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Humanities News

February 13, 2024
Life Beyond the Redwoods: Noah Whitley reflects on the value of a UCSC degree one year later
One year after graduating from UCSC, Noah Whitley works as a legislative assistant for a political consulting firm that works closely with the California State Legislature.
December 12, 2023
Art and History of Consciousness Professor Sir Isaac Julien honored in 2023 ArtReview’s Power 100 list
ArtReview, one of the world’s leading contemporary art magazines, has named University of California, Santa Cruz Arts and Humanities Professor Sir Isaac Julien as the fifth most influential artist in its ArtReview Power 100 list, and prominently mentioned UCSC Anthropology Professor Anna Tsing and Professor Emerita in the History of consciousness and Feminist Studies departments Donna Haraway.
December 05, 2023
THI Graduate Public Fellows champion the relevance of Humanities education in a changing world
An innovative Public Fellowship Program at the Humanities Institute (THI) is showing the important real-world impact of doctoral students’ humanities skills and expertise and offering exciting possibilities for the future of graduate education and career pathways.
November 29, 2023
Funding opportunities to develop UC Santa Cruz innovations
The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities to advance innovations being developed at UC Santa Cruz.
November 21, 2023
Bettina Aptheker honored for lifetime commitment to social justice
UCSC alumna and Distinguished Professor Emerita in Feminist Studies Aptheker was recognized for a lifetime of scholarly work and activism with the UCSC Ethos Award.
November 16, 2023
UCSC alumnus at the forefront of humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
UC Santa Cruz alumnus Peter Gelpi is at the forefront of efforts to feed Ukrainians displaced by the war against Russia.
November 15, 2023
bell hooks’s legacy turns a new page
For her remarkable legacy and lifelong contributions in the fields of literature and feminist studies, bell hooks posthumously received the Alumni Achievement Award on Oct. 27, 2023. Her family accepted the award on her behalf.
November 13, 2023
UCSC Humanities Division welcomes 11 new faculty members
The Humanities Division is proud to announce the recent hires of 11 outstanding new faculty members whose disciplines range from Critical Race & Ethnic Studies (CRES) to the History of Consciousness, Philosophy, Languages and Applied Linguistics.
November 09, 2023
Giving Day 2023 breaks records
Giving Day, UC Santa Cruz’s biggest fundraising event of the year, wraps up on a high note.
November 09, 2023
Veteran students excel with Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship
The Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship was established to support veteran students at UC Santa Cruz. Devin Burkland and Dan Palance are this year's recipients.
November 09, 2023
UCSC Alumnus Jim Lapsley helps build a future for Crown College
Pioneer alumnus Jim Lapsley, who was recognized with the Fiat Lux Award for his contributions to the Crown College Endowment, ruminates on his fundraising efforts and shares highlights from his life including his Crown experiences.
November 09, 2023
Alumna Lisa Rose celebrates legacy of support for Crown College
Crown College alumna and volunteer Lisa Rose (Crown ’72, literature) receives Fiat Lux Award for her dedication to Crown College.
November 01, 2023
Humanities Dean Jasmine Alinder receives NEH grant to enrich teaching of Japanese-American incarceration during WWII
Jasmine Alinder, Humanities Dean at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has received a prestigious grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, making it possible for her to co-direct a summer institute that will enrich U.S. educators’ understanding of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the aftermath of their devastating displacement.
October 26, 2023
Introducing The Humanities Institute’s 2024 Deep Read: Hernan Diaz’s Trust
Hernan Diaz’s bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Trust, The Humanities Institute’s latest Deep Read selection, is one of the most talked-about, praised, and bestselling works of historical fiction of the past few years. This book is a profound reflection on how power and wealth shape our stories about the global economy,
October 24, 2023
Remembering the grave injustices to Japanese-Americans in the 1940s through female activism
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Cowell College’s Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery launched a two-month exhibition entitled “Never Again is Now: Japanese American Women Activists and the Legacy of the Mass Incarceration.” The exhibit — on display through Dec. 2 — features artwork and historical renderings of women’s memories surrounding this time period, including challenges to racial and gender stereotypes, promotions of intergenerational ties, and developed coalitions of years past.
