• Welcome
  • Students
  • Academics
  • Events
  • News & Features
    • All
    • News
    • Focus on Faculty
    • Student Spotlight
    • Alumni All-Stars
    • Cool Courses
    • Blog
  • Faculty
  • Dean's Office
  • Giving
  • SUBSCRIBE

Division of Humanities and Fine Arts

  • Welcome
  • Students
  • Academics
  • Events
  • News & Features
    • All
    • News
    • Focus on Faculty
    • Student Spotlight
    • Alumni All-Stars
    • Cool Courses
    • Blog
  • Faculty
  • Dean's Office
  • Giving
  • SUBSCRIBE

All News & Features


All news & Features

News

Focus on Faculty

Student Spotlight

Alumni All-Stars

Cool Courses

BLOG

Archive
  • June 2025 6
  • May 2025 22
  • April 2025 6
  • March 2025 9
  • February 2025 8
  • January 2025 2
  • December 2024 14
  • November 2024 10
  • October 2024 5
  • July 2024 1
  • June 2024 14
  • May 2024 9
  • April 2024 13
  • March 2024 14
  • February 2024 7
  • January 2024 4
  • December 2023 7
  • November 2023 11
  • October 2023 5
  • June 2023 22
  • May 2023 18
  • April 2023 11
  • March 2023 19
  • February 2023 13
  • January 2023 6
  • December 2022 6
  • November 2022 11
  • October 2022 11
  • July 2022 1
  • June 2022 13
  • May 2022 17
  • April 2022 12
  • March 2022 7
  • February 2022 11
  • January 2022 6
  • December 2021 3
  • November 2021 11
  • October 2021 10
  • July 2021 1
  • June 2021 5
  • May 2021 13
  • April 2021 8
  • March 2021 8
  • February 2021 12
  • January 2021 6
  • December 2020 11
  • November 2020 14
  • October 2020 8
  • August 2020 1
  • June 2020 10
  • May 2020 18
  • April 2020 9
  • March 2020 6
  • February 2020 13
  • January 2020 5
  • December 2019 8
  • November 2019 12
  • October 2019 9
  • July 2019 1
  • June 2019 19
  • May 2019 21
  • April 2019 12
  • March 2019 23
  • February 2019 18
  • January 2019 7
  • December 2018 9
  • November 2018 20
  • October 2018 2
  • September 2018 1
  • August 2018 1
  • July 2018 2
  • June 2018 11
  • May 2018 13
  • April 2018 14
  • March 2018 14
  • February 2018 16
  • January 2018 2
  • December 2017 2
  • November 2017 13
  • October 2017 6
  • October 2016 1
  • August 2015 1
Featured
The Santa Barbara Chinese School is Back at UCSB
Jun 7, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty
The Santa Barbara Chinese School is Back at UCSB
Jun 7, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty

The Santa Barbara Chinese School was established in 1985 and has been hosted in a few different spaces over the years. It was held at UCSB in the early 2000s and moved over to the Chinese Evangelical Free Church of Santa Barbara in the 2010s. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a transition into exclusively online lessons. Now, the Chinese School is back at UCSB in partnership with the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies.

Read More →
Jun 7, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty
How One UCSB Student Swapped Calculus for a Camera
Jun 6, 2025
Alumni All-Stars
How One UCSB Student Swapped Calculus for a Camera
Jun 6, 2025
Alumni All-Stars

After a transformative backpacking trip during the pandemic, UCSB alum Malakai Isaacs shifted from environmental science to filmmaking, discovering a passion for nature-based, underwater, and adventure storytelling. Now a freelance filmmaker, Isaacs credits UCSB’s production courses—particularly the Coastal Media Project—for equipping him with the skills he continues to use in his documentary and commercial work.

Read More →
Jun 6, 2025
Alumni All-Stars
After a Life of Duty, Edo-Japan Women Found Freedom on the Road
Jun 5, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
After a Life of Duty, Edo-Japan Women Found Freedom on the Road
Jun 5, 2025
Student Spotlight, News

In Edo-period Japan, a growing number of women embarked on long pilgrimages after retiring from household duties — journeys that offered not just spiritual fulfillment, but personal freedom. UC Santa Barbara graduate student Erin Trumble explores how these women used travel and writing to reclaim a sense of identity beyond domestic life.

