The Importance of Humanities Research (featuring Marwah Ismail)

As students here, we know that Emory University is a major research institution in the country. The new Health Sciences Research Building II demonstrates this, as it is the largest health sciences research building in Georgia and cost the school $313 million to build. Often, however, the report of research on campus, particularly undergraduate research, is heavily focused on STEM research. This article discusses the importance of undergraduate humanities research with Marwah Ismail, a senior at the college majoring in Religion and Italian. She is writing her senior thesis on Islamic influence on Somali culture in the context of the Somali Civil War. Her research investigates how the presence of Islam shifted from liberalism to conservatism/traditionalism within a few decades and how civil war prompted this switch.

The Health Sciences Research Building II

1. What made you interested in your research?

Photo of Marwah Ismail

2. What would you say the importance of non-STEM research is?

Research is a tool for uncovering and analyzing the latest information to better our understanding of the applicable subjects. Non-STEM research is essential because it also does that and presents helpful information to better understand our world. The findings in non-STEM research can be just as impactful and essential as STEM research, so it should be just as promoted and accepted.

3. Could you describe the relevance of your research?

Understanding how religion influences cultures before, during, and after war and its relationship to politics helps us understand what factors shape people’s perspectives, which will be helpful when analyzing different societies undergoing war and trauma. Looking at Somalia is one option, but plenty of countries have also had recent civil wars that affected the country’s social dynamics and the actions typically taken by the affected group. Finding patterns in behavior will allow us to better understand why specific actions and sentiments occur and how to deal with them based on research from other countries that underwent similar changes.

4. Why do you think humanities research is needed for undergraduates?

Again, research deepens our knowledge and understanding within subjects, and for humanities, this is no different for any topic. Research in humanities allows us to learn more and adapt our new findings to what we currently know. It aids in our understanding of topics that affect us socially, culturally, and politically. So again, humanities research is needed and just as important as STEM research.

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