Humanities

Anis Bawarshi, professor of English, was recently honored by the Conference on College Composition and Communication for representing “the highest ideals of scholarship, teaching, and service to the entire profession."

The benefits of learning more languages go far beyond the positive classroom experience; there are substantial advantages in your career and personal life. Previous scholarship has demonstrated that bilingual job candidates have up to a 35% increase in job opportunities.

Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist David Horsey tells stories in long hand with his novel “Beach of Stars.”

While February might be just 28 days, the UW College of Arts & Sciences offers an exciting lineup of more than 40 in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University.

With the recent arrival of generative AI programs that can write conversationally, produce vivid imagery, and perform myriad tasks for us, some technologists believe the superintelligent machines of science fiction are right around the corner. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted. This story was originally published in National Geographic.

Historian Coll Thrush researches the dark history of Pacific Northwest shipwrecks in "Wrecked." Thrush, who earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in history at the University of Washington, spent six years combing through archives, oral histories and ship logs to unearth tales of sinking and survival, exploitation and tragedy. But in the process, he discovered a deeper narrative—an exploration of how people, place and power collided along the Northwest coast, and how nature always won.

Welcome to our second Halloween installment, where we ask movie buffs Champ Ensminger and Ungsan Kim what movies they recommend if you like a scary fix for the holiday. Kim, assistant professor of Asian cinema at the UW, is interviewed.

Come curious. Leave inspired. We invite you to connect with us this November through a rich and varied schedule of more than 30 events, exhibitions, podcasts, and more. From chamber opera premieres and public lectures to Indigenous storytelling and poetry celebrations, theres something to spark every curiosity. Expect boundary-pushing performances, thought-provoking dialogues on memory and...

Are Asian horror films scarier than their American counterparts? What makes them so chilling? And which ones should you check out this year and every year? Ungsan Kim, assistant professor of Asian cinema at the UW, is quoted.

Several Asian countries adapted the Chinese writing system—the oldest writing system still in use—for their own languages. In a new book, Professor Zev Handel shares how that happened.

New faculty books from the University of Washington include those from Asian languages and literature, applied mathematics and the Jackson School of International Studies.

Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling "Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry" with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and once exchanged letters with Pulitzer-winning biologist E.O. Wilson.

Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling “Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry” with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and once exchanged letters with Pulitzer-winning biologist E.O. Wilson.

"Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs, even creative ones, like doctors, teachers and care workers? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything?" writes Luke Munn research fellow at the University of Queensland. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, can help people with severe injuries or impairments regain the ability to communicate or move their arms and legs through robotic substitutes. The devices, which are about the size of a dime and are implanted on the surface of a persons brain, serve as a communication link between the brains neural...