Read More →
Jun 5, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
Hidden Truths Behind Official Histories: IHC Fellows Speak
Jun 4, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News
Hidden Truths Behind Official Histories: IHC Fellows Speak
Jun 4, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News

At the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center’s Faculty Fellows showcase, three UCSB professors presented research that shatters conventional historical narratives. Their work focuses on urgent contemporary questions about power, resistance and the gap between official stories and hidden realities.

Read More →
Jun 4, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News
Abuse of Native Children and the Stories We Must Remember
Jun 3, 2025
News
Abuse of Native Children and the Stories We Must Remember
Jun 3, 2025
News

At a UCSB Carsey-Wolf Center screening of the documentary Sugarcane, UC Santa Cruz professor Caitlin Keliia emphasized the power of film in preserving the violent histories of Indigenous children who were taken from their families and forced into labor and abuse at residential schools. Drawing from her own research on Native women in domestic labor, Keliia highlighted how remembering these stories through media and discussion is essential for truth, accountability, and healing.

Read More →
Jun 3, 2025
News
The Struggles of Growing Up in the Digital Era
Jun 2, 2025
News, Student Spotlight
The Struggles of Growing Up in the Digital Era
Jun 2, 2025
News, Student Spotlight

The Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara hosted a screening and panel called Panic!: Social Studies, about a new docuseries by Lauren Greenfield that explores the impact of social media on teens’ mental health, identity, and activism. Featuring candid stories from diverse youth, the series invites critical reflection on how corporate algorithms shape the digital lives of a generation.

Read More →
Jun 2, 2025
News, Student Spotlight
Podcasting to Expand the Study of Black Life
May 30, 2025
News
Podcasting to Expand the Study of Black Life
May 30, 2025
News

Earlier this month, 2025-26 postdoctoral fellow at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Adam McNeil gave a talk hosted by UCSB History on the importance of podcasting for the study of Black life. McNeil, from Rutgers University, has interviewed over 110 intellectual scholars about their field of study and believes his work as an African American podcast host is changing the world.

Read More →
May 30, 2025
News
From UC Santa Barbara to Center Stage
May 29, 2025
Alumni All-Stars
From UC Santa Barbara to Center Stage
May 29, 2025
Alumni All-Stars

Gabriela Smith, a Sacramento native and 2024 UC Santa Barbara Dance alum, is now dancing professionally with the City Ballet of San Diego, having recently performed in Carmen and Divertimento. In an interview, she reflects on how her training at UCSB—particularly under former New York City Ballet dancers—deepened her artistry and versatility, ultimately helping her earn her first professional contract and shaping her career path in ballet.

Read More →
May 29, 2025
Alumni All-Stars
Artificial Intelligence and Homer's  "Odyssey"
May 28, 2025
News
Artificial Intelligence and Homer's "Odyssey"
May 28, 2025
News

At a recent talk, Classics scholar Brett M. Rogers from the University of Puget Sound visited UC Santa Barbara to discuss the seemingly impossible link between Homer’s epic poemThe Odyssey and artificial intelligence. The event was hosted by UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center.

Read More →
May 28, 2025
News
Filmmaker Wendy Jackson’s Dual Calling as Producer and Teacher
May 27, 2025
Focus on Faculty
Filmmaker Wendy Jackson’s Dual Calling as Producer and Teacher
May 27, 2025
Focus on Faculty

UCSB film lecturer Wendy Jackson brings her industry expertise and passion for storytelling to the screen with Facing the Falls, a documentary short about one woman’s courageous journey through the Grand Canyon while battling a rare muscle disease. Balancing her roles as a producer and educator, Jackson uses the film to highlight themes of resilience, accessibility, and the transformative power of perseverance.

Read More →
May 27, 2025
Focus on Faculty
Holding onto History—A Call to Protect Truth in the Digital Age
May 26, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty
Holding onto History—A Call to Protect Truth in the Digital Age
May 26, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty

As concerns over journalistic freedom and erasure of history grow under the Trump administration, a UC Santa Barbara panel warned that cuts to public broadcasting and higher education threaten the preservation of truth for future generations. Emphasizing the urgent need for digital documentation, panelists highlighted how archives and accessible historical records are vital tools for resisting propaganda, preserving marginalized histories, and empowering communities to challenge injustice.

