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The Collaborative for Humanistic Inquiry

The Collaborative for Humanistic Inquiry (CHI) at Saint Louis University supports faculty and student research and scholarship in a range of humanities and social science disciplines and in humanistic-oriented natural science research. Additionally, it fosters collaboration among the eight college Centers of Scholarly Excellence. 

Scene of SLU fountain with flowers with Saint Louis University spelled out in large letters and displayed on the edge of the fountain
 

CHI's eight research centers tackle a diverse range of complex topics, including the global impact of Catholicism, the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, and the role of religion in American public life. Each center boasts a strong record of research excellence, with several receiving competitive grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Henry Luce Foundation. The new integrative structure of CHI will enhance interdisciplinary collaboration within SLU and with other institutions, driving forward important questions about the historical and contemporary human experience to shed light on our shared future.

Centers

Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics

The Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University is committed to excellence in teaching, service and research in health care. Engaging in secular and religious discourse, the center brings Catholic, Jesuit tradition into interdisciplinary philosophical and legal bioethics studies.

Center for Iberian Historical Studies

The Saint Louis University Center for Iberian Historical Studies (CIHS) promotes advanced research and scholarly conversations on any topic related to Iberian studies and analyzes them through a historical lens. The SLU center welcomes initiatives dealing with Iberian studies from late antiquity up to the present. We are particularly interested in promoting the study of the “First Iberian Globalization (Medieval period-1800s)” by focusing on the local, colonial, transregional and global history of Iberian interactions and/or exchanges.

The Center on Lived Religion (COLR)

The Center on Lived Religion (COLR) grows out of the Lived Religion in the Digital Age project (2018-2024) to enrich, expand and advance the study of lived religion at Saint Louis University. The mission of COLR is to provide institutional support to continue the study of lived religion and an institutional structure for interfacing with lived religion in the St. Louis metropolitan area while broadening the focus beyond the periodization of "the digital age."

Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies supports, coordinates and promotes the extraordinary array of scholars, students and resources devoted to medieval and early modern research at SLU. One of the largest in the U.S., the center houses more than 60 full-time faculty members and numerous students, fellows and visiting scholars. By supporting students, conferences, speakers, fellowships, library acquisitions and professorships, the center enriches the intellectual environment for medievalists and early modernists on campus and around the world.

  • Contact SLU's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at cmrs@slu.edu or 314-977-7180.

Center for Religious and Legal History

The Saint Louis University Center for Religious and Legal History is a research center devoted to advancing the study of the historical relationships between religion and law. Regardless of confession or tradition, the center assumes that immersion in the historical context and development of systems of religious law and the history of the relationship between law and religion leads to deeper understanding and wiser action. Consistent with SLU's Jesuit mission and identity, the center proceeds from the principle that good, truth-seeking historical research encourages thoughtful and informed engagement in the present with God and humankind.

Center for Research on Global Catholicism (CRGC)

The Center for Research on Global Catholicism (CRGC) at Saint Louis University supports scholarship at the nexus of Catholicism and culture, providing robust programming that promotes interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and methodological innovation.

CREST Research Center (Culture, Religion, Ethics, Science, Technology)

The CREST Research Center (Culture, Religion, Ethics, Science, Technology) at Saint Louis University seeks to integrate humanistic interdisciplinary scholarship with innovations in science and technology for the service of humanity. 

Walter J. Ong, S.J. Center for Digital Humanities

The Saint Louis University Walter J. Ong Center for Digital Humanities (OngCDH) is a multidisciplinary center that promotes creativity, innovative scholarship, excellence in teaching, and service to the community, through fostering collaborative engagement with the digital humanities. The center supports faculty and students in the College of Arts and Sciences by organizing and sponsoring conferences, lectures, workshops and seminars; providing individual mentorship and guidance; and facilitating access to information resources. OngCDH is dedicated to diversity, equity and social responsibility.