October 18, 2023
Risk-taking, independent comics creator Sina Grace (Stevenson ‘08, literature) takes on the legacy of teenage Superman, exploring the vulnerabilities of The Man Of Steel
No one escapes the travails of being a teenager - not even the mighty Superman. Acclaimed comics creator Sina Grace has brought this chapter of Superman’s life to light in the newly published DC graphic novel Superman: The Harvests of Youth.
October 13, 2023
Award-winning author and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni will be the honored guest speaker at this year’s Morton Marcus Poetry Reading
Chitra Divakaruni, known for her loving and vivid portraits of South Asian culture and the immigrant experience, will be the special guest at the 14th annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading on Thursday, November 2 at Merrill College at 6 p.m. The late Morton Marcus was Divakaruni's friend and early mentor.
October 06, 2023
Visualizing Abolition Studies certificate program launches this spring at UCSC
UCSC is set to launch its Visualizing Abolition Studies (VAST) certificate program this spring, helping undergraduates examine and question how society understands and responds to mass incarceration, detention, and policing in the United States and abroad.
September 29, 2023
Free Arivu concert, Festival of Monsters, and special exhibitions: celebrating National Arts & Humanities Month at UCSC
UCSC will celebrate National Arts & Humanities Month in October with an array of cultural and artistic happenings, including a free open-air concert by the massively popular Indian rapper Arivu on October 7. Another highlight will be the annual Festival of Monsters, which starts on Friday the 13th.
September 26, 2023
UC Santa Cruz welcomes new faculty to campus
UC Santa Cruz welcomes 54 new faculty members to campus who bring a wide array of expertise in research and creative scholarship that will open new areas of investigation and expression and expand existing areas of work.
September 20, 2023
Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Alumni Award Recipients
Seven UCSC alumni will be presented with awards for demonstrating outstanding professional achievements, making distinct contributions to society, providing impactful contributions to UC Santa Cruz, and embodying the values and spirit of the university.
September 15, 2023
Arivu, the massively popular and groundbreaking Indian rapper, will play an intimate outdoor show at UCSC’s Quarry Amphitheater, presented by the Center For South Asian Studies
Arivu, the Indian rapper, singer, and social activist whose image appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone India magazine, is playing a highly anticipated free concert at the Quarry Amphitheater at UCSC at 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 7.
August 25, 2023
UCSC History Professor Matt O’Hara awarded National Endowment For The Humanities Public Scholars Fellowship for research project on curare
UC Santa Cruz History Professor Matt O’Hara has received a prestigious $60,000 Public Scholars award from National Endowment For The Humanities for a research project focusing on the strange and tangled pharmaceutical history of curare, a variety of plant-based arrow poisons long used by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin.
August 14, 2023
UC Santa Cruz launches new Middle Eastern and North African Studies Minor
Starting this fall, a new interdisciplinary minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies will immerse undergraduates in the region’s languages, culture, politics and history. The minor will be housed in the Humanities Division at UC Santa Cruz.
August 08, 2023
UC Santa Cruz welcomes vibrant and talented incoming class
The University of California, Santa Cruz is preparing to welcome more than 5,500 new Banana Slugs to campus this fall, reflecting its commitment to providing equitable access and a transformational experience.
July 25, 2023
Excellence in Teaching Awards announced
The Academic Senate’s Committee on Teaching in collaboration with Chancellor Larive and CP/EVC Kletzer celebrated UC Santa Cruz’s innovative and dedicated teachers with a gathering at the Cowell Provost House in early June.
June 28, 2023
UCSC’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience awards over $4.6 million to support California coastal projects
The UCSC Center for Coastal Climate Resilience has awarded over $4.6 million in funding to 23 UC Santa Cruz research groups for pilot projects and implementation projects supporting efforts to fight climate change in coastal communities across California and beyond. Funds for these grant programs came from the California State Budget Act of 2022-23.
