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‘Humanities’

Didi Jackson: Breeding human connection through poetry

Oct. 14, 2021—“Sometimes our motivations aren’t what we asked for—they are given to us.” That is the experience of Visiting Assistant Professor of English Didi Jackson, who joined Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science in Spring 2021. A true lover of the humanities, Jackson brings to A&S a deep passion for telling stories through poetry and visual...

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A&S awarded multiple grants in the arts and humanities

Sep. 21, 2021—Three faculty members from the College of Arts and Science have been selected to receive important grants to support their research in the humanities. The announcement of the awards comes in the wake of a strategic effort by A&S and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research to support faculty from the arts and...

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Six A&S students selected for U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Program

Jul. 16, 2021—The U.S. Department of State has selected six students studying foreign languages at Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science to receive the 2021 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). Through the competitive program, CLS scholars will receive intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences through partnership with local institutions in countries where the languages are commonly...

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College of Arts and Science faculty share recommendations for reading women authors

Mar. 25, 2021—Women’s History Month is both an opportunity and an invitation: an opportunity to learn more about an often-hidden side of history and culture, and an invitation to develop a new awareness, concerns, and habits of learning that can carry through the rest of the year. As part of the College of Arts and Science’s celebration...

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Love of Hebrew and Yiddish leads Allison Schachter to hidden stories of women authors

Mar. 2, 2021—Allison Schachter, an associate professor of Jewish studies, English, and Russian and East European studies, never intended to end up in her current field. After studying French and Hebrew as an undergraduate, she entered graduate school for comparative literature and planned to focus on seventeenth-century drama. But her love of learning new languages repeatedly drew...

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Tiffany Ruby Patterson: Raising the voices of the unheard

Feb. 17, 2021—From a young age, Associate Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies Tiffany Ruby Patterson loved to learn. She read voraciously throughout her childhood: a set of World Book encyclopedias purchased by her uncle, an entire library left behind by the former owner of her family’s apartment building. That early love of books continued into...

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Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement

Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...

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Philosophy department forms VAMP group to foster exploration of modern philosophy

Dec. 8, 2020—According to Department of Philosophy visiting scholar Emanuele Costa, people often see modern philosophy as ancient history. But the discipline, which covers the 1500s-1800s, is highly relevant to both today’s scholars and the public at large. “Modern European and American philosophers shaped the Western world as it is now,” said Costa, who will join the...

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Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students complete enriching summer experiences in science-based art, research

Oct. 16, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Juniors Navya Thakkar, Skylar Cuevas, and Natalie Elliott all used their summers to complete hands-on research and art...

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Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, The Wond’ry collaborate on undergraduate coffee studies program

Sep. 29, 2020—Americans love coffee: according to Statista, two-thirds of us drink at least two cups per day. Many people, however, are unaware that the popular drink has a complicated past—and present. Together with The Wond’ry, the College of Arts and Science’s Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities aims to close that knowledge gap. Beginning this...

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