Our Scholars
Distinguished faculty and research fellows advancing humanities scholarship
The Western Humanities Institute brings together scholars from diverse disciplines who share a commitment to humanistic inquiry and education. Our affiliated faculty and research fellows contribute to the intellectual life of the Institute through research, teaching, and public engagement.
Faculty Members
Dr. Ethan Wright
Director, Professor of Philosophy
Dr. Wright specializes in ancient philosophy, with particular focus on Aristotelian ethics and their contemporary applications. He is the author of three books and numerous articles on virtue ethics, practical wisdom, and the history of philosophical practice.
Ph.D., University of Chicago
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Dr. James Martinez
Associate Director, Professor of Comparative Literature
Dr. Martinez works at the intersection of literary theory and intellectual history, with emphasis on transatlantic modernisms. His research examines the relationship between aesthetic form and political thought in 20th century literature.
Ph.D., Columbia University
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Dr. Sarah Johnson
Professor of English Literature
Dr. Johnson is a specialist in Victorian literature with particular interests in the novel, gender studies, and narrative ethics. Her current project examines representations of moral development in 19th century bildungsromans.
Ph.D., Yale University
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Dr. Michael Chen
Professor of Philosophy
Dr. Chen specializes in German Idealism and Critical Theory. His research focuses on Hegel's logic and its reception in 20th century Continental philosophy, with particular attention to questions of dialectical method and social critique.
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
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Dr. Robert Anderson
Professor of History
Dr. Anderson is a historian of Renaissance and Early Modern Europe, with particular expertise in Italian intellectual history. His work examines humanist educational practices and their relationship to civic life in fifteenth and sixteenth century Italy.
Ph.D., Princeton University
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Dr. Thomas Wright
Associate Professor of Classics & Digital Humanities
Dr. Wright bridges traditional classical scholarship with digital methodologies. His research applies computational approaches to ancient Greek and Latin texts, exploring questions of authorship, intertextuality, and reception history.
Ph.D., Stanford University
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Dr. Maria Rodriguez
Postdoctoral Fellow in Art History
Dr. Rodriguez studies the relationship between visual art and philosophical thought in early modern Europe. Her current project examines aesthetic theory and artistic practice in 17th century Netherlands.
Ph.D., New York University
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Dr. Jonathan Lee
Visiting Research Fellow in Religious Studies
Dr. Lee's research focuses on the intersection of theology and literature in medieval Europe. He is currently working on a monograph examining mystical texts and poetic form in 14th century devotional writing.
Ph.D., University of Toronto
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Dr. Rebecca Taylor
Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Philosophy
Dr. Taylor works on democratic theory and the history of political thought. Her dissertation examined concepts of citizenship and civic virtue in the American founding period and their classical influences.
Ph.D., Harvard University
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