The 2017 NEH Summer Institute, titled “CITY/NATURE: Urban Environmental Humanities,” is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, part of a supporting 290 humanities projects across the United States. The summer institute, administered through the 91̽»¨, was awarded a grant of $179,256 to fund the program.

The summer program for teachers “responds to the call for a broader and more inclusive approach” to the teaching of environmental studies, co-organizer , associate professor of landscape architecture, wrote in a statement. “Intended for college and university faculty, the institute will explore the emerging landscape of the urban environmental humanities as it informs scholarship and teaching.”

Though the program’s readings and discussions “will engage a range of global cities, the institute will use Seattle as an urban case study throughout.” About 25 college and university teachers will attend.

Organizing the program with Way are , associate professor of landscape architecture; and , associate professor of French and Italian studies. 91̽»¨faculty joining them as guest speakers will be , associate professor in the Jackson School and director of the ; , associate professor of architecture; , associate professor of history and , associate professor of classics. Other guest speakers will include David Pellow of the University of California, Santa Barbara, William Gleason of Princeton University, Laura Pulido of the University of Southern California and Stephanie LeMenager of the University of Oregon.

“Cities are our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity to steward the natural world,” Way said. “Humanists can help scientists and planners think about people, culture, and society in our understanding of the natural world, and scientists and planners can help humanists understand the role of the natural world in our global cultures.”

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For more information about the 2017 NEH Summer Institute, contact Way at 206-685-2523 or tway@uw.edu.

Though pioneers settled Seattle and make for colorful storytelling, they had mostly passed from the scene by the time the 20^th century drew near and the area started taking on the urban feel of a city, says 91̽»¨ historian John Findlay.

Seattle’s past — from its earliest years to the turn of the 21^st century — will be the topic of the Winter 2016 History Lecture Series, “.” The series, sponsored by the 91̽»¨Alumni Association, will run Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. from Jan. 13 to Feb 3 in Room 130 of Kane Hall. It will feature presentations by department faculty , , and .

“The pioneers get more than their share of attention, and often they are more or less permitted to tell their own story,” Findlay said. “But paradoxically, to my point of view, pioneers lived in Seattle during its least urban phase.”

Findlay, who speaks first, noted that much of Seattle’s growth came in waves, with population soaring from 1880 to 1910 — “shedding its pioneer remnants” — and again between 1940 and 1960 and as the 20^th century gave way to the 21^st.

“These phases of rapid growth I call pandemonium,” he said. “They are very hard for historians to capture, in part because the overall change and population turnover are so fast.”

• Taylor is a professor emeritus of history and creator of , the 13,000-page African-American history website. He will speak Jan. 20 on “The Peopling of Seattle: Race, Migration and Immigration.”
• Nash is an associate professor of history and director of the UW’s . She will speak Jan. 27 on “Putting People in Their Place: Seattle’s Environmental History.”
• Gregory is a professor of history and organizer of a growing set of digital resources called the . He will speak Feb. 3 on “Left Coast City: The History of a Political Reputation.”

Findlay said, “When going through phases of rapid growth, as we are right now, growth feels threatening and chaotic. Many identify scapegoats to blame — the Chinese during the 1880s, or Amazon.com today — without appreciating the broader picture.

“By contrast to pandemonium moments, pioneer days may seem like a haven of stability.”

Tickets to the 2016 History Lecture Series are available through the 91̽»¨Alumni Association.

• Also, panel discussion, “The Future of Seattle,” 7:30 p.m. Feb 10: What will the city look like in 20 years? As a complement to the History Lecture Series, the 91̽»¨Office of External Affairs and Alumni Association will present this discussion moderated by Enrique Cerna. Panelists will be labor leader David Rolf, education advocate Trish Millines Dziko, social benefit entrepreneur Ruby Love and sustainable development innovator Eric Carlson. The discussion will be held in Room 130 of Kane Hall. Free but separate is required.

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For more information about the 2016 History Lecture Series speakers and their work, contact Findlay at 206-543-2573 or jfindlay@uw.edu; Nash at 206-616-7176 or lnash@uw.edu; Taylor at 206-543-5698 or qtaylor@uw.edu; or Gregory at 206-543-7752 or gregoryj@uw.edu.