Undergraduate Education

When a foot injury sidelined dancer Anna Zemke (BA, Dance, Biochemistry), she gave up one dream to pursue another. But she never lost her passion for dance, even as she pursued a second degree in biochemistry.

"I find theory of computation and logic extremely beautiful," says Sam Hopkins (BS, Mathematics, Computer Science), whose fascination with mathematics and philosophy have informed his computer science research.

An interest in social justice led Sam Nowak (BA, Geography) to the Department of Geography, where he pursued research on issues of inequality, particularly among Seattle's homeless and other marginalized populations.

For Mimi Cagaitan (BA, English, Comparative History of Ideas), an unusual family history was the motivation for her research and a class she led about international marriage migration—the so-called "mail-order bride" industry.

After years of balancing UW studies with a demanding full-time dance career, Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Leah O'Connor will earn a bachelor's degree in sociology in June.

The new Dean of  the College of Arts and Sciences shares his thoughts about his role, the value of the liberal arts, and the state of higher education.

The Dance Program's new online course, Understanding Dance, combines online lessons and discussion forums with assignments that get students dancing and attending performances. 

UW geography students extensively researched neighborhoods along three new RapidRide bus routes in King County, then created a website to share their information with artists creating work for those routes. 

To provide more opportunities to interact with locals, French and Italian Studies' program in Italy now includes volunteer work and stays in both Rome and a small village in southern Italy.

The Biology Department has tested teaching methods that keep students engaged and accountable, even in its 700-student classes. As a result, more students are passing the courses—with better grades—than in past years. 

Working in teams with seniors from the Pike Market Senior Center, students in a course on qualitative research methods learned to embrace the "organized chaos" that is field research.

As part of a Dance Program course on teaching methods, UW undergraduates traveled to Yakima to teach dance to high school teens involved in the GEAR UP Program.