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2019 Humanities News

December 16, 2019
UC Santa Cruz launches new graduate program in natural language processing
Based at UCSC’s Silicon Valley Campus, the new professional master’s degree offers training in the burgeoning field of computational processing of speech and text.
December 05, 2019
UC Santa Cruz establishes new Center for the Middle East and North Africa
A new interdisciplinary Center for the Middle East and North Africa, directed by associate professor of history Jennifer Derr, will focus on the culture, history, and politics of the region.
December 02, 2019
Nine UCSC speakers join TEDx Santa Cruz extravaganza Dec. 7
Nine UCSC affiliates will join novelist Jonathan Franzen and a host of other speakers for TEDx Santa Cruz, a daylong extravaganza focused this year on the "Art of Hope," on Saturday, Dec. 7.
November 07, 2019
Exploring the impact and ethics of the Frankenstein phenomena
UCSC will present "The Frankenstein Project," a modern theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein story, plus "FrankenCon"-- a three-day conference featuring scientists, theorists, authors, and artists, plus film screenings.
November 01, 2019
Award-winning poet Gary Soto to read at 10th annual Morton Marcus memorial event
Award-winning poet and novelist Gary Soto will be the featured guest at the 10th annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading, Thursday, November 7, at 7 p.m. in the UCSC Music Recital Hall.
October 24, 2019
Campus conference to honor renowned late UC Santa Cruz historian Hayden White
UCSC will present a conference in honor of the influential late historian on November 1-2 at the Merrill Cultural Center. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines will participate in an effort to channel the vital, open-ended, iconoclastic spirit of White, professor emeritus in the History of Consciousness Department.
October 16, 2019
'A Conversation about Oliver Sacks' to feature alumnus Lawrence Weschler and Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich
Celebrated writer and UC Santa Cruz alumnus Lawrence Weschler will join Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich for a public conversation about the late neurologist and acclaimed author Oliver Sacks on October 21, at 7 p.m. in the Music Center Recital Hall.
October 11, 2019
Litquake Santa Cruz to offer 'Funny & Peculiar: Santa Cruz Writers on Keeping It Weird'
In honor of its 20th anniversary, "Litquake," San Francisco’s annual literary festival, has created 20 new events in 20 cities across the country outside of San Francisco. One of those events will take place at Bookshop Santa Cruz on October 15, co-presented by The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.
September 24, 2019
What we learn from talking to strangers
Journalist and bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell addressed a crowd of 1,500 people in Silicon Valley on Saturday. Gladwell honed in on the question of how human beings, even those who we think of as intelligent and highly trained, can be so easily deceived.
September 23, 2019
UC Santa Cruz announces lineup for Fall 2019 Living Writers Series
"Autobiography, Fairy Tales, The Future" is the name of this fall’s installment of the Living Writers Series at UC Santa Cruz. Curated by Micah Perks, professor of literature and co-director of the Creative Writing Program, the series runs through December 5 at the Humanities Lecture Hall.
September 23, 2019
Tales of brutality and survival
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead enthralled a Santa Cruz crowd with stories from Nickel Boys, his new bestselling novel based on the horrifying true story of a notorious reform school in the Florida Panhandle.
September 23, 2019
Jack Baskin at 100
UC Santa Cruz celebrates the centenary of Jack Baskin, a pivotal donor whose generosity has shaped the university and benefited causes throughout the Monterey Bay area
September 06, 2019
Celebrated author and master storyteller Malcolm Gladwell to discuss ‘Talking to Strangers’
Why does a routine traffic stop end in tragedy? How can a spy spend years hidden at the highest levels of the Pentagon? Why is it so hard to detect a lie or judge a stranger's motives? On Sept. 21, The Humanities Institute and Bookshop Santa Cruz, will present “An Evening with Malcolm Gladwell” at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center.
August 29, 2019
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead to read from his new novel
Colson Whitehead became a literary phenomenon after the publication of "The Underground Railroad" in 2016, a work of speculative fiction about a young woman who escapes a life of slavery on a Georgia plantation and heads north on a subterranean train...
August 02, 2019
UCSC’s Humanities Institute and Cabrillo Festival partner to present ‘Community Night’
A special evening of music designed specifically for Santa Cruz community members by the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music will take place on August 8 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, presented in collaboration with The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.
July 26, 2019
New book by Dana Frank tells personal story of resistance, terror, and U.S. policy in Honduras
"The Long Honduran Night" is the latest book by UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of history, Dana Frank. One of the top academic experts on Honduras in the United States, she tells the dramatic story of life in that country after the military coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya in June 2009.
