Institute for the Study of Culture & Society Newsletter

ICS 30-Year Anniversary

ICS is turning 30! The 30th Anniversary celebration is scheduled for October 13, 2026.

Theme: Data Centers, Community, and Sustainability in Northwest Ohio

This milestone event will feature public panels, community conversations, a town hall meeting, and a podium discussion with photographer Stephen Voss, whose work documents landscapes and communities shaped by industrial change. The event will bring together scholars, students, artists, and community members to discuss topics such as AI and digital infrastructure, energy use, sustainability and public health, AI in the arts, and the impact of data centers on communities in Northwest Ohio.

Do you want to get involved? Email us at: ics@bgsu.edu  
Stay tuned for more details.

Curious about the history of ICS over the past 30 years? Explore our Digital Collection documenting past events and programs. 

Public Talks 2025 - 2026 

ICS hosts public talks by faculty fellows that share the knowledge they have gained across a semester of research. These talks take place in public locations across Northwest Ohio to foster dialogue with the broader community beyond academia.

ICS Faculty Fellows Spring 2026

Rebecca Mancuso 
Title: “How Many Times Can You Learn That Lesson?” A History of Hazing at an Ohio Public University, 1920–2000 
Date: March 19, 2026 
Time: 6:30–8:00 p.m. 
Location: Wood County Public Library, Downtown Bowling Green

Watch the talk here: Link

Rebecca Kinney 
Title: At Home in the Heartland: Korean American Adoptees Reflect on Midwestern Roots 
Date: March 26, 2026 
Time: 6:30–8:00 p.m. 
Location: Way Public Library, Downtown Perrysburg

ICS Faculty Fellows Fall 2025

Rachel Walsh 
Title: Backlash Blues: Reading Multiethnic Literature for Archives of Care and Resistance in the Face of Dead Futures 
Date: October 29, 2025 
Location: Grounds for Thought, Bowling Green

Clayton Rosati 
Title: Server Farming: Community Sustainability and Infrastructures of the Machine Learning Age 
Date: November 18, 2024 
Location: Wood County District Public Library, Downtown Bowling Green

In case you missed it, you can watch the talk here: Link

Meet Our Faculty Fellows for 2026–2027

We are thrilled to introduce our ICS Faculty Fellows for the 2026–2027 academic year. Each fellow will lead a research project for one semester with significant public-facing components that benefit the community and enhance the learning experience for students at BGSU.

The ICS Faculty Fellowship Program supports interdisciplinary research that connects humanities scholarship with public engagement and community dialogue.

Abhishek Bhati, Associate Professor, Political Science

Fall 2026

Project: Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology on the Nonprofit Sector in Northwest Ohio

This project examines how nonprofit and civil society organizations in Northwest Ohio are adopting generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. While much existing research focuses on urban contexts and highlights the benefits of AI, this study centers rural and semi-urban communities and considers both opportunities and risks. Through qualitative interviews with nonprofit leaders, the project explores how AI shapes organizational practices, decision-making, and community impact. Findings will contribute to broader conversations about technology, ethics, and policy in the nonprofit sector.

Kristie A. Foell, Associate Professor of German, World Languages and Cultures

Fall 2026

Project: Immigration in Film: What Can the U.S. Learn from the German Experience?

This project explores how migration and refugee experiences are represented in German and Austrian films, using these portrayals as a lens to better understand contemporary debates in the United States. Through public film screenings and discussions, community members will engage with themes of labor migration, displacement, and identity. By comparing the German and U.S. contexts, the project highlights shared dynamics as well as cultural and political differences shaping immigration discourse.

Nathan Hensley, Associate Professor, School of Earth, Environment, and Society (SEES)

Spring 2027

Project: Mindfulness, Narrative, and the Environmental Humanities: The Inner Development Goals as a Pathway to Collective Resilience

This project brings together students, faculty, and community members to explore how mindfulness and storytelling can support sustainability and resilience. In partnership with the Black Swamp Conservancy and BGSU Wellness, participants will engage in public workshops that combine nature-based mindfulness, creative writing, and reflective dialogue. A digital Story Map will extend the project’s impact by sharing community reflections, highlighting connections between creativity, environmental awareness, and collective well-being.

