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…
The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) Center, a new service center within MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, is a one-of-a-kind organization that provides philosophically based capacity-building services to research and practice groups locally, nationally, and internationally. Established in June 2021 and led by Executive Director Michael O’Rourke and Associate Directors Dr. Edgar Cardenas, Dr. Chet McLeskey, and Dr. Marisa Rinkus,…
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…
For his lifetime of service to the field of popular culture, Gary Hoppenstand, Professor of Film Studies and 20th-Century Literature in MSU’s Department of English, has won the Popular Culture Association’s (PCA) Presidential Award. He also is the 2021-2022 recipient of the Lynn Bartholome Eminent Scholar Award and will deliver the Bartholome Lecture, “The Story of Popular Culture as Story,”…
Like most incoming first-year students, when I arrived at MSU to move into my Bailey Hall dorm room, I was nervous, homesick, and overwhelmed. I’m not ashamed to admit I shed a few tears at Noodles & Company as I ate lunch with my family before they left to go back home without me. A new chapter was ahead of me, and the blank pages were daunting.
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…
Alex Vonhof, a Studio Art senior at Michigan State University, was selected for the inaugural international class of the Ars Electronica Festival University in Linz, Austria, where he spent several weeks engaging in the transformative arts program, gaining hands-on experience with trend-forward techniques, and bringing back a better understanding of where arts — and the world’s future — are heading. …
Julia Isoniemi, a sophomore double majoring in Theatre and Film Studies, and Ben Barber, a sophomore Theatre major, received a CREATE! Micro-Grant to produce a short film addressing mental health, loss, grief, and life transitions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, entitled Acceptance: Our Pandemic Story, covers the story of a student, Lime, who is going to therapy to process…
The College of Arts & Letters is pleased to recognize the faculty members who recently were promoted to full professor, associate professor, or associate professor-fixed term. These faculty were honored during special ceremonies at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in October and November.
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…