Science fiction remains an enduring touchstone of pop culture, but it’s broader than spaceships and aliens like you see in the recent “Project Hail Mary” movie — no offense, Ryan Gosling. Science fiction is also an area researched by scholars exploring what it says about our current culture, collective past, and the varying viewpoints of its creators. Michigan State University…
Translation is about more than converting words from one language to another. It requires cultural understanding, empathy, and an ability to connect people with information that matters. At Michigan State University, students in the College of Arts & Letters are developing those skills through a partnership that pairs hands-on translation experience with meaningful community engagement. Through this partnership between the…
The Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artists-in-Residence Program is entering its fifth year, featuring Kalamazoo-based visual artist Ellen VanderMyde as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence and the debut of the program’s first group exhibition showcasing the work of last year’s cohort of Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters artists.
This spring, faculty, students, and alumni celebrated 10 years of the Graphic Design Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program at Michigan State University. The Graphic Design B.F.A. major and the minor launched in 2016 to meet MSU student interest and align with industry expectations. Before 2016, Graphic Design was a concentration within the Studio Art B.F.A. major. The Day of…
Bill Mechanic — you may not recognize his name, yet few filmmakers can match his level of success. The movies he has helped launch are among the biggest ever made, including Titanic, Independence Day, Braveheart, and X-Men. His blockbuster career can be traced back to Michigan State University — an unlikely starting point.
At a time when students are encountering discussions of genocide not only in history books but as it unfolds in real time across social media and global news, a program offered through Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters is helping secondary education teachers across Michigan respond to the growing challenge of teaching about this fraught topic in a…
When award-winning playwright and Michigan State University alum Sandra Seaton returned to Wharton Center for Performing Arts for the world premiere of "Sally: A Solo Play," it was both a creative milestone and a homecoming. The production brought Seaton’s 15-year engagement with Sally Hemings to a stage that has long shaped her artistic life — one she calls “a home away from home.”
From national research ethics to global scientific freedom, Heather Douglas, Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University, has been appointed to two high-profile committees: one at the National Academy of Sciences redefining ethical research practice for the next generation of scientists, and another at the International Science Council where she is the only American member monitoring threats…
Technology is changing how decisions are made. Trust in public institutions is shifting. And many of the choices shaping daily life — across education, health care, government, and business — raise fundamental questions about values, responsibility, and the common good. For scholars in Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters, asking those kinds of questions has long been central to their work.
This week, Feb. 16-20, 2026, Michigan State University celebrates Ethics Week, a week-long series of events designed to engage students, faculty, staff, and the community in meaningful discussions about ethics and to encourage campus-wide engagement with contemporary moral challenges. Organized by the Ethics Institute, Ethics Week is dedicated to exploring the key roles ethics plays in our professional and personal…