You would never know that Dr. Stephen Dyson, Associate Professor of Political Science, is only in his first year as Faculty Director of Humanities House.  He has continuously engaged first year students in meaningful dialog through discussions, both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Dr. Dyson and Humanities House have extended their interaction from just the weekly class meeting by enhancing the span of their conversations through the use of social media.  He has worked to bring topics outside of the classroom and extend them into purposeful co-curricular experiences.  Dr. Dyson, along with his graduate students; Sarah Munro and Tom Briggs, and his RA Emily Orkins, have successfully developed a community in which collaboration, communication and engagement have been their focus.

"In Humanities House, we learn together through a mash-up of high and pop culture, world trends and our daily experiences at UConn. We help each other to be sensitive, engaged interpreters of our time and place in the world, while learning the empathy to see life as others do, too. We talk constantly informally, in our weekly Humanities House Happy Hours, in our Facebook groups, and in the residence halls where our members live. As faculty director, I'm looking to create an outstanding liberal arts college within the context of this big, powerful research institution. There's so much energy and innovation in First Year Programs and Learning Communities - we're transforming the university!" -Dr. Stephen Dyson