Celebrated bonobo Kanzi honored in workshop
Kanzi's legacy and the relation between great apes and language will be explored in a Humanities Lab Workshop on April 19.
Biblical scholar: Parables in Luke parallel Genesis stories
Prof. Carmichael identifies how parables unique to Luke were composed as a response to, and reframing of, problems attributed to the earliest of biblical times.
Book plumbs AI’s potential to reinvigorate the humanities
In his new book, “Humanities in the Time of AI,” professor Laurent Dubreuil argues that the arrival of AI may present an opportunity to “re-create scholarship.”
French university honors Jonathan Culler for literary contributions
On March 26, the University of Paris 8 on March 26 recognized Culler for his contributions to literary and theoretical studies and his close ties with French intellectual movements.
Culler to be awarded honorary doctorate in Paris
Jonathan Culler, Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature Emeritus, who taught in the department from 1977-2020, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the President of the University of Paris-8, Annick Allaigre, for his work on French literature and critical theory.
University Lecture examines ‘The Narrative Brain’
Our minds and the ways we tell stories are closely attuned, research shows, and scholar Fritz Breithaupt will explore how that connection works during a March visit as University Lecturer.
Remembering William Kennedy, professor emeritus in comparative literature
Kennedy taught the history of European literature and literary criticism from antiquity to the early modern period.
Frederick Ahl, innovative classics scholar, dies at 83
A scholar of Greek and Roman epic and drama and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, Ahl was a member of the Cornell faculty for more than 52 years.
German studies hosts evening with ‘Rosa and Blanca’ playwright
Rebekka Kricheldorf will talk about writing comedy and more with Samuel Buggeln, the play’s director and artistic director of Cherry Arts, on Nov. 12 – one of several collaborations.
Crowdfunding launch supports Ways of Knowing podcast at Cornell
A crowdfunding campaign launched Nov. 1 to support a Cornell-based season of "Ways of Knowing,” a new podcast created by The World According to Sound.
A&S announces membership in MLA Strategic Partnership Network
“We felt this is an important resource that should be available to our humanists at all levels, whether they have the resources to pay for membership or not,” said Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author from Jerusalem to speak Oct. 10
Nathan Thrall will talk about his most recent book, “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.”
Professor’s feature-length documentary film debuts at Cornell Cinema
“Possible Landscapes,” a new feature-length documentary film exploring the lived experience of landscapes and environments in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, will have its debut screening on Sept. 25 at Cornell Cinema.
Language ‘Sustainability through Collaboration’ Conference at Cornell
Cornell, the only institution offering regular multilevel instruction in all six of the major Southeast Asian languages – Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Filipino (Tagalog), Thai and Vietnamese – will host a conference on the teaching of these languages on Sept. 19-21.
From portfolios to pizza, fall A&S career events explore diverse fields
"Cornell alumni are generous with their time and efforts to assist students, to answer questions from students, or connect them to people and places."
New A&S dean relishes ‘life in a university’
Peter John Loewen says he's excited to support faculty in their research, meet students and showcase the value of a liberal arts education.
A&S honors 10 faculty with endowed professorships
With these new appointments, the number of A&S faculty appointed to endowed professorships since fall 2018 has reached 76.
Dubreuil questions the creativity of AI
Laurent Dubreuil, Professor of Comparative Literature & Romance Studies, and Director of the Humanities Lab, recently published an essay in Harper's Magazine ‘Metal Machine Music’ questioning AI’s ability to write creatively.
A giant crater in Siberia is belching up Russia's past
As the world warms, permafrost is thawing across two-thirds of Russia, writes Sophie Pinkham, professor of the practice in comparative literature, in a New York Times opinion piece.
Peter Loewen named dean of Arts and Sciences
Coming from the University of Toronto, where he was the director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Loewen began his five-year appointment as the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Aug. 1.
Outstanding A&S teachers, advisors honored with 2024 awards
Among the faculty members being recognized this year for exceptional teaching and mentorship are Liliana Colanzi, Durba Ghosh, and Nick Admussen.
'I am proud to have continued the cultivation of The Lodge'
Pareesay Afzal is a comparative literature major.
‘Adventurous’ classical scholar Pietro Pucci dies at 96
Pietro (Piero) Pucci, an influential classical scholar who spent more than 50 years in the Department of Classics in the College of Arts and Sciences, died in Paris on April 7. He was 96.
Summer Experience Grant applications now open
The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions.