Read More →
May 26, 2025
News, Focus on Faculty
Life as a Student Literary Editor
May 22, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
Life as a Student Literary Editor
May 22, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog

Natalie Riley is a third-year UCSB student majoring in English. The Catalyst is a creative writing and visual art class, as well as one of UCSB’s few literary arts magazines. The course is offered every quarter to any UCSB students who wish to join the editorial team led by an Editor-in-Chief, a a Managing Editor, Literature Editor, and an Assistant Editor. As Literature Editor, Riley promotes The Catalyst through social media, specifically Instagram, and accept outside submissions.

Read More →
May 22, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
The Student Band ‘Big Hungry’ on the Big Stage at Shabang
May 21, 2025
Student Spotlight
The Student Band ‘Big Hungry’ on the Big Stage at Shabang
May 21, 2025
Student Spotlight

Big Hungry, one of Isla Vista’s most successful rising bands, began with a spontaneous connection during UCSB’s 2022 summer orientation and has since electrified local music lovers with over 60 shows and a recent festival debut at Shabang on the Central Coast of California. Lead singer Nolan Guss credits UCSB’s vibrant music scene and ethnomusicology program for inspiring his artistic journey and shaping the band’s distinctive sound.

Read More →
May 21, 2025
Student Spotlight
Rediscovering Dance: A Personal Essay
May 20, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
Rediscovering Dance: A Personal Essay
May 20, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog

Anthropology major Manniah Harrison reflects on her childhood love of dance—a passion she rediscovered through a UCSB Dance Department intermediate class. Dance, writes Harrison, unites mind, body and spirit and is a worthwhile elective for students of any major.

Read More →
May 20, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
Indigenous Storytelling: Berry People, Cherished Children
May 19, 2025
News
Indigenous Storytelling: Berry People, Cherished Children
May 19, 2025
News

A presentation hosted by UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center explored how an Inupiaq folktale about the “Berry People” challenges Western and Catholic views of children as passive or in need of correction, instead presenting children as sacred, wise, and relational beings. Drawing from her Indigenous heritage and personal experience, UCSB Religious Studies postdoctoral fellow, Elisha Chi, used the story to highlight the harm done by colonial religious systems like residential schools and to propose a care-centered, reciprocal approach to understanding childhood.

Read More →
May 19, 2025
News
STEM and Storytelling: Following Interdisciplinary Passions
May 16, 2025
Student Spotlight
STEM and Storytelling: Following Interdisciplinary Passions
May 16, 2025
Student Spotlight

UC Santa Barbara Biology student Maritza Ramos Leon is proving that science and art don’t have to live in separate worlds. While pursuing a STEM degree, she wrote and directed a short film that explores a tender queer relationship, drawing from personal experiences and a desire for authentic representation. Ramos’ journey reflects the power of following all your passions—even when they seem to pull in opposite directions.

Read More →
May 16, 2025
Student Spotlight
Studying Soccer: A User-Friendly Approach to Cultural Studies
May 14, 2025
Cool Courses, Focus on Faculty
Studying Soccer: A User-Friendly Approach to Cultural Studies
May 14, 2025
Cool Courses, Focus on Faculty

UC Santa Barbara literature and film professor Eloi Grasset, who has taught at Harvard and the University of Barcelona, now brings his expertise in Spanish and Iberian culture to a new course open to all majors: Soccer in the Hispanic World. 

Read More →
May 14, 2025
Cool Courses, Focus on Faculty
Of Land and Memory in the Middle East
May 13, 2025
News, Student Spotlight
Of Land and Memory in the Middle East
May 13, 2025
News, Student Spotlight

The Center for Middle East Studies recently held a graduate panel to highlight student’s research, a part of the center’s Spotlight Series. Camilla Falanesca, Giovanni Vimercati, and bridge mcwaid all presented their research, spanning from the film distribution in Beirut, to the fish market in 1950’s Palestine, to the oilfield in El Borma, Tunisia.

