Carter Selected for NEH Summer Institute

William Carter, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies, has been selected as a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar from a national applicant pool to attend one of 21 summer study opportunities supported by NEH. The Endowment is a federal agency that each summer supports seminars and institutes at colleges and universities so that teachers can work in collaboration and study with experts in the humanities and related disciplines.

Dr. Carter will participate in an institute entitled Teaching the History of Political Economy. The three-week program, which begins June 6, will be held at Duke University and directed by Dr. Bruce Caldwell, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke. As one of only 25 selected scholars, Dr. Carter will explore the ideas of great economic thinkers.

"Studying the writings of the greatest minds in economics is always rewarding, but perhaps especially so in times of economic crisis," Institute Director Caldwell said. "What did Adam Smith and Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek, really have to say? What might we learn from the great minds of the past?"

In light of the recent economic crisis, the study of the history of economic thought has become particularly relevant. Some participants may go on to develop history of economic thought courses of their own, others may choose to infuse existing courses in the social sciences and humanities with ideas they picked up at the Institute. The teachers selected to participate in the program each receive a stipend of $2700 to cover their travel, study, and living expenses. More information about the Institute is available online at the Center for the History of Political Economy Web site.