety of research related activities for members of the Penn academic community. With these and other efforts such as our Humanities at Large collaborations, we invite people of all ages and places to join us in a humanistic exploration of the most important issues of our time.

This year, our theme is Migration, led by topic director Dagmawi Woubshet, Ahuja Family Presidential Associate Professor of English. In addition to our weekly seminar for Center Fellows, we have a rich and exciting program of public events. Details of these activities can be found on our web calendar.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Center staff – Sara Varney, Dru Baker and Sarah Milinski – for all the hard work they put in to make our programs a success. We are all grateful to Dr. David Spafford for continuing in the role of Faculty Director of the Undergraduate Humanities Forum. I would also like to offer my warmest thanks to the outgoing Director, Karen Redrobe, Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Professor in Film Studies, who made many innovative and welcome additions to the Wolf Center's activities and mandate. She and the Center staff have been heroic in continuing important and engaging activities during a year when university life was entirely online.  Now that we are hoping for some normalcy in campus activities, I and the Center staff look forward to an exciting year with all our fellows, speakers, and supporters! 

Wishing everyone health and happiness,
Jamal J. Elias, Director, Wolf Humanities Center