June 27, 2023
Q&A with John MacMillan, vice chancellor for research
After nearly two years as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) for UC Santa Cruz, John MacMillan was appointed to the permanent VCR role on June 1, 2023, after a nationwide search. Here he discusses his vision for UC Santa Cruz and its research enterprise.
June 20, 2023
Recognizing excellence in Humanities award ceremonies
This month, UC Santa Cruz’s Humanities Division once again marked the end of the school year with the Spring Awards and Graduate Student Awards, in ceremonies that celebrated the achievements of students, instructors, and alumni.
June 08, 2023
Alumna Stephanie Foo discusses her newest book
Stephanie Foo, longtime journalist and radio producer released her first book, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, in February 2022
June 08, 2023
A career of educating
After 38 years of interdisciplinary teaching at UCSC, Professor David Brundage is retiring.
June 02, 2023
UC Santa Cruz joins ACLS Research University Consortium
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has invited UC Santa Cruz to join the ACLS Research University Consortium, consisting of 43 eminent institutions. Through its membership, UCSC will help to sustain and enhance the national infrastructure of humanities and humanistic social sciences research.
June 02, 2023
UC Santa Cruz announces recipients of Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards
The Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate the university’s talented faculty, researchers, staff, students, and community partners for their outstanding contributions to innovation and creativity.
June 01, 2023
Rahul Gandhi, India’s most influential opposition leader, addresses the future of democracy in India during his UCSC Silicon Valley Extension talk
Rahul Gandhi highlighted the dysfunction and corruption of the current Indian government, alongside his party’s optimism for a more just future for India, during a surprise visit to University of California, Santa Cruz’s Silicon Valley Extension campus in Santa Clara this week.
May 23, 2023
Pulitzer Prize-winning climate journalist Elizabeth Kolbert warns of the complications, perils, and potentials of environmental interventions at Deep Read talk on campus
In her on on-stage discussion with New York Times columnist, podcaster and UCSC alumna Ezra Klein, Elizabeth Kolbert spoke about the efforts to roll back the effects of climate change. The talk was part of The Humanities Institute's fourth annual Deep Read series.
May 19, 2023
George Kraw: Solidifying a long-lasting impact
George Kraw attributes his life successes to the education he received from UC Santa Cruz. An alumnus and longtime donor to the university, Kraw talks about his time as a student and why he chooses to support his alma mater.
May 16, 2023
Excellence in Action: Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award Recipients
Now in its seventh year, the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award welcomes its 2023 cohort.
May 15, 2023
Partnership between The Humanities Institute and Bookshop Santa Cruz has made Santa Cruz a premiere literary destination
Back in 2015, The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz (THI), and Bookshop Santa Cruz joined forces to promote, support and organize events featuring fiction and creative nonfiction authors, historians, poets, dignitaries, Civil Rights pioneers, philosophers and investigative journalists. Their efforts helped make Santa Cruz into a literary destination.
May 05, 2023
UCSC prepares alumna for Peace Corps path
Alyssa Scarsciotti (Stevenson ’20, Sociology and Linguistics) dreamed of joining the Peace Corps since she was a child. After graduating from UCSC, Scarsciotti is making her dream a reality.
April 28, 2023
Fulbright scholarship will bring distinguished philosophy professor Paul Roth to Manchester, England this winter
Paul Roth, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Philosophy, has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Fellowship—the most distinguished appointment in the Fulbright program. He will be at the University of Manchester for six months starting January 2024.
April 18, 2023
National Endowment for the Humanities honors Watsonville Is In The Heart with a prestigious $75,000 project grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a prestigious $75,000 Public Humanities Projects: Exhibitions Planning grant to Watsonville Is In The Heart (WIITH), a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the Pajaro Valley.
April 18, 2023
Indirect cost recovery changes for fiscal year 2024
Attention Principal Investigators: UC Santa Cruz recently updated its federal Facilities and Administration (F&A) agreement approving indirect cost recovery rates for sponsored contracts and grants.
