There is a line from Seinfeld that cuts to the heart of the distinction between sincerity and ethical candor. In a desperate attempt to beat a polygraph machine, Jerry turns to George, a practiced liar, for advice. As Jerry gets up to leave, George offers this...
Dear College of Arts & Letters Students, Staff, and Faculty, As we navigate a very challenging period of uncertainty, I write to provide an update from the College regarding the Spring 2021 semester. This message supplements the communications that were sent last week to the MSU community from President Stanley about the Spring 2021 semester and from Provost Woodruff regarding…
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, I want to provide an update on the progress of the Budget Reduction Task Force (BRTF) as part of our 2020 Contingency Plan. As mentioned during the College Meeting held on August 21, recommendations from the three subcommittees were due on October 8. Those have been submitted and are now available on…
The challenge of interdisciplinary research can be easily explained through the parable of five blind-folded people and one very patient elephant.
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.
Now more than ever, our need to provide students with the human and professional virtues required to live meaningful lives through deep and genuine relations is critical in the world today. Our virtual conversation with Dean Christopher P. Long (College of Arts & Letters), Dr. Arthur Versluis (Department Chair of Religious Studies and Chair of the Foglio Chair in Spirituality…
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…
As we navigate this challenging period of remote learning, it is important to find ways to remain connected. One of the most enduring ways we are connected as a society is through the vital practice of voting that sustains our democracy. For generations, Americans have fought, struggled, and died to establish and preserve our right to vote. Their sacrifices make voting our sacred responsibility.
While earning undergraduate degrees in French and Philosophy, Paula Winke was inspired to blend her interests in language learning, research, and social justice. Today, she’s an applied linguist, researching the ethics and effectiveness of foreign language testing as Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages and Director of the Second Language Studies Program Winke works in foreign language…
Dear MSU Class of 2024, Welcome to Michigan State University and to the College of Arts & Letters! You are embarking on an education that will forever shape the course of your life. At the very moment you begin this journey of personal transformation in your life, we are living through an intense period of transformation in our society. The pandemic has caused us to move this semester online to protect the health and safety of our community.