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CSULA administrator named as NEH summer scholar
Brandt to attend workshop on ‘transcendentalism and social reform in Antebellum America’
Los Angeles, CA – Selected as a 2011 Summer Scholar by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Jeffrey Brandt—manager of extension programs in the College of Extended Studies and International Programs at Cal State L.A.—will be heading to Massachusetts for one week this coming July.
He will join an exclusive group of scholars from throughout the country at the NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop, entitled “Concord, Massachusetts: Transcendentalism and Social Reform in Antebellum America,” which was developed coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.
The NEH award also includes a stipend to cover his travel and living expenses, books and materials.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to study in the historical setting of Concord, MA, home to Emerson, Thoreau, and the Alcotts, during this week-long workshop,” said Brandt, a Glendale resident. “It allows me to pursue a writing project on the New England transcendentalists and to learn how they were affected by the events leading to and culminating in the American Civil War.”
He added, “I would like to acknowledge the kind support and deep knowledge that CSULA Professor Maria Karafilis of the English department has lent me in beginning to investigate these writers.”
Brandt, who has worked as a lawyer for many years, has previously held positions as coordinator of the English Language Program and as an instructor in the English Department at CSULA. He received his master’s degree in English from CSULA after having received his B.A. in English from UC Irvine and a J.D. from UC Berkeley.
“This is a big honor for Jeff as well as for the College. The award will enable him to pursue a personal professional interest in this field, and his participation in the workshop will reflect positively on Cal State L.A.,” said Jose L. Galvan, dean of the University’s College of Extended Studies and International Programs.
The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the federal government. As part of the NEH’s We the People program, the Landmarks Workshops provide the opportunity for community college educators to engage in intensive study and discussion of important topics in American history and culture. These one-week programs give participants direct experiences in the interpretation of significant historical and cultural sites and the use of archival and other primary evidence.
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