April 11, 2023
Drugs in the Bronze Age: NPR podcast
UCSC Associate Professor of History Benjamin Breen delved into the use of psychoactive drugs in the Bronze Age in a podcast for National Public Radio this week.
March 28, 2023
Spring 2023 Emeriti Lecture: Peace Teachers In and From Soledad Prison
John Brown Childs began offering courses on transcommunality at Soledad Correctional Facility eighteen years ago. Almost two decades later, his teachings continue to transform the lives of incarcerated men in Soledad.
March 28, 2023
Dickens Project honored with the 2023 Award of Merit from the California Association of Teachers of English.
The CATE award recognizes the Dickens Project’s long history of outreach and partnerships with high school students and teachers.
March 17, 2023
Black Studies minor builds momentum
The Black Studies minor at the University of California, Santa Cruz has grown in size and influence at a time when the United States continues to grapple with its long history of racism.
March 13, 2023
Advocating for human rights
Nicole Britton was awarded the Weiss Family Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
March 09, 2023
Imagining Freedom: Dr. Angela Davis and Dr. Gina Dent Participate in Panel Highlighting UCSC’s Visualizing Abolition Curriculum
On the recent panel “Imagining Freedom,” presented by the Mellon Foundation, UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor Dr. Gina Dent and Distinguished Professor Emerita Angela Y. Davis participated in a live streamed conversation on mass incarceration, the toll it takes on society, and ways the arts and humanities drive opportunities for civic, scholarly, and creative engagement across the criminal-legal system.
March 08, 2023
Alumni Councilor April Yee
April Yee joined the UCSC Alumni Council in 2017.
February 27, 2023
Introducing The Humanities Institute’s 2023 Deep Read: Elizabeth Kolbert’s Under A White Sky: The Nature Of the Future
This year's Deep Read selection is Under A White Sky: The Nature Of The Future by New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert. The book delves into the ingenuity and complications of efforts to reverse environmental damage and climate change. The program kicks off this spring and culminates in a live discussion with Kolbert on Sunday, May 21 at the Quarry Amphitheatre.
February 16, 2023
First In-Person Night at the Museum Since Pandemic Returns With “Resettlement: Chicago Story”
The Humanities Institute’s Signature Event, UCSC Night at the Museum, is returning to the MAH for a screening and panel conversation, featuring “Resettlement: Chicago Story,” a short fictional film and accompanying website about people of Japanese ancestry remaking their lives in the Midwest following their wrongful incarceration during World War II.
February 15, 2023
Speaking his soul: John Rickford to speak at Distinguished Alumni Lecture
Stevenson College Distinguished alumnus John Rickford returns to UC Santa Cruz for a reading of a chapter of his memoir, “Speaking my Soul: Race, Life, and Language.”
February 03, 2023
Funding opportunity to develop university innovations
The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for its new Innovation Catalyst Grant; a proof-of-concept program focused on providing targeted gap funding, training, mentorship, and support to UC Santa Cruz researchers in order to help de-risk and/or validate the implementation and adoption potential of early-stage technology innovations.
February 02, 2023
Uncovering the secret war against the Nazis in the Middle East
In his book talk on Wednesday, February 8 at UCSC, Gershom Gorenberg (Kresge '76, Religious Studies) will reveal the espionage affair that led to the British victory against Rommel at El Alamein – turning the tide of the war and preventing the mass murder of the Jews of Egypt, Palestine and the rest of the Middle East.
January 30, 2023
Disclosing foreign collaborations in research projects
In order to comply with evolving federal regulations related to disclosing foreign collaborations and other support, the Office of Research has updated Cayuse to include screening questions. These questions are meant to trigger information that needs to be disclosed on all applications and progress reports for projects with federal funding.
January 23, 2023
UCSC leads new multicampus initiatives on climate change and bilingualism
UC Santa Cruz faculty are leading two new collaborative programs funded by grants from UC’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) program.
January 09, 2023
Championing opportunity: Alumnus sponsors graduate student fellowships
UCSC alumnus and Stone Brewing Co-Founder Steve Wagner has funded summer research fellowships for four humanities graduate students over the course of four years.