Revised 1/23/2026.

The Interdisciplinary Program in Computing (COMP) was approved by the Kenyon faculty in 2022 as an intentionally interdisciplinary academic program rather than a rebranded or expanded version of a traditional computer science department. COMP’s identity is grounded in the view that computing is not a single discipline, but a set of methods, lenses, and practices that cut across domains of inquiry and creative practice.

Accordingly, expectations for faculty scholarship in COMP are designed to be pluralistic, flexible and forward-looking, while still aligning with Kenyon’s standards for rigor, peer engagement, and public contribution. COMP faculty are expected to sustain active scholarly agendas that reflect both disciplinary depth and meaningful engagement with computing as a way of understanding, shaping and intervening in the world.

Continued intellectual and professional growth is vital to the strength and renewal of the COMP curriculum. Faculty scholarship should model for students what it means to pursue open-ended inquiry, creative experimentation, ethical reflection and collaboration across boundaries.

Scope of Recognized Scholarship

COMP values a broad range of scholarly and creative activity, including (but not limited to):

  • Disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in computing and computationally engaged fields
  • Computationally oriented work in the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and arts
  • Digital humanities, digital media, and computational creative practice
    Systems-oriented work addressing social, political, ethical or institutional dimensions of computing
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning related to computing, including computer science education research

Rather than prescribing a narrow definition of acceptable topics or methods, COMP emphasizes intentional alignment between a faculty member’s scholarly agenda and the program’s mission: to explore how computation shapes knowledge, culture, power and decision-making.

Faculty research programs may evolve over time. Variation in publication venues, timelines and modes of dissemination is expected and appropriate given the diversity of scholarly communities represented within COMP.

Publication and Public Contribution

COMP faculty are expected to pursue public, peer-engaged forms of scholarship appropriate to their area(s) of inquiry. These may include:

  • Peer-reviewed journal articles
  • Refereed conference papers or proceedings
  • Scholarly or creative books and book chapters (including textbooks)
  • Curated digital projects, datasets, or software systems with scholarly framing
  • Contributions to broader public or professional audiences (e.g., magazines, edited collections, web-based scholarly platforms)

In some computing-related fields, accepted abstracts, extended abstracts, or system demonstrations may serve as meaningful indicators of scholarly contribution. The program recognizes that standards of evidence, authorship norms and review practices vary widely across fields.

The evaluation of scholarship will emphasize quality, impact, coherence and trajectory, rather than adherence to a single metric or publication count.

Research with Students

Collaborative research with students is a valued and encouraged component of faculty scholarship in COMP. Faculty are encouraged to involve students in projects that address genuine, open-ended questions and that contribute to public or peer-engaged outcomes.

Such collaboration may take many forms, including:

  • Co-authored publications or presentations
  • Creative or technical projects exhibited or released publicly
  • Summer research, capstone supervision or community-engaged computing work

Student collaboration is understood as an enhancement to, not a replacement for, an independent scholarly agenda.

Professional Practice, Consulting, and Applied Work

Professional practice and consulting activities may constitute meaningful scholarly engagement when they:

  • Involve substantive computational or conceptual contributions
  • Connect clearly to a faculty member’s scholarly expertise
  • Produce artifacts, analyses, or insights that can be evaluated by knowledgeable peers

Evaluation of such work may include technical reports, design documentation, white papers, public talks, or confidential external assessments when appropriate. These activities are understood as an enhancement to, not a replacement for, public, peer-engaged forms of scholarship.

Unreviewed or Restricted Research

Some computational scholarship occurs in contexts where open peer review is not possible (e.g., proprietary, classified or sensitive research). In such cases, faculty under review are responsible for providing appropriate evidence of scholarly quality and impact. This may include confidential external letters solicited by the Provost or other documentation agreed upon in advance.

Additional Scholarly Activities

PThe following activities are recognized as important components of a healthy scholarly profile, particularly when integrated into a coherent research agenda:

  • Developing and maintaining software tools or computational infrastructure
  • Writing and submitting grant proposals
  • Organizing workshops, conferences, or special sessions
  • Invited talks, keynote lectures, and public scholarship

Service to Scholarly Communities

Service to disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarly communities is an important form of professional engagement. This may include editing journals or volumes, serving on program committees, reviewing manuscripts or grants, and leadership within professional organizations. Such service is valued as a complement to scholarly production and mentorship.

These guidelines are intended to support diverse scholarly trajectories while providing clarity and consistency in evaluation. They should be read in conjunction with college-wide expectations for faculty scholarship and applied with attention to individual context, career stage, and disciplinary norms.