Pedro P. Porbén, Associate Professor of Spanish, World Languages and Cultures

Spring 2027

Project: The Cuban Speculative Fiction Digital Archive: Preservation, Public Access, and Critical Inquiry

This project preserves and digitizes a rare collection of Cuban speculative fiction published between the 1960s and 2000s. These works, currently inaccessible and at risk of deterioration, will be transformed into a free, open-access digital archive. Designed as a public humanities initiative, the archive will serve researchers, educators, and Cuban diaspora communities while fostering global access to an underrepresented literary tradition. In collaboration with Cuba’s Independent Libraries network, the project also supports cultural preservation and community engagement.

Faculty Fellowship Applications 

Applications for the ICS Faculty Fellowship Program (2026–2027) are now open.

Deadline: October 15, 2026 
Apply here: Apply

Interdisciplinary Team-Teaching Program

The interdisciplinary Team-Teaching Program fosters collaboration across disciplines at BGSU through innovative curriculum development.

We congratulate the 2026–2027 awardees:

Amy Cook (English) & Cynthia Ducar (World Languages and Cultures)

Myths and Reality: Language Learning in Today’s World

Spring 2027

This course explores how people learn and use languages in today’s interconnected, multilingual world. Drawing perspectives from second language acquisition, linguistics, and cultural studies, students examine common assumptions about language learning, including the role of technology and artificial intelligence. Through discussions, hands-on activities, and experiential projects, students test language-learning tools, analyze real-world multilingual practices, and reflect on their own linguistic experiences. The course emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, and the practical application of language learning in diverse contexts.

Andrea Cardinal (Art) & Katherine Meizel (Ethnomusicology)

Disability is an Art

Spring 2027

This course examines disability as a creative and cultural practice, challenging conventional understandings of art and music as purely visual or auditory experiences. Students explore interdisciplinary perspectives on disability from both Global North and Global South contexts, engaging with artistic, musical, and theoretical approaches. Through guided discussions and creative projects, students develop new ways of thinking about sensory experience, accessibility, and artistic expression, culminating in original work that reimagines how art and music are created and experienced.

Call for Applications: Interdisciplinary Team-Teaching Program

We are currently accepting applications for future interdisciplinary collaborations.

Deadline: October 30 2026 
Learn more and apply here: Apply

Looking for a Team-Teaching Partner?

Better Toledo Series

Upcoming Event

Louisa Ha 
Voices and Stories from the Toledo Asian American Community 
A Better Toledo Program

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026 
Time: 2:30–4:30 p.m. 
Location: Main Library, Meeting Room 1 (Large Glass), 1st Floor, Toledo, Ohio

This community workshop explores the diverse histories and lived experiences of first- and second-generation Asian Americans in Ohio, highlighting both shared challenges and unique journeys. The program features discussions with Bangladeshi international graduate students and representatives from AWARE Ohio’s Youth Advisory Board, focusing on immigration experiences, generational differences, international student perspectives, and confronting stereotypes.

Participants are encouraged to share their own stories and reflect on how pan-Asian solidarity and civic engagement can help build a more inclusive and connected Toledo community.

This event is presented by the Institute for the Study of Culture & Society (ICS) in collaboration with AWARE Ohio.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. 
Register here: Apply

BG IDEAS Podcast

ICS collaborates with the School of Media and Communication to produce the BG Ideas Podcast. BG Ideas is dedicated to talking about the challenges we face as a society and celebrating the cultural and artistic communities around BGSU. We have just finished airing our 13th season, which covers interesting topics like immigration, literature and the art of storytelling, and new and upcoming technology. New episodes drop on Wednesdays. For more information, visit: bgsu.edu/bgideas.