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Tag: Department of French & Italian Studies

September 15, 2025

ArtSci Roundup: September and October

Come curious. Leave inspired. We welcome you to connect with us this autumn quarter through an incredible lineup of more than 30 events, exhibitions, podcasts, and more. From thought-provoking talks on monsters to boundary-pushing performances by Grammy-nominated Mariachi ensembles, it’s a celebration of bold ideas and creative energy. ArtSci On Your Own Time Exhibition: Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture) Journey through the seasonal cycle of weaving, from gathering materials and…

June 11, 2025

Faculty/staff honors: Innovation grant, best paper, outstanding research award

W statue in front of grass and trees

Recent recognition of the University of Washington includes an EarthLab Innovation Grant, the Best Paper Award from American Political Science Association and honorable recognition mention from the American Society for Theatre Research. UW professor Richard Watts and team awarded EarthLab Innovation Grant Richard Watts, UW associate professor of French, is part of an interdisciplinary team from the UW that received an EarthLab Innovation Grant to support their collaborative project, “Life in Spite of It All: Water, Wetlands, and Reclamation in…

New faculty books: Artificial intelligence, 1990s Russia, song interpretation, and more

A wood grain background with four book covers on it

Recent faculty books from the University of Washington include those from linguistics, Slavic languages and literature and French. UW News spoke with the authors of four publications to learn more about their work. Scrutinizing and confronting AI hype Emily M. Bender, UW professor of linguistics, co-authored “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want” with Alex Hanna, the director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute. The book looks at the the…

May 23, 2025

ArtSci Roundup: June 2025

From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this June. ArtSci on the Go Looking for more ways to get more out of Arts & Sciences? Check out these resources to take ArtSci wherever you go! Zev J. Handel, “Chinese Characters Across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came…

May 22, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 2: Paratext

There is more to literature than the text itself. Anything that surrounds the text — from the cover to chapter headings and author bios — is known as paratext. This is what transforms text into a book.   Richard Watts’s research focuses on this under-examined aspect of literature. In this episode, Watts, an associate professor of French at the University of Washington, explains how everything we read comes with accompanying discourse. Decisions have already been made about how readers should…

March 12, 2025

ArtSci Roundup: April 2025

From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this April. Worldwide Conversations April 4 | University of Washington International Security Colloquium (UWISC): “The Blame Game: Militias, civilians, and the states’ accountability-effectiveness trade-off” (Political Science) April 4 | Political Economy Forum presents Brian Leung (Political Science) April 7 |…

May 9, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Katz Distinguished Lecture, DXARTS Spring Concert, MFA Dance Concert and more

This week, attend the Katz Distinguished Lecture Series with Winnie Wong, check out the DXARTS Spring Concert, be wowed away from the MFA Dance Concert, and more. May 13 – 17, UW Innovation Month Innovation Month is a campus-wide celebration of the innovative work that happens everywhere at UW, every day, across disciplines. It highlights students and researchers who are entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists, artists, and other leaders who are constantly imagining new heights in their fields. Join events to…

December 6, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Pints for Puget Sound, Many Messiahs music performance, Native Art Markets, and more

This week, roam the Burke Museum galleries at night to check out their special exhibit We Are Puget Sound, enjoy the Many Messiahs performance by talented musicians, check out the Native Art Markets, and more. December 11, 7:00 pm | Degree Recital: Chiao-Yu Wu, piano, Brechemin Auditorium The School of Music presents a degree recital from Chiao-Yu Wu. Wu is a Taiwanese pianist in her second year of Doctor of Musical Art in Piano Performance at the UW. She will…

November 8, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Diversity Lecture Series, Jacob Lawrence Gallery Reopening, Sacred Breath, and more.

This week, attend the Diversity Lecture Series “Unveiling Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States”, celebrate the Jacob Lawrence Gallery Reopening, listen to Indigenous storytellers at Sacred Breath, and more. November 13, 3:00 – 4:30pm | Diversity Lecture Series: “Unveiling Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States: Disparities and Challenges in Women’s Health”, Online In this Diversity Lecture Series, Denova Collaborative Health’s executive director, Angela Roumain, will explore the maternal rate of illness and rate of death in…

October 10, 2023

“Ways of Knowing” Episode 8: Translation

When you hear a cover of a favorite song, comparisons are inevitable. There are obvious similarities – the lyrics, the melody – but there are also enough differences to make each version unique. Those deviations say more than you might expect.     Maya Angela Smith, associate of professor of French at the University of Washington, introduces translation studies through the lens of the song “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” Originally recorded by Jacques Brel — a French-speaking Belgian man —…

“Ways of Knowing” Episode 4: Environmental Humanities

Centuries ago, writers depicted the natural world as terrifying and dangerous, no place for humans. But that fear, in the decades to come, gradually turned to appreciation, awe and joy, for poets and artists, sightseers and backpackers.     Louisa Mackenzie, associate professor of comparative history of ideas at the University of Washington, describes how the view of nature has evolved. What was once frightening is now enticing – what Mackenzie calls the “wilderness impulse.” In her translation of “La…

March 17, 2022

New volume on gender-neutral language sheds light on political controversy in France

In France, a political controversy arose when a gender-neutral pronoun was added to a respected dictionary. This controversy made a new volume co-edited by the UW’s Louisa Mackenzie especially relevant. It describes how nonbinary French speakers are changing their language to reflect their identity.

April 21, 2021

ArtSci Roundup: Exhibitions at The Henry Art Gallery, From ‘Permit Patty’ to ‘Karen’: Black Rearticulations of Racial Humor, and More

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  The Henry Art Gallery: Exhibitions on view through April Ongoing | The Henry Art Gallery The Henry Art Gallery, located on the UW campus, is internationally…

April 29, 2020

UW books in brief: Chinese funerary biographies, skin lighteners through history, NYC neighborhood gentrification study, Arthurian verse-novel in translation

Recent notable books by UW faculty members look at gentrification and inequity in a New York neighborhood, skin lighteners though history, female agency in Arthurian legend and biographical epitaphs in China across many centuries.