Temple University prides itself on having multiple connections both to the outside working world and with all the colleges and departments. Students have many opportunities during their four years to create connections and collaborations that can last a long time, but students must know about them.
The Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT) is one of those amazing opportunities for students. CHAT holds multiple events throughout the year with many colleges and student groups within those colleges, as well as with Temple graduates.
Christina Baker, the director of CHAT, started out as a faculty member for CHAT in 2022-2023, and this past summer, she became the director. Baker prides herself on being a connector for the center and helping others, who may not know about CHAT, to learn about what they do.
“I love that the Center for the Humanities allows me, and of course, its existence to serve as a connector,” Baker said. “We facilitate emails, putting people in contact with things that people are doing. So that’s what I love, is really getting to learn about people’s research, what people are interested in, and making CHAT matter to people.”
Baker wants students who are either nervous about trying something new or just interested in learning what CHAT offers to come to their office and talk. With the world being in a state of uncertainty and people feeling restrained or bound in mind, the theme for 2026-2027 was chosen: “Bound and Unbound.”
“I work a lot with queer theory and queer studies, and the idea of binding, or being bound, is so central, both in a physical but also a metaphorical sense,” Baker said. “Communities are built and sustained, but not always necessarily in person, and the other is thinking about limitations, thinking about the way people can be significantly impacted by health disability, but that doesn’t mean that they are bound to one place or time.”
CHAT is located at Mazur Hall, room 312. They are open every weekday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but Baker is open to finding a time that works for students. The office is warm and welcoming, with spaces for students to hang out on couches or sit in an empty room to do work or hold a meeting.
“We like to have an open-door policy, and I love to learn about what students are doing,” Baker said. “I would love for students to just come and chat, have a coffee and snack, and with Temple having a long history of being a commuter school, commuters can just sit and feel like they are part of a community.”
Baker is also an editor for “Theatre Journal”, founded 70 years ago, the foremost publication in theater, dance, and performance studies.
“Being a part of this has helped me greatly with my connections with professors at Boyer,” Baker said. “I like to let them know that I would love to have some of their advanced students come over, and tell me what they are doing, so I can help promote them.”
Sharing these connections and resources across different schools of Temple helps not only the students and professors, but also Baker to grow CHAT and its voice for action. CHAT is an open-minded and respectful center, and to continue reaching students and making them comfortable, people are encouraged to come and chat.