July 23, 2019
Donna Haraway elected to Fellowship of the British Academy
Donna Haraway, distinguished professor emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz, is joining a community of more than 1,400 scholars who currently make up the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences.
July 12, 2019
The 2019 Dickens Universe explores a tale of two riots with students from South LA
One of the highlights at this year’s Dickens Universe will be a featured exhibit coming to the campus from Los Angeles along with Jacqueline Barrios, who is using a Dickens novel to explore the impact and history of the Los Angeles riots of 1992 with her high school students.
July 10, 2019
UCSC emerita professor Angela Davis to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, The National Women’s Hall of Fame will host a weekend in New York honoring the achievements of women in the birthplace of the Women’s Rights movement. The highlight will be the induction of 10 prominent women into the Hall of Fame.
July 08, 2019
UC Santa Cruz founding faculty member Jasper Rose dies at age 89
Jasper Rose, a founding faculty member of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a professor emeritus of art and history, died on June 12, 2019, in Bath, England, where he had lived in recent years. He was 89.
July 01, 2019
UC Santa Cruz establishes interdisciplinary Southeast Asia research center
A $1 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will establish a new Center for Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions (SEACoast) at UC Santa Cruz that will bring together scholars from the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences to address the region's challenges.
June 14, 2019
Feminist studies professor Gina Dent receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities
Professor of feminist studies Gina Dent was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Division’s 2019 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn.
June 12, 2019
UCSC celebrates graduation of first Feminist Studies Ph.D.s
Erin McElroy and Veronika Zablotsky will be the first students to graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a Ph.D. in Feminist Studies.
June 09, 2019
Awards recognize extraordinary teachers
The annual Excellence in Teaching Awards recognized seven exceptional instructors who were selected from more than 430 nominations.
June 05, 2019
Campus prepping for commencement ceremonies
More than 5,200 UCSC students are earning undergraduate and graduate degrees for work completed during the 2018–19 academic year. Nearly 2,700 undergraduates have applied to participate in college commencement ceremonies.
May 30, 2019
History professor Marc Matera named 2019 ACLS Fellow
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of history Marc Matera has been named a 2019 ACLS Fellow by the The American Council of Learned Societies.
May 24, 2019
Feminist Studies to present ‘Indigeneity & Climate Justice’ conference at Arboretum
The Feminist Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz will present "Indigeneity & Climate Justice," a two-day conference at the Arboretum on May 30-31. Organized by professors Karen Barad and Felicity Amaya Schaeffer, it will feature three keynote speakers and a graduate student panel, plus a tour of the Arboretum.
May 16, 2019
Bettina Aptheker to moderate panel on impact of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz has joined forces with Bookshop Santa Cruz and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music to present 'My Own Words: The Law & Legacy of RBG'--a panel discussion and Community Read kickoff event in downtown Santa Cruz.
May 10, 2019
First Faculty Ethics Bowl at UC Santa Cruz to focus on the future
What role should thinking about the far future—1,000 years ahead and beyond—play in research on campus? That’s the key question that will be discussed at "Ethics and the Far Future"--the first UC Santa Cruz Faculty Ethics Bowl.
May 08, 2019
Great expectations and the general magic of failure
A new film by Dickens Universe regular and benefactor Mike Stern is the story of a little-known company that set in motion much of our technological world
April 30, 2019
Alumni Weekend 2019: Slugs in the mist
More than a thousand people, including 560 alumni, converged on the hilly forested campus for Alumni Weekend 2019, complete with thought-provoking lectures, snacks, free Slug Taxis, a fond farewell, and dancing into the night.
April 25, 2019
Night at the Museum in Silicon Valley to spotlight Anti-Semitism and the Internet
What is the relationship between anti-Semitism and the Internet? On May 9, The Humanities Institute and the Center for Jewish Studies will present 'UC Santa Cruz Night at the Museum: Anti-Semitism & the Internet—Old Hatred and New' at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.
April 18, 2019
From scholarship to achievement, five grads make their mark
The five recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni Award exemplify the diverse ways in which the former graduate students have translated their scholarship into an appreciable impact in various fields.
April 16, 2019
UC Santa Cruz philosophy alumnus Jeffrey Stewart wins 2019 Pulitzer Prize for biography
UC Santa Cruz alumnus Jeffrey Conrad Stewart (Cowell College ’71, philosophy) has been awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for "The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke," his definitive biography of the father of the Harlem Renaissance.
