Humanities Creates a
“New Generation of Doers,” Declares Staten Island
Professor
Throughout his 20 years at St. John's University,
Robert Fanuzzi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English,
has dedicated himself to teaching and conducting research that
“solves problems” while broadening knowledge.
Those “problems,” Dr. Fanuzzi explained, involve social concerns
beyond the campus gates. For the last three years, he has been
developing an interdisciplinary curriculum on the Staten Island, NY,
campus that engages the humanities with issues and resources in
surrounding communities. For these efforts, Dr. Fanuzzi received
the Academic Service-Learning Award from Rev. Donald
Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s, at last year's
Faculty Convocation.
Dr. Fanuzzi’s research focuses on the American and trans-Atlantic
antislavery movements of the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition
to his book, Abolition’s Public Sphere, he is the author
of numerous essays and scholarly articles on race relations in the
Americas.
A question posed by one of his students convinced Dr. Fanuzzi to
take a new approach to scholarship — one that has reaped rewards
for Staten Island students and the local community. “Very simply,
the student asked, ‘Why am I studying the humanities if I don't
want to teach?’” Dr. Fanuzzi recalled.
The question made an impact on him. “As an English professor,” Dr.
Fanuzzi said, “I feel morally obligated to give my students an
outcome that benefits them. The humanities are central to the way
we live, and I have dedicated all my time to opening my students up
to that world — showing them that they have a social, vocational
and institutional purpose.”
Illustrating that purpose, Dr. Fanuzzi noted, are the literary
figures who have championed social change “You can only do this
work for so long,” he said, “before you feel called on to do
something miniscule in relation to what great people such as Henry
David Thoreau or Frederic Douglass have done. I ask myself and my
students, ‘Now that you know, what will you do?’”
Dr. Fanuzzi has found a perfect synergy with his academic
scholarship and the Vincentian mission of St. John's. “I'm in an
incredibly lucky position. I don't have to import the Vincentian
mission into my research. It's already there,” he said.
“Harriet Beecher Stowe and Thoreau aren't Catholics, but they speak
the same language.”
Inspired by their example, Dr. Fanuzzi has developed course-related
Academic Service-Learning
projects that engage Vincentian values by encouraging his students
to serve in the local Staten Island community. They pursue
internships with partnering organizations Project Hospitality,
City Harvest and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.
At times, these projects have suggested career paths for his
students.
Most recently, Dr. Fanuzzi’s students have joined the Staten Island
“Grow to Give” initiative, which promotes community farms and
gardens to provide food pantries with fresh produce. His classes
have partnered with City Harvest and Project Hospitality to help
bring healthy food to local neighborhoods deprived of healthy,
fresh affordable food.
“When students do this kind of engaged learning they are career
ready,” Dr. Fanuzzi said. “My job is to maximize the impact of the
humanities and give our students tangible strategies for bringing
what they've learned into their careers.”
Moreover, Dr. Fanuzzi added, “everyone I meet doing significant
work in their communities has a humanities background. I’m
convinced of the value of a liberal arts degree because I see
visionaries inspiring others and effecting change. Our humanities
training is creating a new generation of doers in the world.”