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Inter-college faculty Seminar in Humanities and Sciences (ISHS) A forum for discussion and interaction among faculty at UMass-Boston. Faculty from different disciplines and colleges come together to focus on topics of common interest, exchange ideas, renew their intellectual energy, and advance their work in a spirit of adventure and collaboration.

The prospects for caring collaborations are addressed--in many and varied ways--in our scholarly fields. Social psychologists examine the moral corrosion that follows when people allow themselves to be bystanders. Game theory favors "tit for tat" relations. Economics and evolutionary theory argue that cooperation occurs only if there's a payoff to us or our genetic lineage. Literature depicts the base nature of humans, as in the __Lord of the Flies__, or the noble struggle of the individual against constraining systems, as in Ken Kesey's novels. Caring is held to be a feminist ethic or criticized as a capitulation to women working a second shift in the home. Family history documents the real and idealized role of families protecting their members from the demands of the State and corporations. Cultural history observes that "cooperation" has been a euphemism for continued subordination to a hierarchical division of labor. Participatory Action Research insists on the shaping of inquiries through on-going work with people most affected by some aspect of economic or social change. Collective action studies document creativity and capacity-building flowing from well-facilitated participation. And so on.
What do we make of such disciplinary claims and analyses? What do our practice and life experience tell us about the source and strength of collaborations that we value? And of the structural disincentives to such collaborations? Can we reconcile our experience with theory and empirical research? What questions have been un- or under-explored? What practices can we adopt (or resist) that facilitate (or impede) caring collaborations? These seem to be important questions to take up in these times of constrained resources and heightened expectations.

Past themes

highlighting the range of science and society work going on on campus

the challenge of teaching courses that link humanities or social sciences to natural sciences...

delve deeply into readings from scholars interpreting science and technology (S&T) in their social context...

How can we make sense for our students and other audiences of the social shaping of S&T as well as the wide-ranging discussions about S&T?

"...terms from complexity theories of recent decades have found their way into discussions in the arts, film, literature and other humanities, cross-disciplinary endeavors in the sciences, and the popular media...

What does it mean for people to promote sustainability or development that "meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

What makes a difference in who becomes diseased -- what counts as disease and who takes responsibility for it? What changes over time can be seen and how do perspectives vary among cultures and social groups? How are different people organizing now to influence change and improvements in health?

This theme was designed to resonate with current concerns in many fields as well as to offer scope for a historical and philosophical discussion of attempts from well before the advent of modern genetics to find explanations in nature for inequalities in society.

Possible future themes