#  Undergraduate Scholars Initiative 

 



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   ![students leaning over to see an image revealed](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/740x400_usi.jpg?itok=Mf43Q_-z) 

 

The USI is a new program for sophomore students that engages with the foundational structures and skills of the humanities, with a focus on social justice, civics, and the human experience. Students who participate in the program complete a two-course sequence, during which they engage with the research program of the Intergenerational Humanities Project.

The two unique courses that make up the program are designed to deepen the study of the humanities for students from any concentration. Students who complete the required two-course sequence for the USI will earn the distinction of being named Mahindra Scholars.

## Courses

### [HUMAN 90: Making It: Mahindra Scholars Seminar](https://courses.my.harvard.edu/psp/courses/EMPLOYEE/EMPL/h/?tab=HU_CLASS_SEARCH&SearchReqJSON=%7B%22ExcludeBracketed%22:true,%22SaveRecent%22:true,%22Facets%22:%5B%5D,%22PageNumber%22:1,%22SortOrder%22:%5B%22SCORE%22%5D,%22TopN%22:%22%22,%22PageSize%22:%22%22,%22SearchText%22:%22216637%22%7D)

This course is focused on the habits of thought that critical interpretation requires. This course will be taught in Fall 2021 by Robin Kelsey, Shirley Carter Burden Professor of Photography and Dean of Arts & Humanities, and Jennifer L. Roberts, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Professor of the Humanities.

### [HUMAN 93: Place and Planet: Mahindra Scholars Lab](https://locator.tlt.harvard.edu/course/colgsas-219725/2021/spring/21678)

This course will be offered in Spring 2022 and connect enrolled undergraduates to the I-HUM theme of "Place and Planet" with a unique capstone project. It will be taught by the I-HUM faculty leaders Sarah Dimick, assistant professor of English, and Joyce Chaplin, James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History and an affiliate of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design.

## Apply to USI

To apply to become a member of the Undergraduate Scholars Initiative, students must apply for and enroll in [HUMAN 90: Making It: Mahindra Scholars Seminar](https://courses.my.harvard.edu/psp/courses/EMPLOYEE/EMPL/h/?tab=HU_CLASS_SEARCH&SearchReqJSON=%7B%22ExcludeBracketed%22:true,%22SaveRecent%22:true,%22Facets%22:%5B%5D,%22PageNumber%22:1,%22SortOrder%22:%5B%22SCORE%22%5D,%22TopN%22:%22%22,%22PageSize%22:%22%22,%22SearchText%22:%22216637%22%7D).



 

##  Faculty Profiles 

 



  [### Bruno Carvalho

 ](/people/bruno-carvalho-0)Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and African and African American Studies

Affiliated Professor in Urban Planning and Design at the Graduate School of Design

 

 

 

      ![Bruno Carvalho](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/carvalho_img_4962_1.jpg?itok=PZBT1MbW) 

 

 

 

   [### Joyce Chaplin

 ](/people/joyce-chaplin)James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History

 

 

 

      ![Joyce Chaplin](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/032911_chaplin_joyce_067_6051.jpeg?itok=8pwAjEXC) 

 

 

 

   [### Sarah Dimick

 ](/people/sarah-dimick-0)Assistant Professor of English

 

 

 

      ![Sarah Dimick](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/dimick_headshot-3.jpg?itok=BghB05Y0) 

 

 

 

   [### Robin Kelsey

 ](/people/robin-kelsey-0)Dean of Arts and Humanities

Shirley Carter Burden Professor of Photography

 

 

 

      ![Headshot of Dean Robin Kelsey](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/kelsey_portrait_for_website_0.jpeg?itok=QSb-lKwg) 

 

 

 

   [### Tiya Miles

 ](/people/tiya-miles)Professor of History

Radcliffe Alumnae Professor

Director of the Charles Warren Center

 

 

 

      ![Tiya Miles](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/tiya-miles-6-min-683x1024.jpeg?itok=qjlDp8Zb) 

 

 

 

   [### Jennifer L. Roberts

 ](/people/jennifer-l-roberts)Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Professor of the Humanities

 

 

 

      ![Jennifer Roberts](/sites/g/files/omnuum5011/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/mahindra-ihum-usi/files/bwroberts_small_headshot_2021.jpg?itok=AJfXuJSW)