Scholarly programs

Folger Institute formal programs are conducted as gatherings of advanced scholars oriented toward common goals and around defined topics. A hallmark of Institute seminars is the bringing together of junior and senior scholars, from advanced graduate students to tenured faculty. For those programs that are funded exclusively through the consortium, affiliates of member universities are accorded priority in admission and may request funding for travel and lodging, or, for local faculty, teaching released time. Funding from other sources that extends eligibility for grants-in-aid to participants will be designated for relevant programs.

Participants, who represent a range of backgrounds and points of view, are encouraged to find their own connections to the topic designated for investigation in any given seminar, and they are encouraged to pursue their individual research interests within the limits of that topic. Through informal gatherings at the routine break for afternoon tea or through occasional midday colloquia, discussion is further encouraged across disciplinary and institutional boundaries, with participants introduced not only to each other but also to the larger Folger community of research Fellows, resident scholars, and professional staff, including librarians, curators, and conservators.

Since 1970, the Folger Institute’s consortium, with a history of building institutional cooperation and promoting an extensive program of scholarly activities, has taken a leading role in advancing research and teaching in the humanities. The Folger Institute welcomes inquiries about current programs and suggestions for those in the years ahead.

See the Institute's website for this year's offerings, and the archive of past programs for previous years.