Background
The Trowbridge Initiative was instituted in AY 2004-5, when Professor Gordon Hutner first arrived at UIUC, as part of the recruitment offer that Dean Jesse Delia tendered. It was conceived as a “platform” to support the continuing growth of the journal he founded and edits, American Literary History. Click here for more on Trowbridge’s background.
Activities
The Trowbridge Initiative has focused on bringing specialists to campus interested in American literature, culture, and society. It has done so principally in three formats: symposia, lectures, and special events. These are frequently conceived with the journal’s aims and purposes for the field in mind and are often the result of informal consultations with various Americanists here. As the years have gone on, more and more of these collaborations have emerged. In October 2018, Trowbridge was a prominent co-sponsor with the IPRH in the very successful Humanities in the Age of Big Data conference, one that drew on academic, research, and teaching units across the campus.
In addition, Trowbridge now sponsors visiting lecturers that faculty and graduate students can invite in support of their courses as well as their research for public and course events.
Follow the links below for more information on Trowbridge’s principal activities.