Humanities Division

Disappointed by the depiction of Helen of Troy in a recent film, Ruby Blondell was inspired to research Helen, whom she describes as “simultaneously the supreme object of men’s desire and the instrument, or agent, of their destruction.” 

The UW's field school at Tel Dor, Israel, took center stage recently when a student unearthed a very rare gemstone, carved with a portrait of Alexander the Great, that dates back to about 230 BCE. 

In a new book, Robert Heilman's life—including his years as chair of the Department of English—is presented through letters to and from colleagues and renowned writers from Theodore Roethke to Wallace Stegner. 

A bachelor of arts in Finnish has been approved, providing a new option for students without additional cost to the University. 

To visit the UW’s newest campus, you’ll have to book a plane ticket. And brushing up on your Spanish couldn’t hurt. 

Greed. Excess. Exploitation of natural resources. Sound familiar? In a new book, Money Matters, Professor Richard Gray explores how these issues played out in late 18th and early 19th century Germany.

In Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, A&S alumna Mary Kollar ('65, '81) shares poetry with passersby through a poetry box outside her house.

The UW Department of Linguistics is offering American Sign Language, with a full-time lecturer teaching two sections of ASL each quarter.

The Husky men’s basketball team took a special five-credit course designed specifically for them and tied to an 11-day basketball tournament trip to Greece. 

Chris Hamm, professor of Asian Language and Literature, recently completed a book about martial arts fiction from China.

Alumni in fields ranging from biotechnology to finance believe their UW English degree has been a valuable asset throughout their career. Related stories: A poetry group created by an English alum and friends is still going strong after 15 years; a donor has funded "Ask Betty," an interactive website on English grammar and usage, in his mother's honor. 

Chia-Hui Huang made a promise to herself to donate her first paycheck to the Linguistics Department after earning her PhD--and she kept her promise. 

UW students in a 200-level Spanish class have written books, in Spanish, for the children of Panajachel, Guatemala. 

UW senior Allyssa Lamb has been fascinated with the ancient world since age eight. Now she's heading to Oxford to study Egyptology as a 2004 Rhodes Scholar. 

In a course offered by the Department of Classics and School of Drama, students study Euripides' Helen--and then perform it.