We in the College of Arts & Letters have long understood the power of words to strengthen or diminish democracy. Over the past 24 hours, we have witnessed the power of words to incite violent insurrection at the United States Capitol, distort the truth, and undermine a peaceful transition of power. But we have also seen the power of words to organize and mobilize voters in Georgia, to resist cynical strategies of voter suppression, and to persevere in certifying the will of the people.
On this longest night of a challenging year, the fire we light together calls back the sun. As the winter solstice turns us toward the brighter days of a still inchoate spring, may you find time to be with those you love, to rest and reflect, and to restore the energy we will need to support our students and one another in the year to come.
As the 2020-2021 College of Arts & Letters’ Artist-in-Residence of Critical Race Studies, Young Joon Kwak is using multidisciplinary artistry to examine MSU’s Sparty statue in order to understand its deepest details and what lies beyond its symbolic skin.
The College of Arts & Letters was pleased to host MacArthur Genius, Guggenheim Fellow, and acclaimed author Claudia Rankine as a part of the College’s Signature Lecture Series. This online event took place November 12 with about 360 people tuning in to the online interactive talk on racism and social justice.
Whirlwind. Curveball. Whiplash. Unexpected. Unprecedented. These were just a few of the words swirling around as we transitioned to remote instruction at the Community Language School (CLS) at Michigan State University last spring. We were catapulted into the unknown of virtual planning, learning and teaching, forcing us to adapt our programs to offer fully remote language classes for families, kids, pre-teens, teens and adults in just a few short weeks and throughout the summer.
Following a national search, Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD has named Jabbar R. Bennett as the university's vice president and chief diversity officer.
Michigan State University has taken over hosting and development of Humanities Commons, an online network for people working in the humanities. The site was launched by the Modern Language Association (MLA) in December 2016 and has become a key piece of online scholarly infrastructure with nearly 25,000 users. The transfer to MSU provides an institutional home that gives the platform…
This semester, the College of Arts & Letters is pleased to welcome 22 new faculty and staff members. Please join us in welcoming the following people to Michigan State University and the College of Arts & Letters: Ruth Nicole Brown Ruth Nicole Brown is the Inaugural Chairperson for the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS). Previously, she worked as…
This year’s College of Arts & Letters staff appreciation event, which is held each year to recognize the dedication, outstanding service, and exceptional work of the College’s staff members, was held virtually via Microsoft Teams on June 5. The highlight of this online event was the presentation of the group and individual awards. Those awards and the 2020 winners include:…
This semester, the College of Arts & Letters welcomed 13 new faculty and staff members, seven of whom work for the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures. The 13 new faculty and staff members include the following: Kirk Astle Kirk Astle, Assistant Professor, Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, specializes in the theory and rhetoric of power and teaching…
