Scholarship and Research

Saybrook University is committed to scholarship and research that can addresses critical human issues. It is our mission to develop scholars capable of both performing this research and guiding its application to create transformative change. We seek to unite the library with the street in our work, and passion with career in our students.

As a Saybrook student, you will undertake rigorous analysis and development of your ideas in search of new synergies and insights. Often this will take you outside of conventional wisdom. We encourage you to ask questions that push boundaries, provided you do so in a rigorous way. Excellent scholarship often involves asking uncomfortable questions.

Our approach to research is closely aligned with the human science perspective that there is no single privileged position from which to understand the human experience or the world around us. As such, Saybrook University embraces both qualitative and quantitative methods. Phenomenological investigation, case studies, interviews, naturalistic observation, and hermeneutics, provide critical insight that more traditional quantitative methods cannot. Effective use of such techniques are key to addressing many of the most complex problems of our time, and as a Saybrook student you will be encouraged to utilize them to find the humanity behind statistics, charts, and graphs.

We value rigorous inquiry, analysis, evidence, clarity and integrity in scholarship and research. Through this engagement, you will develop an important foundation in critical thinking, disciplined inquiry, the generation of new ideas, and the ability to contribute creatively to an area of study.