Global Humanities Institute
The Global Humanities Institute works to have a major impact on the teaching and learning
of the humanities at Montgomery College.
In addition to our work with faculty fellows, campus events and support of faculty scholarship, we also aim to create new courses, to modify existing courses, and to create learning communities that adopt a global perspective.
We strongly believe that adopting a broadly humanistic and global perspective on the issues that confront our world today is an important means of preparing students and faculty for a complex and intricate future, with issues, concerns and opportunities that are unprecedented. We know that in order to address the needs of our societies and communities in the future, we will need a deep understanding of our global interconnectedness. The interdisciplinary work of the global humanities makes possible this deeper understanding, putting a premium on people’s lives and the ways that mutual appreciation of cultural differences and similarities shape our realities.
Leadership
Email: cinder.cooper@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-3881
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, Pavilion 3 (P3) 124
Biography
Global Humanities Institute director Cinder Barnes teaches credit level English at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. She earned degrees in English at the University of South Carolina and Northern Illinois University. Prior to becoming director of the Global Humanities Institute (GHI), Professor Barnes served as college level English Coordinator at the Takoma Park Silver Spring campus and as an Honors Faculty Fellow, and is currently a faculty member in the Renaissance Honors Program.
In addition, Professor Barnes is an active participant in various other MC initiatives, work groups, and committees. She has served as co-chair of the General Education Standing Committee and has been a member of the College Area Review Committee, and the General Studies Humanities Arts Communication and Literature Core Committee.
Professor Barnes vast involvement in global education and in the Global Humanities institute includes being a Learning Community Fellowship alum, a Macau Millennial College Teaching Fellow; India Seminar Abroad fellow, Senegal Faculty Fellow, and participant in, and facilitator of, the Globalization Reading Group. These experiences give her an understanding and first-hand appreciation of the important work of the institute. Professor Barnes has also presented at national and regional conferences including Two-Year College Association (TYCA), College English Association (CEA), College Composition and Communication Conference (CCCCs), Community College Humanities Association (CCHA) and spearheaded regional global education conferences at Montgomery College.
As director of the Global Humanities Institute, Professor Barnes also serves as one of Montgomery College’s Fulbright liaisons and helps sustain and cultivate partnerships with various government agencies, organizations and other institutions of higher learning including various community colleges in the region, the Department of State, the Department of Education, Council of American Oversees Research Centers, Howard University, and various universities in several countries including El Salvador, India, and China.
Professor Barnes has been awarded a National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award, MC’s Outstanding Faculty Service Award, and a Montgomery College Innovation Grant. Her commitment to foster in herself and her students an understanding of our place in a global context is demonstrated in the work that she has done thus far. Leading the Institute allows her to share her enthusiasm and knowledge with the larger college community.
- Gloria Barron, ELITE, GHI Website and IT Projects Support
- Xiaosheng Bi, China Partnerships Liaison
- Marcia Bronstein, Global Humanities Learning Communities, Humanities Days, STEAM
- Amy Gumaer, College Grants Manager; GHUM101 committee
- Jamie Gillan, Global Humanities Networking Student Breakfast Annual Event
- Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills, Lead, El Salvador Programs
- Jennifer Hatleberg, Libraries, Global Humanities Resources
- Dan Jenkins, Lead, GHI Sabbaticals Abroad
- Shelley Jones, Humanities Days, Global Classrooms Lead, GHI Events Support
- Jill Kronstadt, STEAM, Humanities Days
- Angela Lanier, ELITE, Instructional Design Support and ELITE liaison
- Greg Malveaux, Study Abroad
- Amanda Miller, STEAM; Art liaison
- Carol Moore, Lead, STEAM, “Introduction to Global Humanities,” Lead, GHI Professional Development
- James Murray, ELAP and Ethiopia Initiatives; GHI Faculty Summer Research Grants
- Joan Naake, Global Humanities Networking Student Breakfast Annual Event; Course Lead, “Introduction to Global Humanities”
- Carla Naranjo, Lead, Global Classrooms
- Nancy Nyland, STEAM Librarian
- Eniola Olowofoyeku, General Support; International and Multicultural Center, TPSS
- Emily Rosado, International Partnerships
- Pat Ruppert, Lead--Global Humanities Networking Student Breakfast Annual Event; “Introduction to Global Humanities;” Lead, GHI Global Justice Scholarship
- Alessandra Sagasti, STEAM; STEM liaison
- Heather Satrom, Humanities Days, GHI scholarship support
- Leah Sneider, Women's Studies Liaison
- Nik Sushka, Global Service Learning
- Deborah Taylor, Lead, “Introduction to Global Humanities”
- Marlon Vallejo, Student and Faculty Exchanges
- Greg Wahl, English, “Introduction to Global Humanities” Lead, GHI Global Justice Fund
The creation of the Global Humanities Institute’s core programs was accomplished between the years of 2012—2014 by the following original members of the GHI Workgroup:
- Rita Kranidis, Director
- Marcia Bronstein: Lead, Global Humanities Learning Communities Fellowship
- Sharyn Neuwirth: Lead, Global Humanities Stand-Alone Course Fellowship [retired]
- Gregory Wahl: Lead, Global Humanities Stand-Alone Course Fellowship
- Laura White: Multicultural and Diversity Training Specialist
- Carol Moore: Instructional Designer and Lead with creation of Fellowships
- Brenda Braham: Librarian assigned to the GHI. Resources support and procurement of MANGO Languages [retired]
- Shelley Jones: Service Learning Specialist, support of GHI faculty fellowships.
- Maisha Duncan, Librarian assigned to the GHI. Maisha holds a BA in History and a Masters of Library Science from the University of Maryland. She is currently employed by the University of Delaware.
The National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is the main contributor to humanities programs nationally and the largest supporter of the humanities in the world. Through the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “Bridging Cultures” initiative for community colleges, the GHI continues to imbue our humanities courses and other offerings with a strong focus on global issues.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created
in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.
(Read "What We Do" from NEH (PDF, 
) .)
Because democracy demands wisdom, NEH serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by awarding grants for top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers.
NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars. The grants:
- strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges
- facilitate research and original scholarship
- provide opportunities for lifelong learning
- preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources
- strengthen the institutional base of the humanities
"The term 'humanities' includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life."
—National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, 1965, as amended.
An excerpt describing the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Bridging Cultures initiative, which funds the Global Humanities Institute at Montgomery College:
“During a time of rapid global change, the vitality of our twenty-first century democracy depends on a commitment to understanding the historical and cultural forces that have shaped and continue to shape our world. To that end, NEH has developed a special initiative, Bridging Cultures, which engages the power of the humanities to promote understanding and mutual respect for people with diverse histories, cultures, and perspectives within the United States and abroad.
The Bridging Cultures initiative encompasses a broad array of themes and programming informed by the best in humanities research and scholarly insight. Chairman Leach has noted, “The sharing of language, philosophy, literature, and art – the history of peoples – is the most profound bridge between societies and across cultures.”
Further information about the NEH is available on the National Endowment for the Humanities Websitenew window.
