Humanities News

PHILOSOPHY — Sure, when alum John Kaag’s mother forced him to take philosophy lessons from his Latin teacher in high school, he might not have imagined he'd pursue a career in philosophy. But he definitely didn't imagine he'd co-found an AI-driven website that allows you to read classic books alongside literary experts, including "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.
ENGLISH — As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an associate professor in English at the University of Oregon, Kirby Brown blends a deep commitment to preserving his family’s personal stories with a vision for fostering Indigenous research and archival storytelling. He seeks to highlight moments of love, joy, humor, resistance, desire and futurity through storytelling and literature.
PHILOSOPHY, ENGLISH — During “AI and the Humanities,” a panel discussion featuring professors from the University of Oregon explored the impact of AI. The panel was sponsored by the Oregon Humanities Center as part of the center’s 40th anniversary events on the topic of “Humanities Matter(s).” From their in-depth discussion, came five key takeaways about AI.
THEATRE ARTS - Alum Jana Schmieding, Lakota comedian-actor-writer, has made the journey from struggling artist to success story and vocal champion of Natives in film, TV and comedy. She’ll share what she has learned along the way as keynote speaker for the university’s 148th commencement ceremony, June 16 at Autzen Stadium.
CINEMA STUDIES — This year’s visiting filmmaker for the 10th Annual Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series is director Sean Wang, an Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker from the Bay Area. The community is invited to a screening of his independent film, Dìdi (弟弟), followed by a Q&A session on Thursday, April 24. Cinema Studies students can register for a masterclass on directing on Friday, April 25. 
GERMAN AND SCANDINAVIAN - As the effects of climate change become more apparent, Assistant Professor and Mokin Fellow of Holocaust Studies Miriam Chorley-Schulz is helping students parse how ecofascist ideology is resurging globally in response.
In 2017, an all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan captured international attention as they fought for a chance to compete on the world stage. Now their story is on the big screen in "Rule Breakers," brought to life by Jason Brown, a creative writing professor and director of the program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The perpetrators of World War II left mass destruction in their wake across much of Europe, physically and culturally. A new book, co-edited by Miriam Chorley-Schulz, assistant professor and Mokin Fellow of Holocaust Studies, examines cultural activities, the political engagement and the work of cultural activists who remained in Eastern Europe after the war, specifically related to Yiddish language and culture. 
Several Tribes from the Pacific Northwest are working diligently to revitalize the endangered Native American language, Ichishkíin, and a committed group of educators, linguists and Tribal members at the University of Oregon are supporting those efforts. The latest achievement is the extension of the two-year language learning program to include a third year of instruction in at the University of Oregon.
PHILOSOPHY - Pigeons and AI share something in common: They can’t care about patients. In Ramón Alvarado’s latest paper published in the American Journal of Bioethics, he and co-author Nicolae Morar, a bioethicist and environmental philosopher at the UO, underscore that health care isn’t just about finding results. It's about actually caring for patients. That’s a level of engagement from providers not easily replicated by a machine.
ENGLISH - Courtney Thorsson was named an honorable mention for the 2024 MLA’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize for her 2023 book The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture. The prize was awarded in December for “outstanding scholarly study of Black American literature or culture.”
SPANISH – Cissy Jones, BA ’02 (business administration, Spanish), is an award-winning voice actor and a fierce advocate of protection for voice actors in the wake of generative AI. In March 2024, she became the CEO of ETHOVOX, a company she co-founded to develop an ethical AI voiceover dataset that collaborates with artists and ensures fair compensation.
LINGUISTICS – Linguistics scholars from all over the world are invited to Eugene this summer to immerse themselves in the study of linguistics at the annual Linguistic Society of America’s Summer Institute. Registration is now open for the five-week summer school, hosted — for the first time — by University of Oregon’s Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences.
LINGUISTICS - We’re entering a new phase in the digital revolution, one in which scientists are stretching the capabilities of digital technologies to solve some of society’s largest and most complex problems. Read more in the Annual Research Report, out now.
COMPUTER SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY - The world can be hazardous: seismic activity that shakes the earth, rising sea levels and volcanic eruptions that reshape the landscape. Meet some of the CAS scientists who are studying the most powerful forces that threaten humanity.