The VCU Humanities Research Center advances humanistic inquiry, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and amplifies the impact of humanities scholarship within and beyond VCU. As a university-wide center, we support individual and collaborative research while cultivating scholarly excellence dedicated to improving the human condition.
The HRC is interdisciplinary, collaborative, global, and public-facing—generating knowledge across disciplines, promoting impactful research by diverse faculty, students, and community partners, engaging colleagues and institutions worldwide, and disseminating scholarship through talks, colloquia, and strategic outreach. Our work directly supports VCU's Quest 2028 priorities: research excellence, student success, and thriving communities.
We invite you to get in touch with us about our research, events, opportunities, and more!
Research
We support research that crosses traditional boundaries, connecting literature, history, philosophy, and cultural studies with contemporary issues and emerging fields.
Programs
Through lectures, workshops, and symposia, we share cutting-edge humanities research with broader audiences and foster intellectual dialogue.
Resources
Our center bridges academic research with community needs, creating meaningful partnerships that benefit both scholars and the Richmond metropolitan area.
Year in Review, 2024-2025
- 36 Publications Supported
- 26 Public Lectures
- 38 External Grants Submitted
News
April 24, 2025
Undergraduates flex their comics creativity in VCU’s Graphic Narratives Lab
The initial cohort of students explores visual storytelling and scholarship.
April 21, 2025
Mellon Foundation grant will support launch of Indigenous Humanities Lab at VCU
Through a partnership of the Humanities Research Center and the College of Humanities and Sciences, Cristina Stanciu and Catherine Ingrassia are expanding the university’s focus on Native programs.
Dec. 4, 2024
Mellon Pathways Program supports and guides Brightpoint, Reynolds students transferring to VCU
From intensive advising to on-campus meals, the partnership creates a welcoming pipeline from the community colleges to VCU’s opportunities for research, internships and more.
Event Spotlight
Unburying Voices: Community-Based Reparative Justice
Health Humanities Symposium Spring 2025
Co-sponsored by the HRC Health Humanities Lab, East Marshall Street Well Project, VCU's Office of Health Initiatives, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Work-in-Progress Seminar: The Clap Back: Digital Misogynoir & Online Harm Reduction Practices
Kay Coghill
Adjunct Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University