Read More →
May 13, 2025
News, Student Spotlight
Student Spotlight: Using Radio and Film for Social Change
May 12, 2025
Student Spotlight
Student Spotlight: Using Radio and Film for Social Change
May 12, 2025
Student Spotlight

Student journalist Rosie Bultman channels her passion for social justice into powerful storytelling through radio and film, using platforms like KCSB’s People’s Program and her award-winning documentary The Takeover to spotlight historic and ongoing struggles for equity. With a background in the History of Law and Public Policy as well as Black Studies, she weaves activism and media together to educate, inspire, and mobilize change on campus and beyond.

Read More →
May 12, 2025
Student Spotlight
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 1st Place Winner
May 9, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 1st Place Winner
May 9, 2025
Student Spotlight, News

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won first place in the prose category.

Read More →
May 9, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 2nd Place Winner
May 8, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 2nd Place Winner
May 8, 2025
Student Spotlight, News

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won second place in the prose category.

Read More →
May 8, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 3rd Place Winner
May 7, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Prose 3rd Place Winner
May 7, 2025
Student Spotlight, News

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won third place in the prose category.

Read More →
May 7, 2025
Student Spotlight, News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Visual Art
May 6, 2025
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Visual Art
May 6, 2025

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student work from across the campus. The following are winning submissions in the Visual Art category.

Read More →
May 6, 2025
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Poetry
May 5, 2025
Student Spotlight
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Poetry
May 5, 2025
Student Spotlight

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are winning submissions in the Poetry category.

Read More →
May 5, 2025
Student Spotlight
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Music
May 4, 2025
News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Music
May 4, 2025
News

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creativity across the campus. The following are winning submissions in the Music category.

Read More →
May 4, 2025
News
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Photography
May 3, 2025
HFA Creativity Contest 2025: Photography
May 3, 2025

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative students across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the Photography category.

Read More →
May 3, 2025
The Dark Legacy of the Krishna Movement
May 2, 2025
Alumni All-Stars, News
The Dark Legacy of the Krishna Movement
May 2, 2025
Alumni All-Stars, News

UC Santa Barbara alum Nori Muster joined filmmaker Jason Lapeyre and moderator David Gartell, a religious studies expert in the UCSB Library’s Special Research Collections, for a screening and post-screening discussion of docudrama Monkey on a Stick hosted by UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center. Muster was recruited by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) when she was a sociology senior at UCSB in 1978. She was a historical advisor for the film.

Read More →
May 2, 2025
Alumni All-Stars, News
How an Indigenous People Adapted to Survive in Colonial Colombia
May 1, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News
How an Indigenous People Adapted to Survive in Colonial Colombia
May 1, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News

At a UCSB Humanities Decanted event, historian Juan Cobo Betancourt discussed his new book The Coming of the Kingdom, which explores how Indigenous leaders in colonial Colombia used Catholic institutions to hold onto power and support their communities. The event was hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center.

Read More →
May 1, 2025
Focus on Faculty, News
Arriving at University After More than Two Decades
Apr 30, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
Arriving at University After More than Two Decades
Apr 30, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog

At 41, Jose Alejandro Mendoza represents a growing wave of non-traditional college students navigating higher education after decades in the workforce. His journey—marked by resilience, mental health battles, and creative achievements—challenges traditional timelines and redefines what it means to belong on a college campus.

Read More →
Apr 30, 2025
Student Spotlight, Blog
Unmasking Identity : The Portraiture of  Culture
Apr 23, 2025
News
Unmasking Identity : The Portraiture of Culture
Apr 23, 2025
News

L.A. artist Amir H. Fallah paints portraits without faces, telling life stories through objects and symbols instead. Speaking at UCSB, he described how his work reflects his Iranian-American identity and challenges how we define people. From stained glass to sculpture, his art explores memory, culture, and the unseen layers of identity.

Read More →
Apr 23, 2025
News

Top
  • UCSB Directories
  • Campus Maps
  • College of Letters and Science
  • UC Santa Barbara
  • Accessibility
  • Appropriate Use
  • Privacy
 
 

College of Letters & Science
Humanities & Fine Arts
2217 Cheadle Hall

UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2080
T: (805) 893-4327
F: (805) 893-2441

 

    ©2017 The Regents of the University of California
All Rights Reserved
Site by Oniracom