The University of Tulsa Institute for Bob Dylan Studies is a broadly interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to exploring the work, influence, life, and legacy of the Nobel-winning artist and his world. We aim, in particular, to amplify TU’s unique status as the new home of Dylan studies, to draw students and faculty into the archives, to foster world-class research, to engage with Tulsa’s rich musical culture, and to attract international recognition of the university as a leader in the arts and humanities.
Over the next several years, the TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies will host international conferences, sponsor original research in the archives, develop a publishing initiative, and lead institutes for teachers. Working in partnership with the Bob Dylan Archive, the Gilcrease Museum, the Woody Guthrie Center, and OKPOP, TU’s institute will draw international attention from scholars and students as well as from a larger public interested in the work of one of America’s most original artists.
Sean Latham, Pauline McFarlin Walter Endowed Chair of English and Comparative Literature, serves as director of the Institute. The organization was co-founded in 2017 by Latham and Brian Hosmer. It has hosted a number of talks and events, including a symposium on Dylan in the Classroom, a Bob Dylan Summit, and several lectures by leading music writers and scholars. In 2019, the Institute will host an international conference, The World of Bob Dylan.