News

THEATRE ARTS — Mary Jungels Goodyear, MFA ’05, may be a new theatre arts professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, but her skills and interests go well beyond her role in teaching scenic design.

THEATRE ARTS — Love, mischief and mistaken intentions take center stage this winter as University Theatre presents “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. Directed by Jerry Ferraccio, the production marks the grand reopening of Robinson Theatre and runs Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and March 1. 

COMICS, CARTOON STUDIES — Political comics artist, Ben Passmore, visited the Comics and Cartoon Studies Program to speak and share his perspective at an open community event and in a class, Introduction to Comics Studies. Visiting lecturers are an opportunity for everyone involved: students hear from practicing artists and artists get feedback on their work.

THEATRE ARTS — The Robinson Theatre is reopening this February with University Theatre’s winter production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The reopening brings University Theatre’s largest performance space back into rotation, marking an important step forward for student training, production capacity and community engagement.

STUDY ABROAD — The Arlene Schnitzer Study Abroad Scholarship is a new opportunity for students majoring in one of the programs offered by the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages to experience its interdisciplinary curriculum out in the world.

CINEMA STUDIES, IRES, COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, ENGLISH, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES, FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE — Filmlandia is a film series running during winter and spring 2026. Each term will feature seven film screenings that spotlight Oregon’s unmistakable cinematic fingerprints. The screenings are free and open to the public.

ENGLISH, COMPOSITION — What would an ant write if an ant could write? English major Sara Twiggs ’26 asked that question for the short story she wrote for a flash fiction contest that was part of the celebration of National Writing Day in the College of Arts and Sciences.

CINEMA STUDIES — Associate professor Masami Kawai is making her first feature film, "Valley of the Tall Grass." It is both a personal journey and a community-centered story that expands the landscape of Indigenous filmmaking and invites audiences to consider the stories, people and objects we too often overlook. She's using Eugene, Oregon, as the backdrop.

CREATIVE WRITING — When he first began college, Lysley Tenorio didn’t know what else to study other than English. As he moved his way through undergraduate creative writing workshops in Berkeley, then up the Pacific Coast to pursue a master's degree in Eugene, Tenorio discovered fiction writing was what he absolutely had to do.

CINEMA STUDIES — Elle Thompson '26 is a cinema studies major interested in pursuing casting. To learn more about the specialty area and get experience, she secured an internship with a Portland-based casting company and has experienced just about every aspect of the business. It has solidified her career plans.

THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's fall production is "The Moors," and as with any good story, things are not what they appear, and the characters’ motives aren’t always honest. The play includes a six-member cast and the creative use of stage lighting to create a Victorian-style set for the manor and the moors outside the home. The show runs Nov. 7–23 and tickets are free for students.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES — Lily Vuong is the newest member of the Department of Religious Studies. Her work examines Christian apocryphal literature — a vast collection of popular writings that feature tales about Jesus, his family, and immediate followers — through feminist, literary, and historical lenses to explore gender and identity in the Greco-Roman world. 

ENGLISH, COMICS AND CARTOON STUDIES — Ben Saunders, professor and pop-culture scholar in the College of Arts and Sciences, curated a special exhibit in LA featuring comics artist, Jack Kirby. The exhibit, “Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity,” received glowing reviews and is a must-see for anyone in the LA area. In this Q&A, Saunders explains what makes Kirby exceptional and why he's so important to him.

LINGUISTICS - The Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences hosted the Linguistic Society of America’s Summer Institute, a five-week summer school held every other year at a new host location. Scholars from around the world came to learn, connect and enjoy the unique qualities of the University of Oregon.

THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's 2025-2026 season includes four dynamic and human-driven plays. Each of the plays offers a mix of historical and contemporary themes, while also speaking of such timely issues as immigration, gender roles, and workplace safety. All productions feature students on stage and behind the scenes.