News - Page 3 - College of Arts & Letters

Humanities-Prelaw Student Gains Experience Assisting Attorneys During Internship

February 23, 2026

Faustina Zielonka is a Humanities-Prelaw senior from Macomb, Michigan, who interned with Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) in Lansing, Michigan. She shared her experiences with this internship in this Q&A that originally was published by the Excel Network.

Smiling person with long wavy hair stands with hands on hips in front of a green wall display reading “Michigan State University,” wearing a light-colored lace top and a bright pink skirt.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Humanities-Prelaw / News / Student / Women’s and Gender Studies

Student Reconnects with Anishinaabeg Heritage and Discovers Unlimited Potential at MSU

February 20, 2026

Every Spartan’s path to Michigan State University is different. There are many reasons students find themselves pursuing their future at MSU, but for Kaylin Casper from Los Angeles, California, the reasons were ambition and heritage. “I lived really far away from my Anishinaabeg family,” she said. “As the great-granddaughter of federal Indian Boarding School survivors, coming back to Michigan State was a way for me to be closer to my tribal community to reclaim my cultural knowledge.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / International Impact / News

MSU Theatre Professor Survived a Forgotten War and Is Refusing to Let It Disappear

February 19, 2026

Long before he became a Professor of Theatre Studies and Integrative Humanities at Michigan State University, Philip Effiong Jr. was a child struggling to survive a war the world would largely forget. During the Nigeria-Biafra War, he endured air raids, hunger, and displacement —experiences that left lasting psychological and emotional scars. Decades later, those memories have become the foundation of two memoirs.

A low-angle view of MSU’s Beaumont Tower framed by lush green trees against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds

Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Philosophy / U.S. Impact / WRAC

College of Arts & Letters Plays Critical Role in Shaping MSU’s Ethics Institute

February 19, 2026

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.

Woman with long brown hair who is smiling and wearing a green Michigan State long-slevee T-shirt.

English / News / Scholarship / Student

MSU’s Culture of Exploration and Donor Support Helps Fuel English Major’s Spartan Journey

February 18, 2026

Thanks to Michigan State University, Sloane Barlow isn’t exactly sure what’s next. But she’s ok with that. “I feel very confident in my skills to do whatever I want,” she said. “I'm not tied to any certain job or field, and that's because of the exploration that MSU has allowed me.” Originally from Rochester Hills, Michigan, Barlow is an Honors…

The bronze Spartan statue on Michigan State University’s campus is shown in the foreground, backlit by the sun, with trees, blue sky, and campus buildings visible in the background.

AAHD / Art, Art History, and Design / Digital Humanities / Event / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Philosophy / Research / Student / Student / XA

From AI to Urban Trees: College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Students Lead Ethics Week Events Inviting MSU Community into Critical Dialogue

February 16, 2026

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…

A group of nine College of Arts & Letters faculty members standing in two rows, smiling and posing for a group photo. They are dressed in business professional attire, including dark blazers, a teal jacket, dress shirts with ties, and a cream blouse. They stand on a patterned rug in a well-lit indoor lounge area featuring an orange seating bench, a wood-slatted ceiling, and warm pendant lighting. In the blurred foreground, the hands of a person holding a smartphone are visible, capturing the picture of the group.

AAHD / Art, Art History, and Design / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Linguistics / News / Philosophy / Religious Studies / Spanish / Theatre

MSU Celebrates Promoted Faculty, Honoring 29 from the College of Arts & Letters

February 14, 2026

During the 2025-2026 academic year, 24 faculty members within the College of Arts & Letters received promotions. The success of these individuals was celebrated at special ceremonies hosted by the Office of the Provost. “On behalf of the College of Arts & Letters, I want to congratulate our faculty members who have earned promotions this year,” said Thomas Stubblefield, Dean of the 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.

Arts MSU / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Event / Film Screening / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Spanish

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…