News - Page 2 - College of Arts & Letters

A composite image featuring five movie posters arranged in a grid. The top row contains three posters: "Boca Chica," "La Cocina," and "La Singla." The bottom row contains two larger posters: "We Shall Not Be Moved" and "Zafari." The posters span a diverse range of cinematic styles, from high-contrast black-and-white to lush, colorful photography.

Largest Latinx Film Festival in Michigan Returns to MSU Feb. 19-22

February 12, 2026

The MSU Latinx Film Festival (LxFF), the largest Hispanic/Latino/Latin American film festival in Michigan, returns Feb. 19-22 with screenings and events across Michigan State University’s campus and the city of Lansing. A biennial, curated festival, LxFF brings acclaimed independent films from Latin America and the Latinx diaspora to the Midwest, featuring works that are rarely screened in the United States and that invite audiences to engage with the world from new perspectives.

A promotional graphic for Douglass Day on February 13, 2026, featuring the Colored Conventions Project. The top half of the image has a dusty rose background with the event title and the website DouglassDay.Org in white text. The bottom half features a collage including a vintage sketch of a Black man and woman, an archival illustration of a convention assembly, and a torn paper element referencing the Fourteenth Amendment from June 1866.

Digital Humanities / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Event / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / U.S. Impact

Preserving Black History: MSU Celebrates Frederick Douglass’ Legacy with Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon

February 11, 2026

Michigan State University is celebrating the life and legacy of renowned 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass and inviting the public to join the festivities for the annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon on Friday, Feb. 13, from noon to 3 p.m. The event will take place in the MSU Main Library’s Digital Scholarship Lab Classroom and Flex Space, with portions of the program streamed live on YouTube.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Faculty Voice: Teaching and Research at Beal Garden Inspires MSU Department of Theatre Production

February 10, 2026

Alexandria Davis is an Assistant Professor of Dance in MSU’s Department of Theatre as well as an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, researcher, performance deviser, and certified dancer in healthcare. She wrote, choreographed, and is directing Echoes from the Banks of the Red Cedar, an immersive dance theatre production presented by the Department of Theatre Feb. 14–22, 2026, at the Fairchild Theatre…

Two student performers stand on stage beneath a large projection reading, “AI learns through mathematical pattern recognition and optimization of large datasets, while human learning is a biological process shaped by experience, emotions and consciousness.” Blue and purple lighting and stage haze frame the scene, with one performer elevated on a platform and another kneeling nearby, holding a notebook.

Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre

From Seed to Stage: MSU Department of Theatre Production Draws Inspiration from Historic Beal Experiment

February 9, 2026

Buried beneath Michigan State University’s campus are the seeds of one of the world’s longest continuously monitored scientific experiments — and now, a new production presented by MSU’s Department of Theatre is bringing that history to life. Currently in its 147th year, the William J. Beal Seed Experiment serves as the inspiration for Echoes from the Banks of the Red Cedar, an immersive dance theatre production written, choreographed, and directed by Alexandria Davis, Assistant Professor of Dance.

Three head-and-shoulders portrait photos displayed side by side. From left to right: a person with short dark hair wearing a dark shirt, a person with short dark hair wearing a blazer and collared shirt, and a person with long brown hair and bangs wearing a maroon top. All are facing the camera and smiling.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / International Impact / News / Research / Scholarship

College of Arts & Letters Faculty Help Drive MSU’s Continued Success as a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars

February 4, 2026

For the 11th time in the last 12 years, Michigan State University has been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, ranking among the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Eleven scholars from MSU were selected for Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for academic year 2025–2026. Three of those faulty members are in the College of Arts & Letters.

“Smiling man seated in an office or library setting, with bookshelves in the background, wearing a gray zip-up jacket.”

Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / News / RCAH

Scot Yoder, Longtime RCAH Faculty Member and Department of Philosophy Alum, Appointed RCAH’s Next Leader

February 2, 2026

Scot Yoder has been named the next leader of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University. A longtime RCAH faculty member who has been with the college since it first opened, Yoder assumed his new duties as RCAH Director on Jan. 1, 2026. He was appointed to the position by Thomas Stubblefield, Dean of…

Rachel Zhai stands at a podium holding notes while delivering an oral presentation to an audience seated in a lecture-style room at the Diversity Research Showcase.

Art, Art History, and Design / Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Event / Film Studies / French / Humanities-Prelaw / Japanese / News / Research / Student / Student / Theatre

Arts & Letters and RCAH Students Earn Awards at Diversity Research Showcase

January 30, 2026

Students from the College of Arts & Letters and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) earned top honors at the 9th Annual Diversity Research Showcase hosted by MSU’s Honors College. Thirteen students from the two colleges presented their research, with two RCAH students receiving first place in the poster presentation category and a College of Arts &…

Alejandra Márquez, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Michigan State University, wears an orange shirt and glasses. She sits in from a wall with wallpaper that shows green, blue, and yellows leaves.

Faculty / Faculty / News / Spanish / U.S. Impact

Ask the Expert: The Super Bowl Goes Spanish With Bad Bunny’s Halftime Performance

January 30, 2026

Perhaps you’ve heard him featured on Cardi B’s 2019 hit “I Like it.” Maybe you’ve seen him host Saturday Night Live. You might have even seen his name during the Grammys, in recent headlines, or come across songs from his most recent album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” on your music streaming app of choice.Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny,…

Tasiyah Hampton, Kamara Drane, and Charisma Holly stand on a raised stage, each at a microphone. They wear professional-casual attire in neutral tones. A dark curtain forms the stage backdrop, while audience members seated at round banquet tables fill the foreground in a large conference hall.

News / Student / Theatre

Transforming Theatre Ensemble Showcases Student Work at Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration

January 29, 2026

When first-year Michigan State University student and Detroit-based poet Charisma Holly’s words echoed through the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center banquet room during MSU’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner, she knew she was giving back to a celebration transcending injustice. Holly, a Communications Leadership and Strategy major, is part of a new tradition for the Transforming Theatre…

Alex Guo presents on stage at Ignite Talks MSU. Behind her, a large projected word cloud highlights terms related to gender, identity, and community.

Student / WRAC / XA

College of Arts & Letters Student Named to Statewide Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force

January 28, 2026

Alex Guo, a third-year undergraduate student in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, is among 23 students chosen from nearly 100 applicants from across the state to serve on the Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force, which will develop and implement recommendations to improve voter education and engagement among young people on college and university campuses in Michigan.…