From sound to fury, UAH Humanities Week 2026 signifies an exploration of everything

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (FEB 16, 2026) – A podcast duo invites us to rethink the world through our ears instead of our eyes. An acclaimed scholar explores an American literary icon's journey to the righteous fury of civil rights activism. And humanities researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) share the varied ways they examine people and cultures across time.

Humanities Week 2026 offers this broad showcase of ideas and discoveries by guest and resident researchers Monday through Thursday, Feb. 23-26, in Morton Hall on the campus of UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System. Events are open to the UAH community and the general public free of charge.

If you've ever wondered what humanities researchers do, this week will give you a glimpse, says Dr. Joseph Taylor, Humanities Center director and associate professor, UAH Department of English.

"The idea is to show students some of the things that our researchers do in the humanities, and the opportunities our students may have if they're interested in that kind of work, going to different places, studying different cultures domestically and abroad, learning different languages, working with different texts and materials, deeply analyzing the past as well as the present to inform ourselves about possible futures."

Learning through sound

Award-winning journalists and podcasters Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett will bring their podcast series "The World According to Sound: Ways of Knowing" to UAH for three programs on Feb. 23:

A talk on "Cosmic Visions: Intersections of the Humanities and Astronomy," 1 p.m., Morton 292.

A student workshop on podcasting, 4 p.m., Morton 292. Walk-ins are welcome, but please RSVP if possible on the event link to allow for better planning.

Their interactive show, "Ways of Knowing: A Sonic Celebration of the Humanities," 6-7:30 p.m., Morton 292. Attendees are asked to reserve a spot through the event link.

"Ways of Knowing" puts the audience in total darkness, surrounded by loudspeakers, for an hour-long sonic trip that will include the vibrations of the Golden Gate Bridge, footsteps of ants, and the sounds of 1930s Berlin and the Earth's ionosphere. The podcasters promise "ideas, essays, books, theories, contemporary research, all translated into soundscapes that challenge you to rethink the world through your ears."

Before collaborating on their podcast, Hoff was an audio engineer for public radio and podcasts, and Harnett was a reporter covering labor and technology. "The World According to Sound" was born out of their desire to create "a show that is all about sound instead of language and narrative." They developed their "Ways of Knowing" series in partnership with such academic institutions as Johns Hopkins University, The University of Chicago and The University of Washington.

James Baldwin's fury

American writer James Baldwin had been writing about race relations in the United States long before the bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963, but that horrific day transformed his level of activism. Acclaimed Baldwin scholar Dr. Ed Pavlić will discuss Baldwin's works in the context of his trips to the Deep South in the 1950s and 1960s on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in Morton 145.

Pavlić, an award-winning writer in his own right, is the Distinguished Research Professor of English, African American Studies, and Creative Writing at the University of Georgia. His lecture at UAH, "James Baldwin: A Radical Pursuit," honors February as Black History Month on the UAH campus and is the finale of Humanities Week. Reserve free seats at the event link.

Everything else

In between these programs, Humanities Week will feature several talks by UAH faculty members about their areas of research plus a College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHS) career presentation and a screening of the film "The Shawshank Redemption":

Dr. Nicholaos Jones, chair of the Department of Philosophy and professor of philosophy, "Attending to Interdependence in Chinese Buddhism" from his new book, Monday, 11:20 a.m., Morton 147

Dr. Nicole Pacino, director of Interdisciplinary Studies, coordinator of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and associate professor of History, "The Case of Isabel Kelly: A Cultural Anthropologist Through an Historical Lens," Tuesday, 11:20 a.m., Morton 292.

Dr. Lillian Joyce, associate professor of Art History, "Clytemnestra and the Furies: Women, Revenge, and the Revealed Breast on Roman Sarcophagi," Tuesday, 1 p.m., Morton 293

Dr. Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, UAH Humanities Eminent Scholar Chair, "Transdisciplinary Experiments," based on his new book, Wednesday, 12:30-1:30 p.m. This kicks off the launch party for Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHS).

Nicole McDavid, college internship and career coordinator, hosts the CAHS Career Roundtable, Wednesday, 3-5 p.m., Morton 294.

Screening of "The Shawshank Redemption," followed by commentary from Dr. Eric Smith, professor of English, based on his forthcoming book, "Figuring the Contemporary in U.S. Popular Cinema, 1967-2022," Wednesday, 6 p.m., Morton 145.

Dr. Alanna Frost, associate professor of English, "In Order to 'Say What We Say': Archival Protocol that Attends to Indigenous Data Sovereignty," Thursday, 11:20 a.m., Morton 293.

For more information on the UAH Humanities Center and Humanities Week 2026, visit the UAH website.