Growing up, Camille Jackson set a goal to pursue higher education. Now that she’s close to receiving her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, she’s expanded her goals to attend graduate school and to preserve the cultural works that shaped her trajectory as a first-generation college student. When she graduates from MSU this May, Jackson will conclude one leg of…
Dear College of Arts & Letters and Honors College Community, This weekend’s hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, was frightening and traumatic to members of our community. Each instance of violence that appears to target a specific community can send shockwaves that are felt by many — particularly those who identify with the victims closest to the…
Deon Bennett came to Michigan State University intent on becoming more independent and open to new opportunities. He achieved that and more through academic and leadership activities that have inspired him to learn more about his culture and leave a legacy for others facing similar challenges as young Black men. Bennett started his scholarly exploration of the Black experience by…
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) student organization at MSU has earned the NCTE Student Affiliate Excellence Award for the sixth year in a row. This MSU group, which is affiliated with the Department of English and the Department of Teacher Education, is one of two NCTE student organizations from across the country to receive the award this…
Although specific to African languages, Magdalyne “Maggie” Oguti Akiding’s approach to second language instruction could be adapted to teach most any foreign language and is raising the bar for African language instruction in the United States with a fast-paced, communicatively oriented method that draws from culture, current events, and history. A native of Kenya, Akiding graduates this month with a…
The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) is offering several new or revised undergraduate courses during the Spring 2022 semester that each, in their own way, highlight and emphasize the department’s focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies. “Excellence in undergraduate education requires an ethic of care for students’ ideas and a demonstrated actionable…
In 2017, Karthik Durvasula, Assistant Professor in MSU’s Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, saw an argument on social media about a linguistics conference where there were only male plenary speakers.
What is Afrofuturism and why does it matter to our contemporary moment? In this presentation, Julian Chambliss, Professor of English, Core Faculty in the Consortium For Critical Diversity in Digital Age Research (CEDAR), and Val Berryman Curator of History at the MSU Museum, explores the manifestation of Black speculative practice.
Iliana Cosme-Brooks, a senior double majoring in Arts and Humanities and Public and Professional Writing, has found solace in creating during the COVID-19 pandemic and has picked up embroidery, sewing, crochet, and knitting. She was selected to receive a $500 CREATE! Micro-Grant to respond critically and creatively to the events of the pandemic. Her CREATE! Micro-Grant project, titled “Synonyms for, Symptoms of, Suffocation, Solitude,” is of a mask and an exaggerated and oversized sweater that she made to illustrate how she has felt during the pandemic.
Annie Dubois, a senior Professional and Public Writing major, and Nyle Rosenbaum, a junior Marketing major, received a CREATE! Micro-Grant to publish a zine that explores the pandemic’s effect on relationships, education, work, and identity.