Nabokov celebrated for crossing arts/science boundaries
An avid lepidopterist since childhood, Nabokov was known to spend most of his free time on campus in the Cornell University Insect Collection.
Events celebrate Nabokov as butterfly scientist
On March 15 the College of Arts & Sciences took over the Mann Library for the semester's Arts Unplugged, "Nabokov, Naturally," celebrating esteemed Cornell faculty member, Vladimir Nabokov as writer and "butterfly man."
Grants available to fund rural humanities projects
Funding is available for faculty and students with projects related to rural humanities.
Diabate named 'African scholar to watch in 2024'
Associate professor of comparative literature, Naminata Diabate, was named one of ten 'African scholars to watch in 2024' by The Africa Report.
Pinkham wins British Journalism Award for feature on migrants
Pinkham’s winning story follows migrants from Syria “wandering in a cold, wet purgatory” on the Polish border of the European Union.
Tracing Indian Ocean slavery through Iranian cinema
In a new book, Professor Parisa Vaziri explores how Iranian cinema preserves the legacy of Indian Ocean slavery.
Class explores Nabokov as writer and ‘butterfly man’
Writer Vladimir Nabokov spent much of his time on campus in nature and in the Cornell Insect Collection.
Undergraduates celebrate Latinx history through Rockefeller Hall exhibition
The collaborative mixed media projects, showcased online and in Rockefeller Hall, explore how culture strengthens and uplifts communities.
Classes, events show 'Ukraine is not only a country at war'
Cornell's Ukrainian program is bringing the country’s culture to campus through language learning, folk tradition and history.
Banerjee named Mellon Fellow in diversity network
Banerjee will participate in a two-year academic leadership and governance fellowship.
Book reexamines scholarship, teaching in the era of COVID-19
Three years after the disruptions of 2020, teaching and research continue to be immensely different from pre-pandemic times, according to scholar Debra Castillo.
Rethinking the history of enslavement through the lens of Iranian cinema
A new book by assistant professor of comparative literature and near eastern studies, Parisa Vaziri, exams African enslavement in the western Indian Ocean through the lens of Iranian cinema.
‘Desdemona’ celebrates Morrison’s Nobel Prize anniversary
The performance will feature singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré, who wrote the music for the original production.
Author Jemisin builds ‘the world from scratch’
At the Bartels World Affairs Lecture Oct. 4, Jemisin spoke on how to investigate our world and beliefs about it, and how to use what we learn to imagine and construct a better future.
Student receives top honor for Boccaccio essay
Grace Aiono ‘26 has been awarded this year’s Giuseppe Velli Prize by the American Boccaccio Association (ABA) for the best undergraduate student essay on the works of Giovanni Boccaccio.
Prominent Thai author speaks about her new novel
The first woman to win a consecutive Southeast Asian Writers Award, Veeraporn Nitiprapha will discuss her newest novel, “Memories of the Memories of the Black Rose Cat,” on Oct. 5.
How are N. K. Jemisin’s novels acts of political resistance?
Anindita Banerjee explains how dispossessed peoples’ stories can inspire a more equitable future for us all.
The College welcomes new faculty for 2023-24
Our 34 new faculty will enrich the College of Arts & Sciences with creative ideas in a vast array of topics.
New Faculty: Gavin Walker
Gavin Walker, Comparative Literature
From breaking to Beyoncé: Hip Hop Collection empowers students
Cornell's collection is the largest hip-hop collection in the world.
Undergrads relish challenging Nexus Scholar projects
Nexus Scholars spent eight weeks this summer working with researchers on campus on projects in the humanities, social sciences and physical sciences.
A comic takes on little-known histories
Andy Warner '06 is the New York Times best-selling author of "Brief Histories of Everyday Objects,” “This Land is My Land,” “Pests and Pets” and “Spring Rain.”
Student spotlight: Elias Beltrán
Beltrán is a doctoral candidate in comparative literature from the Bronx, N.Y.
Translating racial stories
PhD candidate Kun Huang considers how Chinese writers have imported and repurposed portrayals of Blackness.
Nexus Scholars Program expands research opportunities to 101 students
This summer, 101 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will take part in groundbreaking research on campus with 61 faculty as part of the Nexus Scholars Program.
Multi-college scholars think deeply about cities
Part of Cornell's Mellon Collaborative Studies in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities, Cornell students explored creative ways to understand urban landscapes during two cross-disciplinary courses this year.