MUSE Humanities Newsletter Volume 13
Message from the Head of the Division
Dear friends of the Humanities,
I am delighted to succeed Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow as Humanities Division Head. Among Ann’s numerous accomplishments was the creation of this newsletter, MUSE, for everyone involved with the Humanities at Brandeis on topics both heady and hamish.
During my tenure as Division Head, I hope to further connections across Humanities departments and programs and to involve students in the research being pursued by our faculty at the frontiers of humanities scholarship. In addition to working with the Mandel Center for the Humanities to create new opportunities for students and faculty, I will be working with Admissions to recruit promising students with interests in the Humanities and also with Alumni Relations to help our students imagine trajectories after Brandeis.
I will aim to keep these semi-annual newsletters brief. Please check the Division homepage regularly for updates, announcements, and opportunities. In this edition, I simply wish to extend a belated welcome to 2021-2022 humanities faculty and to highlight a few recent publications and grants as well as the exciting roster of new courses added to our offerings. Given that the effects of the pandemic have been profound across the academy, I am proud that Humanities remains an imaginative and robust area at Brandeis.
Jonathan Decter
Humanities Division Head
Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies
Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
Brandeis University