Author: Dan White
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Preserving the Amazon: A digital lifeline for the Biblioteca Amazónica
Three years ago, a fire broke out at the Biblioteca Amazónica in Iquitos, Peru, imperiling one of the world’s most important collections of primary sources on Amazonian history, culture, and politics. For Amanda M. Smith, Associate Professor of Latin American Literature, the disaster highlighted the urgency of the project she had already begun: digitizing the…
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A Renaissance dream reimagined: Sir Isaac Julien’s major new installation opens in Italy
Acclaimed artist, filmmaker, and Distinguished Professor of the Arts and History of Consciousness Isaac Julien has created a Renaissance-inspired dreamscape for the 21st century.
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This spooky season, join UC Santa Cruz experts in exploring what scares us and why
As Halloween approaches, UC Santa Cruz faculty are undertaking scholarly investigations of zombies, digging up cultural histories of vampires, and delving deeply into the metaphysics of creepiness.
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Making metaphysics matter: Two new UC Santa Cruz Philosophy professors bring big questions down to Earth
Metaphysics has never had a “fun” reputation. Many people—if they’ve even heard of the M-word— tend to associate it with woozy, abstract lectures about time and space. But with the arrival of Philosophy Professor and new Department Chair Sara Bernstein and Philosophy Professor Daniel Nolan, two internationally respected experts in metaphysics, the UC Santa Cruz…
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Ariel Chan is a new voice for linguistics and bilingualism studies
For as long as she can remember, Assistant Professor of Languages and Applied Linguistics Ariel Chan has lived her life in two languages. Now one of three new Humanities faculty hires at UC Santa Cruz, Chan is challenging outdated assumptions about bilingualism through her work at the intersection of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and neuroscience.
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Humanities students dive into Santa Cruz surfing history
This spring quarter, UC Santa Cruz Humanities students immersed themselves in the story of three Hawaiian princes who introduced surfing to the United States in the late 19th century, using Santa Cruz to launch a sport that became a cultural phenomenon. The ten-week public history course, taught by UC Santa Cruz Humanities Dean and History…
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This year’s Dickens Universe will explore a neglected Victorian melodrama
This summer’s edition of The Dickens Universe – a unique cultural event that brings together scholars, teachers, students, and members of the general public for a week of stimulating discussion and festive social activity – will give Dickens admirers a chance to rediscover The Old Curiosity Shop.
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Celebrating the Humanities at UC Santa Cruz
The inaugural UC Santa Cruz Celebrating The Humanities gathering at the Seymour Center made a powerful case for the relevance, impact, and career power of humanistic learning. The event drew over 300 people.
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Changing the story: Acclaimed author William Finnegan on his long journey to The New Yorker
Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Finnegan (Cowell, ‘74, Literature), this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Humanities Undergraduate Alumni Award, spoke of the need for self-reinvention, crooked paths, career switches, and “changing your story” during his acceptance speech at this week’s Celebrating the Humanities event.
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A quarter century of new perspectives: The Humanities Institute turns 25
The Humanities Institute has an outsized impact on UC Santa Cruz and the wider world with its strong focus on research excellence, student success, and public engagement.
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Amending worlds: Rewriting futures at The Humanities Institute’s 25th Anniversary Night at the Museum
On the night of June 5, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History will come alive with squid lights, video projections, interactive computer games, the sights and sounds of archives, and the rustle of recycled fabrics and flags.
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Building bridges through digital humanities: UC Santa Cruz project reframes Sikh studies for the 21st Century
The research initiative Sikhs in the 21st Century: Remembering the Past, Engaging the Future aims to reshape how a religious tradition is studied, taught, and understood.