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Two performers stand on a stage amid dramatic lighting while a large projection behind them displays text comparing artificial intelligence and human learning. The digital backdrop reads, "AI learns through mathematical pattern recognition and optimization of large datasets, while human learning is a biological process shaped by emotions and consciousness."

Arts and Humanities in Action: How MSU’s College of Arts and Letters Is Shaping Michigan’s Future

August 4, 2026

The impact of Michigan State University's College of Arts and Letters extends far beyond campus. Across Michigan, students, faculty, and alumni are putting the arts and humanities to work through education, language access, accessibility, public engagement, and creative partnerships that preserve cultural heritage, expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and prepare the next generation of leaders. "The arts, culture, and humanities enrich…

Collage of animals, plants, and stars surrounds text: "Michigan State University Science Festival, April 1-30, 2026," against a starry night sky background.

News / Student

College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Students Present Interactive Events at 2026 MSU Science Festival

April 8, 2026

The 2026 Michigan State University Science Festival, celebrating and exploring science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, takes place throughout the month of April, offering free events for all to enjoy. Two of those events will be presented by MSU College of Arts & Letters faculty: MI Diaries: Tell Your Story for Linguistics Analysis – April 11, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., STEM…

A child watches while an adult, squatting down to be at eye level, shows the child the screen of a mobile phone.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Linguistics / Michigan Impact / News / Research

MSU Researcher Awarded $650K NSF Grant to Expand Educational Opportunities Through Linguistics Project

August 29, 2024

Michigan State University Researcher and Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller was awarded $646,385 from the U.S. National Science Foundation, or NSF, to expand educational opportunities for students as part of the MI Diaries linguistics research project. Sneller and Associate Professor of Linguistics Suzanne Evans Wagner launched MI COVID Diaries in April 2020 to answer questions about how language changes…

A group of four people with laptops sit around a table talking to each other.

Faculty / Faculty / Linguistics / Michigan Impact / News / Student / Student

MSU Research Team and MI Diaries Project Foster Community During Challenging Times

January 18, 2024

This article includes content and personal accounts about the Feb. 13 violence the Michigan State University community experienced and the aftermath. It may be disturbing and upsetting for some people to read. If you are grieving or in distress, there are many ways to seek support, including talking with friends, family, and colleagues. MSU’s Office for Resource and Support Coordination offers…

A picture of a woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a red shirt with a light pink dress posing beside a poster board.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Linguistics / News / Research / Student / Student

Indigenous Language Revitalization a Top Priority for Linguistics Student

November 1, 2023

As a Linguistics major with a minor in Indigenous Studies, Mikayla Thompson has a passion for Indigenous language revitalization and is a proud descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her journey highlights the enduring power of ancestral connections and the unwavering commitment to safeguard the languages that shape identity.Born and raised in Michigan, Thompson’s early years were devoid of…

Faculty / Faculty / Grant / News / Research / U.S. Impact

NEH Grant to Develop Open-Source Code for Self-Recording Mobile App

February 14, 2022

College of Arts & Letters’ Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller was awarded a $99,908 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Digital Humanities Advancement Grant (DHAG) program for her project, “Building and Disseminating an App for Ethnographic Remote Audio Recording,” that will develop an open-source code to create a self-recording mobile app, which will be critical for…

Faculty / Grant / News / Research

MI Diaries Receives NSF Grant to Support Its Expansion

October 6, 2021

The MI Diaries project, run by MSU’s Sociolinguistics Lab and led by College of Arts & Letters’ Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller and Associate Professor of Linguistics Suzanne Wagner, was awarded a $265,830 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the expansion of the project over the next three years. Since MI Diaries first began in April…

Faculty / News / Programs / Scholarship

MSU Linguistics Ascends Rankings as a Solid Choice for Scholarship

June 22, 2021

Michigan State University’s Linguistics program is ranked among the top places in the field for study, research, and employment by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a leading provider of services, analytics, and insight to the global higher education sector. The Linguistics program offers B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees and two minors. It is housed inside the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (formerly the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages), which is an interdisciplinary department, with 66 faculty and about 1,200 students, that focuses…

Faculty / News / Research / Student

MI Diaries Project Sees Seven Team Members Graduate

May 10, 2021

The MI Diaries project, run by MSU’s Sociolinguistics Lab, is providing MSU students with valuable research experience, and many of those students have been with the project from its beginning more than a year ago and just graduated from Michigan State University. The MI Diaries project, led by Assistant Professor Betsy Sneller and Associate Professor Suzanne Wagner, has collected recorded…

COVID-19 / Faculty / News / Research

The MI COVID Diaries Project

November 16, 2020

COVID-19 has had a major impact on people around the world, but how is the pandemic changing our language and the way we communicate? That is the question being studied by a team of researchers at Michigan State University with the MI COVID Diaries Project, led by Associate Professor of Linguistics Suzanne Wagner and Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller.