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João Pedro Oliveira in a black leather jacket standing in front of a brick building.

Corwin Chair awarded 2025 Fromm Commission from Harvard University

Only 12 composers worldwide received Harvard University's 2025 Fromm Music Foundation Commission, and UC Santa Barbara's João Pedro Oliveira is among them. The Corwin chair of composition will create a new electroacoustic chamber work premiering at UCSB in 2027.

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Low-angle portrait of Alan Liu wearing an orange zip-up sweater and jeans, standing on outdoor concrete stairs with his arms crossed, smiling and looking off into the distance against a blue sky.

Faculty Research Lecturer Alan Liu ponders ‘good’ knowledge in the age of AI

As artificial intelligence reshapes communication, humanities expert Alan Liu cautions against polarized reactions to the technology. His upcoming lecture investigates the "patience" required to understand how human values like truth and rigor will adapt in an AI-integrated world.

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Apply Now: 2026 LARB Publishing Workshop (Full HFA Scholarship Available)

This five-week online intensive is designed for students seeking careers in the business of publishing, editing and production. The program features tracks in book and magazine creation and networking opportunities with industry leaders.

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Professional headshot of Jenni Sorkin, smiling and wearing red-framed glasses and a multicolored plaid shirt.

Jenni Sorkin receives Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant

Sorkin was one of only 31 writers selected nationally for the 2025 cycle. The award supports her upcoming book, “Deviant Scale,” which uncovers a parallel art world of the 1990s, revealing how artists outside of major cities used fiber and mixed media to deconstruct race, gender and disability.

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A large group of UCSB students and instructors smile for a photo inside a classroom with a projector screen reading "FILM MUSIC" in the background.

Santa Barbara International Film Festival selects student composers for inaugural scoring lab

Led by alumnus Diego Ratto, the festival’s new 10-10-10 Composer Mentorship Program challenges eight UCSB students to create original scores for short films premiering at the Arlington Theatre.

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In Memoriam: Emeritus Professor Allan Grapard

It is always a time of great sadness when we lose a member of our academic community. The Division of Humanities and Fine Arts joins the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies in mourning the passing of Emeritus Professor Allan Grapard. Below is a tribute to his life and scholarship prepared by his colleague, Professor Fabio Rambelli.

— Daina Ramey Berry, Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts 

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In Memoriam: Emeritus Professor Apostolos Athanassakis

It is always a time of great sadness when we lose a member of our academic community. The Division of Humanities and Fine Arts joins the Department of Classics in mourning the passing of Emeritus Professor Apostolos Athanassakis. Below is a tribute to his life and scholarship prepared by his colleagues.

— Daina Ramey Berry, Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts 

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A young woman wearing glasses and a pink zip-up hoodie stands behind a light wooden podium, speaking into a microphone. A large, blank white projection screen hangs on the wall behind her.

Signed, sealed, delivered: Letter exchange builds enduring pipeline from middle school to university

For 17 years, a partnership between the UCSB Writing Program and Oxnard’s R.J. Frank Academy has empowered first-generation students to envision their future in higher education through a unique mentorship letter exchange.

Continue Reading Signed, sealed, delivered: Letter exchange builds enduring pipeline from middle school to university