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Falling in Love with French

Falling in Love with French

UCSB French lecturer Marion Labatut sat down to discuss her efforts to build up enrollment in UCSB French courses after COVID-19 related drop. During a Q&A session, she described new ways the department in encouraging students to fall in love with French.

Open Ears, Open Minds: Fabio Rambelli and Japanese Culture at UCSB

Open Ears, Open Minds: Fabio Rambelli and Japanese Culture at UCSB

Professor Fabio Rambelli from UCSB’s Religious Studies and East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies departments, speaks about hosting “The Transcultural Exploratorium: Neuro Music and Japanese Culture” event and how he exposed the UCSB community to traditional Japanese sounds.

On Race and Reproductive Rights

On Race and Reproductive Rights

UC Santa Barbara’s Walter H. Capps Center welcomed UC Berkeley professor Khiara M. Bridges for a lecture titled “Race in the Roberts Court: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.“ Bridges discussed the history of restricting reproductive healthcare for Black women in the United States, and what this ruling means for future discourse on race in the Supreme Court.

Neuro Music: Turning the Auditory System into Art

Neuro Music: Turning the Auditory System into Art

Musician and composer Gene Coleman spoke to a UC Santa Barbara audience about his work in Neuro Music. With compositions inspired by the brain’s auditory pathways, Coleman studies music from a neuroaesthetic perspective for creative production.

Toward a Narrative Approach to Epidemics

Toward a Narrative Approach to Epidemics

UCSB’s Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies recently hosted Andreas Bernard, a visiting professor from Leuphana University Luneberg, for a talk on the history of epidemics. He said past theories regarding infections and diseases established successive origin stories that have affected epidemiological narratives today.

Rhythm Across the Globe: Women in Uzbek Music

Rhythm Across the Globe: Women in Uzbek Music

UC Santa Barbara graduate student Gulia Gurevich last week shared her research into Uzbek music history, in a joint lecture and recital. Gurevich presented Uzbek history as it influenced music, and discussed women’s role in music as a professional and educational field. After her lecture, she performed several different Uzbek works, including both solo and duo pieces.

Black, Brown, Beige—and White: Duke Ellington's Legacy

Black, Brown, Beige—and White: Duke Ellington's Legacy

The UC Santa Barbara Jazz Ensemble performed its Fall Concert with a tribute titled “The Identity of Ellington.” Ensemble director Jon Nathan spoke to HFA reporter Maya Johnson about what it meant for a predominantly white UCSB band to explore the history of race in jazz’s origins, and to give credit to artists and innovators who had been underpaid, discriminated against, and sidelined as jazz culture developed in the 20th century.

A Film Classic and Queer Cinema: "Paris is Burning"

A Film Classic and Queer Cinema: "Paris is Burning"

UC Santa Barbara's Carsey-Wolf Center hosted UC Irvine film professor Lucas Hilderbrand and UCSB Ph.D. student Graham Feyl to discuss the film classic, "Paris is Burning." The speakers said the film had a major impact on the LGBTQ community, on cinema, and on pop culture.

Stonebreakers: The Fight over Monuments and Memory

Stonebreakers: The Fight over Monuments and Memory

UC Santa Barbara’s Carsey-Wolf Center hosted the filmmakers Valerio Ciriaci and Izaak Liptzin to discuss their film Stonebreakers. The speakers talked about the protests surrounding the Columbus monuments during the Black Lives Matter movement and finding new ways to memorialize history.

On Creativity and Censorship in Cuban Film

On Creativity and Censorship in Cuban Film

UC Santa Barbara’s Carsey-Wolf Center hosted Cuban writer-director Miguel Coyula and actress Lynn Cruz to discuss their 2021 film Corazón Azul. The filmmakers spoke about the challenges they faced over the decade it took to produce the film, specifically, government censorship in Cuba.

The Writing Program launches new AI Guidelines

The Writing Program launches new AI Guidelines

The Writing Program at UC Santa Barbara has taken a proactive lead in the field of AI with its recent introduction of a new AI Writing Program Policy. Daniel Frank, a lecturer in the Writing Program and one of the writers of the new policy, explores how instructors and students can implement AI in the classroom.

A New Music Events Manager Revives Lehmann Hall

A New Music Events Manager Revives Lehmann Hall

Richard Croy, the new production and events manager for UCSB’s Music department, sat down for a Q&A to discuss his experience in theater and producing, as well as his plans to revitalize Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall.

The Art of Activism

The Art of Activism

UC Santa Barbara’s art department recently welcomed artist Rodrigo Valenzuela, a professor of photography at UCLA to speak to students as part of the Visiting Artist Speaker Series. Valenzuela shared his portfolio of work, emphasizing economic, political, and social issues in the United States and in Chile, where he is originally from. He encouraged students looking to pursue a career in art.

High Honors for the English Department

High Honors for the English Department

The English Department has reason to celebrate, as two of its professors won awards for early career achievements in their fields of study.

On Racism and Sex in Pro Wrestling

On Racism and Sex in Pro Wrestling

UCSB's Department of Film and Media Studies recently hosted Dewitt King, a UC Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow in Film and Media Studies at UC Irvine, for a lecture on anti-Blackness and the sex-based economies within the pro wrestling scene. He told the story of a pro wrestler, Lio Rush, and his experiences with the industry and how he joined the subscription-based platform OnlyFans.

Beyond Stereotypes in Trauma-Informed Teaching

Beyond Stereotypes in Trauma-Informed Teaching

UC Santa Barbara’s Literature and Mind research center, housed in the English Department, and its Trauma-Informed Pedagogy project hosted a talk on the use of trigger warnings in the classroom. Undergraduate student Bethany Clements shared research into trauma-informed teaching and proposed solutions to help students engage with potentially triggering content.

A Voice for Vietnam Veterans: The Legacy of Walter H. Capps

A Voice for Vietnam Veterans: The Legacy of Walter H. Capps

To celebrate the life and legacy of former U.S. House of Representatives member and UCSB Religious Studies professor Walter Capps a quarter century after his passing, a symposium was hosted by the Walter H. Capps Center. One panel focused on Capps’ ground-breaking Vietnam War class, which opened national discussion that prioritized mental health care for veterans. The session this month brought the insight and healing of that innovative class to a new generation.

Organic Architecture: Aligning Building with Nature

Organic Architecture: Aligning Building with Nature

This fall, UCSB’s Art Design and Architecture Museum is displaying work by Helena Arahuete, an artist and architect who aims to create work that collaborates with its surrounding environment and align with nature.  The museum is free, and open to students and community members at UC Santa Barbara.

A Look at Buddhism: The Architects and Artisans

A Look at Buddhism: The Architects and Artisans

UCSB's Religious Studies department hosted a three-day workshop looking into the professional artists and craftspeople responsible for the labor and construction of Buddhist sites in India, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia. UCSB faculty and visiting lecturers looked into areas such as standard practices and information passed down through generations.

Of Barbie and Feminism

Of Barbie and Feminism

UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) recently welcomed author and journalist M.G. Lord to speak to students as part of IHC’s Imagining California Series. Lord shared her perspective on the creation and impact of Barbie dolls, specifically through a feminist lens. In her speech, she spoke on controversies over gender stereotypes encouraged by Barbie dolls, while also acknowledging the impact of Barbie’s early feminist portrayals.