April 10, 2019
'Hi-Phi Nation' philosophy podcast host to launch humanities residency at UC Santa Cruz
Barry Lam—an associate professor of philosophy at Vassar College and host of the philosophy podcast "Hi-Phi Nation" on Slate—is coming to UC Santa Cruz this week to begin a two-week residency.
April 04, 2019
New book by Carolyn Burke examines four artists who profoundly shaped 20th-century art
"Foursome"--the latest book by longtime UCSC humanities research associate Carolyn Burke--chronicles the lives of four of the most extraordinary and influential painters and photographers of the early 20th century.
March 27, 2019
Inspired Expeditions: A travel program for the curious
UC Santa Cruz’s new travel program pairs travelers with expert professors for enhanced perspectives into some of the world’s most fascinating places.
March 07, 2019
UC Santa Cruz launches online 'Feminism and Social Justice' course with Bettina Aptheker
UC Santa Cruz has launched a new online course open to the public through the Coursera platform. Titled 'Feminism and Social Justice,' it is an adaptation of a popular course taught on campus for nearly a decade by feminist studies professor Bettina Aptheker.
March 01, 2019
UCSC to bring art/science LASER series downtown for special evening at Rio Theater
On Tuesday, March 12, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz will bring its local LASER—now in its sixth year of quarterly talks on campus—downtown for a special evening at the Rio Theater.
February 26, 2019
Borderbus: A community conversation about migration, art, and social justice
Former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera will appear in conversation with book artist and UCSC alumna Felicia Rice on March 6, at the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz.
February 22, 2019
Living Writers Series event dedicated to celebration of literature professor Karen Yamashita
On February 28, the Living Writers Series will dedicate a special reading to a celebration of literature professor Karen Yamashita on the occasion of her retirement, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Humanities Lecture Hall.
February 13, 2019
Diller Lecture to feature talk on the history of Jews, human rights, and global democracy
Guest author and scholar James Loeffler will deliver the 2019 Helen Diller Distinguished Lecture in Jewish Studies on Wednesday, February 20, at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
February 07, 2019
The ghosts of fascism
Madeleine Albright, the United States’ first female secretary of state, spoke about the rise of authoritarian governments and the enduring threat of fascism during her sold-out talk in front of 2,500 people in downtown Santa Cruz on Tuesday night.
January 30, 2019
Jody Greene and Mary Beth Pudup named to inaugural board of UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement
UC Santa Cruz professors Jody Greene and Mary Beth Pudup are among 19 leading University of California scholars who have been named to the inaugural academic advisory board of the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.
January 29, 2019
An unburied dream
It took professor emeritus Paul Skenazy many years to say, "I want to be a fiction writer." Now he's won a prestigious literary prize for his fiction debut, Temper CA. Last month, he drew a capacity crowd to Bookshop Santa Cruz.
January 28, 2019
Madeleine Albright in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning UCSC alumna Martha Mendoza on Feb. 5
Madeleine Albright, the first United States female Secretary of State, will speak about her new book, "Fascism: A Warning"--in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and UC Santa Cruz alumna Martha Mendoza--on Tuesday, February 5, at the at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz.
January 24, 2019
'What refugees taught me about Shakespeare'
On Jan. 31, New York theater director Jessica Bauman will come to campus for a special evening at Kresge Town Hall titled 'What Refugees Taught Me About Shakespeare.' Together with UCSC professor Cat Ramirez, she will explore the ways that the stories we hear and tell about refugees shape our responses to the worldwide migration crisis.
January 18, 2019
Questions That Matter public humanities series to spotlight ‘Data and Democracy’ at Kuumbwa Center
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Data and Democracy"—the fifth installment of its signature Questions That Matter series—on Tuesday, January 29, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz.
January 15, 2019
Seed-funding innovation
The UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board of Trustees seeks interesting new projects to fund.
January 10, 2019
Professor honored by Linguistic Society of America for decades of work on endangered languages
UC Santa Cruz emeritus professor of linguistics Judith Aissen was awarded the prestigious Kenneth L. Hale Award last week in New York City at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA). The LSA is the major professional society in the United States that is dedicated to the scientific study of language.
January 07, 2019
UC Santa Cruz historian and founding faculty member John Dizikes dies at 86
John Dizikes, a professor emeritus of American Studies and a founding member of the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, died at his home in Santa Cruz on December 26, 2018.