Humanities

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum multi‑year initiative

A collaboration between WSU and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., will bring the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Annual Lecture and programming to the Northwest year next year and begin a multi-year regional initiative to address anti-Semitism, racism, and histories of persecution in North America. The joint endeavor will put WSU at the […]

Transcending borders

Tabitha Espina (’20 PhD English) is fascinated with language and the power of words, along with their ability to shape identity and sense of belonging. She grew up on the tiny island of Guam and moved an ocean away to earn her doctoral degree at WSU. Now an assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at […]

Dr. Universe: How do places get their names?

One way a place might get a name is from the person who explored it. The Americas are named after an Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. But Amerigo wasn’t the first person to explore these continents, and people living there when he arrived. For the most part, people name things because they are claiming possession of […]

French Film Festival brings cultural diversity

For the tenth year in a row, the Palouse French Film Festival offered students and local community members the opportunity to experience a slice of European culture. “Some of our films get more toward the history of France, some are more modern and [delve into] culture or today’s French society,” said Sabine Davis, clinical professor […]

Fulbright summer award leads WSU sophomore to Wales

Linguistics major and Spokane native Ava Beck will study at Aberystwyth University in Wales for three weeks this summer, thanks to a Fulbright Summer Institute award. Beck is one of approximately 60 U.S. students selected to undertake academic and cultural programs at any of nine hosting institutions throughout the United Kingdom. At Aberystwyth, Beck will […]

English professor chronicles Arctic residency adventure

Sailing aboard the Antigua, a traditionally rigged tall ship specially outfitted for sailing in the high Arctic,   writer and Regents professor of English Debbie Lee chronicled her experience as a member of the Arctic Circle Artist Residency Program. One of thirty artists from every part of the world sailing the west coast of Svalbard […]

Data analysis, text mining drives literary research

English major Matthew Jockers wasn’t always a computer whiz. The new dean of the WSU College of Arts and Sciences recalls a class in high school in which he struggled to program a mainframe to print out his name. “It was that tricky,” he says. A love of reading, writing, and literature led him to […]

Art for Social Change showcase and winners

The annual Art for Social Change Competition and Showcase shines a light on local artwork that express the significance of social justice, community building and black history. This year, accepted works were featured in a public exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery 3 and awards presented by co-sponsoring departments across campus. Students from all campuses […]

Single mom earning degree while raising her son

For the average college student juggling school, classes and a job can be a difficult feat in itself. WSU Vancouver, however, is not a campus filled with traditional students. It is a commuter campus and sees everything from parents to long-distance commuters attending classes. Ana Betancourt is a WSU Vancouver junior majoring in sociology and […]

Foreign language study leads to success

Kevin Simeon (’17 Chinese) has traveled to distant continents, made many new friends, and established an international business based around his knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. He attributes his success to enrolling in Chinese 101 at WSU. It wasn’t until my sophomore year on the Palouse when I decided to take on the daunting challenge of […]