Huge congratulations to Professors Richard Bell (History) and Valentine Hacquard (Linguistics), named 2026 Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at UMD! This is one of the university's highest honors, recognizing faculty who excel at both research and teaching. arhu.umd.edu/news/richard...

ARHU Philosophy Professor Fabrizio Cariani says students booing AI at graduation are asking real questions about jobs, the environment & authenticity. Our commencement speaker was ARHU alum Jason Reynolds, who reminded us exactly why the humanities matter. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

What does it mean to use communication for good? A new COMM course at the University of Maryland is helping students turn ideas into action. Terps pitch projects, vote on them and fund the winners with Do Good grants. Read more: today.umd.edu/class-teache...

Congratulations to Professor of History Richard Bell, whose book “The American Revolution and the Fate of the World" is a finalist for the 2026 American Battlefield Trust Prize for History.

The Ethics and Governance of Climate Intervention Should we rule out geoengineering? The Schlaretzki Lecture 2026 Friday, April 17, 3 p.m. Thurgood Marshall Hall, Room 0301 Featuring Anna Stilz, Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley Learn more: philosophy.umd.edu/events/schla...

What does the Fourth of July mean now? Join the launch of The Douglass Dialogues as scholars revisit Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech and ask what it means in 2026. April 20, 1 to 2:30 p.m. David C. Driskell Center

Join Betsy Rosen, UMD School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies puppetry Artist in Residence, in conversation with Dean Stephanie Shonekan as she reflects on her journey, from UMD to the national tour of "Life of Pi." April 6, 6 PM Free and open to all go.umd.edu/betsyrosen26

Has a professor challenged you in positive ways? Or maybe they’ve been a mentor and role model to you...Take 5 minutes and nominate them for a teaching award! Visit go.umd.edu/dh26. Nominations close April 1 at 5 p.m.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Art Mollye Bendell, Assistant Professor of Art Brandon Donahue-Shipp, David Page MFA ’02, Noah McWilliams MFA ’21 and Pamela J. Thompson MFA ’91, who are semifinalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize. baltimoretimes-online.com/arts-culture...

Congratulations to Director of the Language House and Associate Clinical Professor of French Marilyn Matar, recipient of the 2026 Grand Prix de la Francophonie! Left to right: H.E. Nada Hamadeh Moawad (Ambassador of Lebanon), Matar and Brigitte Blachere (Program Manager at Smithsonian Associates).

Join the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities for a Lessons in Leadership conversation with Dr. Terry Scott and Dr. David Domke, co leaders of the Institute for Common Power. @theinstitutecp.bsky.social Register: douglasscenter.umd.edu/events/educa...

Congratulations to several UMD College of Arts and Humanities faculty who received the 2026 Independent Scholarship, Research and Creativity Awards (ISRCA), supporting bold research and creative work across disciplines. today.umd.edu/faculty-hono...

Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and a panel of ARHU experts for an engaging pop-up roundtable discussion on war and its impact on communities, democracies and futures. March 12 | 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | Taliaferro Hall Learn more: arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...

Today: How do songs become prayer, testimony and praise? Join UMD ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan for a virtual lecture exploring five songs that African American communities turn to as sites of worship, reflection and collective memory. March 9 | 12:30-2 p.m. Register: arhu.umd.edu/events/preci...

We are proud to share a roundup of recent honors earned by faculty and staff in the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities. arhu.umd.edu/news/spring-...

Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at @peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity. Register now: arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...

UMD Research Professor of History Julie Taddeo provides insight on the recent arrest of former Prince Andrew and what it means in the broader context of accountability and public scrutiny. Listen to the full segment:

We’re taught the American Revolution ended at Yorktown in 1781. but its final battle was fought in southern India in 1783. In his latest book, Richard Bell (@rickbell.bsky.social) of @umdhistory.bsky.social explores the revolution as a global war that reshaped empires. arhu.umd.edu/news/rethink...

Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at @peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity. Register now: arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...

A WUSA9 feature highlights a University of Maryland course taught by Professor Juan Carlos Quintero Herencia, where students examine Bad Bunny’s music as a lens on culture, politics, language and identity. Watch the story: go.umd.edu/270b

Join us Monday at 9 a.m. to kick off Love Data Week 2026 at UMD with a virtual fireside chat hosted by Chief Data Officer Michelle Appel and featuring ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan. The conversation explores how data show up differently in the humanities and STEM. umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Revolution Summer reshaped D.C. punk in 1985. Forty years later, its cultural and political impact lives on through the UMD Libraries D.C. Punk Archive, a leading collection documenting punk’s DIY media, political expression and community. Read more via WAMU: wamu.org/story/25/12/...

Our Dean, Stephanie Shonekan, is featured on today’s 1A rebroadcast discussing protest music, Afrobeats, and Fela Kuti’s legacy of political resistance. The segment highlights her research on his mother and her influence on his life and music. the1a.org/segments/pro...

What role do you think humanities play in addressing today's challenges? dbknews.com/2025/11/20/r...

Join the UMD Libraries on Thursday, November 6th, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in McKeldin Library room 4109 as Dean Stephanie Shonekan discusses their work Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow Tears and Blood. www.lib.umd.edu/research/eve...

