Faculty

1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics

November 17, 2023

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University, focuses much of his research and teaching on understanding the sustainable stewardship that Native Americans have demonstrated toward waters, plants, fish, wildlife, and their food systems. “One thing I’ve brought up in my IAH (Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities) classes is thinking about how Indigenous…

Faculty / Faculty / Grant / News

Grant Supports International Community Engaged Partnership

November 16, 2023

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC), received Michigan State University’s 2023-2024 Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant (CIEG) of $12,000 to further his community engagement work in Tanzania.Choti and his Tanzanian collaborator, Jonathan Kivuyo of the University of Dar es Salaam, will use the funding to fight food insecurity in Naitolia Village in Northern Tanzania.…

Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / News / Theatre

Alum Reunites with Mentor Who Helped Kickstart Her Career

November 15, 2023

In Spring 2020, Shelby Eppich became one of the first two people to graduate from Michigan State University with a BFA in Stage Management, a program founded in 2017 by Tina M. Newhauser, Head of the Department of Theatre’s Stage Management Program at MSU.Now, three years after earning her degree, Eppich works as the Artist Relations and Special Projects Manager…

Faculty / Faculty / News / Religious Studies

New Black Religion Courses Enhance Religious Studies Curriculum

November 13, 2023

From the days of slavery to the Black Lives Matter movement, religion has played an essential role in the lives of Black Americans. However, that role is often misunderstood or viewed through stereotypes of submissive slaves bowing their heads in prayer and acceptance of their fate. In reality, Black religion has evolved as a means of protest and power. The…

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Religious Studies / Research

Religious Studies Professor Returns to Her Native Community for 1855 Professorship

November 10, 2023

Blaire Morseau grew up in New Jersey and spent most of her life there, including her undergraduate years at Rutgers University, yet she considers Michigan her home. As a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, which is based in Dowagiac, Michigan, Morseau spent many summers in the Great Lakes State where she attended powwows and worked at various…

Photo collage of nine different people smiling and posing.

Faculty / News / Performance / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Mina Loy’s Trailblazing Feminism Takes Center Stage in World Premiere at MSU

November 9, 2023

A team of interdisciplinary artists will present a cross-institutional staging of the feminist futuristic poetic dramas of Mina Loy on Thursday, Dec. 7, and Friday, Dec. 8, at the MSU Broad Art Museum and at the University of Michigan-Flint North Bank Dance Studio, respectively. This world premiere is free and open to the public.  Mina Loy dressed for the Blindman’s Ball at Webster…

Photo of three people sitting in chairs on a raised floor.

Faculty / News / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Faculty Voice: What goes on behind the stage

November 8, 2023

Scene Shop Supervisor Levi Galloway, Technical Director D.J. Selmeyer, and Assistant Technical Director Marc White, from the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, write about the technical seminar they hosted Oct. 12 for Theatre students. The seminar took place on the set of “Clue” at the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. Scene Shop Supervisor…

Portrait of a woman wearing glasses, a purple dress, and a colorful necklace.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Research

Ask the Expert: How Does Black Horror Help Us Understand Cultural Anxieties?

October 23, 2023

The genre of horror, and specifically Black horror, has been gaining attention in mainstream media in the last decade. Films by Black writers and directors featuring Black actors — think “ Us” and “Get Out” by writer and director Jordan Peele — are exploring themes of race and gender through a different lens while opening larger dialogues about belonging and…

Faculty / Faculty / News

College Celebrates Accomplishments of 2023 Promoted Faculty

September 20, 2023

This year, 20 faculty members within the College of Arts & Letters have received promotions. The success of these individuals was celebrated during the 2023 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 18 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The College has adopted an approach to promotion that empowers colleagues to Chart Their Pathway of Intellectual Leadership by identifying the stepping stones, milestones,…

AAHD / African American and African Studies / English / Faculty / Linguistics / Religious Studies / Staff / Theatre

College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

September 19, 2023

The College of Arts & Letters welcomes 45 new full-time faculty and staff members this Fall 203 Semester. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the 2023 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception, which was held on Sept. 18.