Humanities News

ROMANCE LANGUAGES - As language learning declines nationwide, the Romance Languages in the College of Arts and Sciences are on the rise, thanks to reimagining curriculum to promote student success, and the results are undeniable.

COMIC AND CARTOON STUDIES — Political comics artist, Ben Passmore, visited the Comics and Cartoon Studies Program to speak and share his perspective at an open community event and in a class, Introduction to Comics Studies. Visiting lecturers are an opportunity for everyone involved: students hear from practicing artists and artists get feedback on their work.

LINGUISTICS, EALL — Three faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences were inducted as Fellows into the premiere linguistics organization and a doctoral student receive an exclusive award for her research paper.

Throughout the week of April 6–10, 2026, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, along with campus partners, will host a series of events open to faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff. The event will feature researchers throughout the College of Arts and Sciences.

THEATRE ARTS - The Robinson Theatre is reopening this February with University Theatre’s winter production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The reopening brings University Theatre’s largest performance space back into rotation, marking an important step forward for student training, production capacity and community engagement.

THEATRE ARTS — Love, mischief and mistaken intentions take center stage this winter as University Theatre presents “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. Directed by Jerry Ferraccio, the production marks the grand reopening of Robinson Theatre and runs Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and March 1.

ENGLISH - CAS undergraduate student Sarah Twiggs’ short story takes the perspective of an ant to win flash fiction contest. "The story was also inspired by the work I’ve been doing with posthumanism in a few of my classes," Twiggs said. "I find it really interesting to de-center the human perspective and consider new ways of thinking and being."

SPANISH - College of Arts and Sciences alum Brandon Rigby enjoyed studying Spanish, but it wasn’t until a professor suggested he major in it that he dove in. With multiple overseas assignments under his belt, he is now a global diplomat for the U.S. Department of State.

On the cusp of a new year, Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences Chris Poulsen took time to share what he is most excited about in the College of Arts and Sciences, now and into the future. "The success of this strategy doesn't depend on a few leaders. It depends on all of us," Poulsen said.

CINEMA STUDIES - Cinema studies professor Masami Kawai is set to begin production on her first feature film, “Valley of the Tall Grass,” in Eugene in summer 2026. It is both a personal journey and a community-centered story.

Researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences secured $83 million in sponsored grants to fund 199 research projects across the three divisions: Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. This year’s annual report provides a glimpse into the curious minds of researchers and their work.

CINEMA STUDIES - CAS senior Elle Thompson is a cinema studies major who's had multiple internships to get experience and exposure to different parts of the cinema industry. She landed a casting internship with Cast Iron Studios thanks to a cinema studies course and her persistence.

ENGLISH, DIGITAL HUMANITIES — In 2024, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $350,000 for the continued development of the London Stage Database, a groundbreaking digital catalog of theater events in London during the 18th century. Learn about the importance of this digital humanities project and its impact on researchers and ancestry sleuths everywhere.

LINGUISTICS — How people learn language continues to puzzle many researchers in linguistics, but a team of College of Arts and Science linguists recently received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2025 to get closer to an answer. Volya Kapatsinski in the Department of Linguistics and Kaori Idemaru in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures secured the grant and are currently conducting the research.

THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's fall production is "The Moors," and as with any good story, things are not what they appear, and the characters’ motives aren’t always honest. The play includes a six-member cast and the creative use of stage lighting to create a Victorian-style set for the manor and the moors outside the home. The show runs Nov. 7–23 and tickets are free for students.