New episodes of our "Rhyme and Reason” podcast are here! From Black barber shops to Haitian cinema to immigrant political life, these conversations reveal how the arts and humanities help us see beyond headlines, connect past and present and support communities. Listen now: umd-arhu.podbean.com

UMD’s Freedmen and Southern Society Project has received a $300k grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its landmark book, “Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861–1867,” chronicling one of the most consequential moments in U.S. history. go.umd.edu/241s

As part of Disability Awareness Month, join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and panelists for a conversation on disability and accessibility at UMD. Open to UMD students, faculty, and staff. Oct 23, 4–5 PM, Taliaferro 1126.

Dean Stephanie Shonekan unveiled ARHU’s Timely & Timeless strategic plan at our annual assembly as we celebrated 2025 Service Award winners—with music, poetry, and student reflections on the four commitments. arhu.umd.edu/news/arhu-20...

UMD’s Roshan Institute for Persian Studies received a major gift to establish the Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Persian Digital Library, the first open-access, scholar-vetted archive of Persian texts. today.umd.edu/roshan-insti...

Join the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies on Wed, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. for the launch of Technocreep and the Politics of Things Unseen—a feminist take on why our ties to tech often feel “creepy.” go.umd.edu/technocreep

Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and panelists this Thursday, Oct. 9, 3:30–4:30 p.m., to explore how the College of Arts and Humanities examines AI through humanistic and social science perspectives—examining its impact and creatively using its tools. arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...

The HPV vaccine prevents cancer—but uptake remains far below national goals. Professor of Communication Xiaoli Nan has earned a $2.8M NIH grant to lead an interdisciplinary team developing an AI-powered chatbot to support parents in making informed choices. Read more: arhu.umd.edu/news/umd-res...

Have you voted yet for your favorite #JaneAusten heroine? @umdhistory.bsky.social Prof Julie Taddeo takes part in @uk.theconversation.com #FightClub! @umd-arhu.bsky.social theconversation.com/who-was-jane...

In honor of Jacob Lawrence's birthday, we're throwing it waayyy back to 2011 when The David C. Driskell Center hosted a survey exhibition of his prints from 1963-2000. Check out the installation shots of the exhibition, or explore pieces in the permanent collection go.umd.edu/21wx.

In honor of Jane Austen's 250th birthday, Dr. Julie Taddeo and other Regency era scholars were featured in The Conversation UK's "Jane Austen Fight Club." Continue reading to learn who Dr. Taddeo chose as her ultimate Jane Austen heroine! theconversation.com/who-was-jane...

What makes smart tech creepy? Professor Neda Atanasoski, chair of @wgss-umd.bsky.social, recently joined KPFA's "Against the Grain" to unpack surveillance, ethics and the politics of "technocreep."

Support students at Hollywood Elementary with the ARHU Staff Council's annual School Supply Drive! We're collecting backpacks, pencils, notebooks, and more. Drop-off locations on campus. Find out how you can help: go.umd.edu/arhuschooldr... #UMD #ARHU #CommunityService #SchoolSupplyDrive

Ten years ago, a new musical changed Broadway forever. We're revisiting this article about UMD history professor Richard Bell, an expert in the American Revolution, who shares what "Hamilton" gets right—and wrong—about our founding fathers. brnw.ch/21wUIss #Hamilten

If you want to hear a podcast featuring me talking about Tolkien and the far right, have I got something for you.

SPAN448M: Contemporary Puerto Rican Musicality: From Plena to Bad Bunny explores lyrics, performance, and the impact of genres like bomba, plena, salsa, reggaetón and more. 📚 Prof. Quintero-Herencia 🗓️ Fall 2025 📍 UMD Spanish & Portuguese 🔗 app.testudo.umd.edu/soc/202405/S...

Drawing from black avant-garde poetic traditions and led by Marissa Parham, the “Remixed Poetry towards Computational Literacies”workshop put remix skills and digital literacy at the forefront.

In a session on Embodied Teaching as Radical Practice. Tamisha Ponder, owner of Sankofa Yoga and Wellness, shared this Thomas Merton quote. Ponder studies the physiological responses of those doing organizing and activism to the stress of the work. She considers educators as activists.

“We are not authoritarian figures in the classroom. Students are not passive. Authority is shared.” - Tony Louis on “Cultivating Joy: Centering Ecstasy and Pleasure in the Classroom.”

“The journey is also to the teacher and beyond. It’s always a path to the heart.” -bell hooks

Dr. Tamisha J. Ponder led the group in a grounding and centering exercise and shared that bell hooks was inspired by Thich Nat Han. hooks said: “He met rage with loving kindness.”

The institute, called “Teaching To Transgress,” is convened in the spirit of bell hooks, who said that the classroom remains the most radical space in the academy.

“To be a leader you have to be grounded in a study of the humanities” - Dr. Quincy Mills at the Third Annual Maryland Humanities Summer Institute organized by the Frederick Douglass Center For Leadership Through The Humanities. Happening now!

Leadership updates from Dean Stephanie Shonekan: 🎓 Christina Hanhardt - Chair, American Studies 🎶 Jared Rawlings – Director, School of Music 🎨 Justin Strom – Art, Chair more updates & thanks to outgoing leaders! 🔗 Full story in first comment ⬇️

Looking for your next summer read? 📚 Terp alums from @umdenglish.bsky.social and American studies are making waves—from Hamptons fiction to feminist TV critique to YA thrillers. Check out new books by Brooke Foster, Vincent Stephens, Meg Eden, & Allison Stine! #UMD #TerpAuthors