The American Academy of Arts & Sciences has announced the election of its new members for 2025, which includes four faculty members from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences: David Brakke, Professor and Engle Chair in the History of Christianity in the Department of History; James Phelan, Distinguished University Professor, Director of Medical Humanities and Director of Project Narrative in the Department of English; Alexander E. Wendt, Mershon Professor of International Security and a professor in the Department of Political Science; and Don Winford, professor emeritus in the Department of Linguistics.

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences, founded in 1780, is an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions and perspectives to address significant challenges.

Brakke studies and teaches the history and literature of ancient Christianity from its origins through the fifth century, with special interests in asceticism, monasticism, "Gnosticism," biblical interpretation and Egyptian Christianity. His current projects include a study of early Christian scriptural practices before and after the listing of a New Testament canon and a new translation, with commentary, of the Secret Book of James from Nag Hammadi Codex I.

“Election to the Academy is an unexpected and humbling honor, which recognizes the value of studying the history of Christianity for understanding the diversity of this country and the world,” Brakke said. “My research has benefited from collaboration with many colleagues at Ohio State and beyond, but I am particularly grateful for the ways, both large and small, that the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of History have supported me and my work.”

Phelan teaches and writes about narrative theory, the medical humanities, the English and American novel, especially from modernism to the present, and nonfiction narrative. His research has been devoted to thinking through what it means to conceive of narrative as rhetoric, even as his books have focused on specific aspects of that conception. From 1992 to 2025, he served as editor of Narrative, the journal of the International Society for the Study of Narrative, and he is a co-editor for the Ohio State University Press book series, The Theory and Interpretation of Narrative. 

“Throughout my career I’ve been trying to think through what it means to understand narrative as rhetoric, and I’m honored that others have found those efforts somewhat worthwhile,” Phelan said. “I’m acutely aware that my work benefited enormously from my conversations and friendships with students and with colleagues in Project Narrative and the English department, as well as in other units at Ohio State and in the International Society for the Study of Narrative. In my case, it really did take a village.” 

Wendt is interested in philosophical aspects of social science, with special reference to international relations. He is most well-known for his work on constructivism in world politics, including Social Theory of International Politics (Cambridge, 1999), which received the International Studies Association’s “Best Book of the Decade” award in 2006. He went on to publish Quantum Mind and Social Science (Cambridge, 2015). In 2023, Wendt and a colleague were awarded the Skytte Prize in Political Science.

"As a theorist, my work is very abstract and mostly solitary, so I have few natural conversation partners,” Wendt said. “Yet I cannot do what I do alone. Thus, over the years I have come to rely on what I call an evolving ‘brain trust’ of terrific graduate students, who were willing to put in the work to understand what I was trying to say and help me say it.  The honor of being elected to the Academy was possible only with their help, for which I am very grateful." 

Winford’s teaching and research interests are in Creole linguistics, variationist sociolinguistics, contact linguistics, and African-American English. His current research projects include a study of Gbe influence on the Surinamese creoles, and an investigation of Kwinti and Matawai, two under-researched Maroon creoles of Suriname. He has served as editor of the Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages since August 2001. 

Brakke, Phelan, Wendt and Winford join nearly 250 new members drawn from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research and science. Other notable additions include World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés, CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and journalist Gloria Steinem.

“The Academy honors excellence across a wide range of disciplines and professions, and our newly elected members have demonstrated expertise and leadership of astonishing breadth and impact,” said Chair of the Board Goodwin Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. “We look forward to engaging their diverse talents and experiences through Academy initiatives that bring interdisciplinary inquiry and unfettered pursuit of knowledge to bear on our society's greatest challenges.”