Arts & Humanities

Two Berkeley professors receive prestigious Guggenheim fellowships

April 23, 2025
Lila Thulin

Philosopher Hannah Ginsborg will use the award to write a book about the relation between norms and reasons, while chemical engineer Markita del Carpio Landry will try to find molecules in little-studied plants that could treat neurological disorders.

For the past 100 years, the Guggenheim Foundation has bestowed one of the highest intellectual honors on North American academics and creatives: the Guggenheim Fellowship. Zora Neale Hurston penned Their Eyes Were Watching God during her time as a fellow; James Baldwin and UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna are also alumni...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/22/two-berkeley-professors-receive-prestigious…

Through her artwork, Eleni Berg plants seeds for the future

April 21, 2025
by Alexander Rony

Eleni Berg is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of nature, immigration, consumerism, and indigeneity.

Berg spoke with UC Berkeley writer Alexander Rony at a recent open studio event for MFA (master’s in fine arts) students. At the time, Berg was hosting a workshop where visitors were sculpting clay filled with native seeds.

Executive actions aim to reshape America’s cultural institutions. UC Berkeley scholars react

April 17, 2025
Lila Thulin

On March 27, President Trump signed “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” a directive mandating that the Smithsonian Institution and the Department of the Interior, which oversees national monuments, memorials and statues, rectify “divisive narratives that distort our shared history.” This is just one of several actions aimed at changing how arts and humanities organizations tell the story of the country’s past and present. For instance, the...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/16/executive-actions-aim-to-reshape-americas-c…

Roxana Wang Named Berkeley’s Twentieth Schwarzman Scholar

January 29, 2025
Lauren Miller

Roxana (Qinhong) Wang, a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley class of 2024, has been awarded a 2025-26 Schwarzman Scholarship. Wang, who studied Comparative Literature and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies in the College of Letters & Science, was selected as one of 150 scholars from a pool of nearly 5,000 candidates. She is Berkeley’s twentieth recipient of the award since its inception in 2013.

“Many highly qualified Berkeley students apply for the Schwarzman Scholarship every year, so it is impossible to predict who will be offered a place...

Out in Richmond, an unusual facility hosts UC Berkeley’s MFA art studios

April 14, 2025
by Alexander Rony

On a sunny Saturday in March, dozens of onlookers watched Jasmine Nyende charge, pull, twist, and duck under ropes held by six other performers. Nearby, portable speakers blared punk rock. Nyende’s performance — titled “Sankofa Moshpit” — was a joyful memorial to her late friend, Láwû. It was also one of the featured events during UC Berkeley’s MFA Open Studios.

UC Berkeley Letters & Science announces recipients of 2025 L&S Faculty Awards

April 8, 2025

UC Berkeley's College of Letters & Science is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 L&S Faculty Awards. This distinguished award recognizes each awardee's exceptional scholarship, service to the College and community, and transformational teaching. These extraordinary individuals not only embody the excellence of the College of Letters & Science, but they also serve as an inspiration to the entire campus community. The recipients will be honored at a private ceremony on Wednesday, May 14....

UC Berkeley graduate programs soar to elite status in latest US News rankings

April 8, 2025
By Edward Lempinen

UC Berkeley’s graduate programs maintained their premier-level rankings in a 2025 surveyreleased today (Tuesday, April 8) by US News & World Report, with elite scores achieved in disciplines ranging from the social sciences and engineering to computer science and business.

A remarkably diverse set of Berkeley schools and programs achieved top rankings in the magazine’s annual assessment of graduate programs nationwide.

The College of Letters & Sciences scored No. 1 rankings for...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/08/uc-berkeley-graduate-programs-soar-to-elite…

Between theory and practice: A Re-Entry Student's Experience with Film and Media

April 9, 2025
Lucille Lorenz, Arts & Humanities writer-in-residence

This article originally appeared on April 1, 2025 at Division of Arts & Humanities.

Person stands in front of university building with arms crossed, smiling, wearing a Cal sweatshirtOrestes Sophocleous is a re-entry undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. He is majoring in Film and Media with a minor in Rhetoric. He is currently a teaching assistant for Film 155, under professor Nicole...

https://artshumanities.berkeley.edu/news/between-theory-and-practice-re-entry-st…

Investigating the psychedelic blue lotus of Egypt, where ancient magic meets modern science

March 11, 2025
Jason Pohl

a close-up image of an Egyptian blue lotus being held by hands with black glovesFew plants are more celebrated in Egyptian mythology than the blue lotus, a stunning water lily that stars in some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries. Researchers found its petals covering the body of King Tut when they opened his tomb in 1922, and its flowers often adorn ancient papyri scrolls. Scholars have long hypothesized that the lilies, when...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/investigating-the-psychedelic-blue-lotus-of…

Do vowels have colors? According to some with synesthesia, yes.

April 7, 2025
Anne Brice

It’s hard to pinpoint when synesthesia, the rare neurological condition where a stimulus that affects one sense prompts a response in a different sense, was first documented. Scientific literature marks its beginning in 1812, when it appeared as an aside in a Bavarian medical student’s dissertation. Toward the end, there’s a small section where he detailed how he associated musical tones and letters with colors.

“He enumerates the colors he sees in connection with the letters of the alphabet. A and E: vermilion, I: white, O:orange and so forth,” says UC Berkeley French...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/02/do-vowels-have-colors-according-to-some-wit…