Welcome from Jeanne-Marie Jackson: Summer Spark 2026
The Alexander Grass Humanities Institute and the Odyssey lifelong learning program were partners before we even knew it. Both of us strive to bring the spirit of Johns Hopkins’ classrooms to a broader public, reimagining the hallmark rigor of campus discussions to suit formats beyond the on-site academic semester. In that sense, it feels almost overdue to be launching our new Summer Spark collaboration in Summer 2026. As Director of the AGHI, I couldn’t be happier that we have found a new way to be in this together.
Our Summer Spark program builds on AGHI’s years of success with Blast Courses in the Humanities. Where that program sought to meet the moment of the COVID-19 pandemic with highly flexible, asynchronous learning, Summer Spark gives students – and instructors! – the chance to participate in interactive virtual seminars. These new, four-week courses offer intellectual challenge and adaptable engagement without huge scheduling demands or the pressure of graded evaluation. They invite anyone who might be interested to explore new ideas and ask hard questions in a flexible and welcoming format, with experts “in the room.”
As a long-time Hopkins faculty member, I am especially excited that Summer Spark humanities seminars will be designed and led by early-career instructors. Our doctoral students are, without fail, among our most knowledgeable and energetic scholars. In the throes of their dissertation research and professional training, they are on the cutting edge of their fields and pedagogical innovations alike. In a real way, our early-career scholars represent the future not just of Hopkins, but of global intellectual inquiry writ large. I would personally jump at the chance to take any of the Summer Spark courses, and I’m astonished by the range of the topics represented among them.
Please consider this our warmest invitation to enroll in the Summer Spark course that most speaks to you – or in multiple, if you’ve got time on your hands! Helping to steer the rich humanistic legacy of Johns Hopkins in new directions is among the greatest pleasures of my career, and we’re eager to welcome you into this deep and diverse tradition.
Yours truly,
Jeanne-Marie Jackson
Director, Alexander Grass Humanities Institute