Learning to See Systems, a new graduate working and study group, invites applicants for participation in a two-year program of research, study, and exchange around a common question:

How can we make visible the values and epistemologies embedded in complex technological systems?

Relevant work under this question could include scholarship on contemporary or historical subjects from across the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Though the “system” as an idea is sometimes more often associated with forms of modernity, we seek the broadest possible context for our conversation, and encourage applications from scholars working in all time periods and settings.

Available are six Affiliate positions. The Affiliates will work together with the program faculty and a group of new incoming Fellows to establish a new campus hub for work on the history, critique and production of the “system” as a feature of modernity.

Affiliates will agree to take two courses and give one talk on their work over two years. In exchange they will have access to research funds for work and travel, as well as a chance to collaborate with others on an exciting new venture.

Together with the larger group of Fellows and Faculty, Affiliates will contribute to a new experimental space of production and exchange focused on the idea of the “system” as both a subject of research and a mode of doing research. Our new lab space will support critical exploration of the new scholarly tools often found under the Digital Humanities through workshops, collaboration, and visiting talks.

Interested graduate students should review the group’s full mission and course listing at seeingsystems.illinois.edu, then submit a letter of interest describing their work in relation to the theme.

Send the letter, cv and a brief one-page letter of support from your advisor to Program Director Kevin Hamilton at kham@illinois.edu. All materials should be received by May 15. Successful applicants will be notified by June 1.