UC San Diego Arts and Humanities Moments Sept-Oct 2021
Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We start the academic year with both excitement and trepidation. For many, the first quarter of the new year is more than simply returning to the classroom. It is a return to our strengths, both in advancing our research and creative endeavors, as well as educating our students. You are correct to be cautious, as we all are — and I commend you for not just ensuring your own safety, but ensuring the safety of and access for our staff, students and entire Arts and Humanities community.
 
The transition back to campus gives me great joy. We move the division into one of the most central locations on campus where, for the first time in our university’s history, our disciplines and initiatives take “center stage” in the new Arts and Humanities Building. We are already seeing the benefits, and I encourage everyone to experience just how connected we are becoming.
 
One of the most anticipated times of the year is when we welcome the new faculty members into our academic and public communities. Congratulations, we are glad you have joined us! These individuals bring with them expertise that is unmatched and will only strengthen the depth of work we are committed to in our diverse, public institution.
 
In particular, their commitment to investigating and eradicating the inequalities that plague our society is celebrated. We continue the social-justice work that is a guiding principle of our disciplines, not just to make the future better for our students, but to give our students the skills and knowledge to make a better future for all of us.



Dean Cristina Della Coletta
UC San Diego Division of Arts and Humanities
Get acquainted with the research and interests of the incoming faculty cohort for the academic year 2021 – 2022, joining History, Literature, Philosophy, Theatre and Dance, and Visual Arts.
When this year’s Festival of Books returned late August, the Department of Literature was once again well represented: Kathryn Walkiewicz, Andrea Mendoza and Kazim Ali (pictured) all participated.
The new Community Connections Fellows are (l to r) Carlito Espudo (Literature), kelechi agwuncha (Visual Arts), Maria Rios-Mathioudakis (Visual Arts), Kathryn Schulmeister (Music) and Melissa Cisneros (Theatre and Dance).
Jade Power-Sotomayor of Theatre and Dance is this year’s award winner for her research “Moving Borders and Dancing in Place: Son Jarocho's Speaking Bodies at the Fandango Fronterizo.”
New research from Shlomo Dubnov of Music shows how artificial intelligence enables computers to translate compositions between multiple styles: from pop to classical to jazz, and more.
Frank Biess of History is the 2021 award winner for his book “German Angst: Fear and Democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany.”
Gift for the state-of-the-art amphitheater supports a vision of the campus as a destination for arts, culture and entertainment for all.
Jessica Flores
Jessica Flores is production manager in the Department of Music. Find out what advice she gives to new employees, and more.
c. callender graphic

Co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics Craig Callender (Philosophy) discusses how the philosophy of science is crucial for responsible scientific advances (video).

Seven-time nominee Danny Burstein MFA '90 (Theatre and Dance) says theater has the ability to heal. Burstein won a Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical on Sept. 26.
lopez

Yolanda López MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) developed one of the earliest feminist reinterpretations of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which became a major focus of Mexican American artists who were influenced by López’s work.
book cover

“Pax Romana didn’t just naturally occur. Augustus made deliberate decisions about where Rome should expand,” said Edward Watts (History), author of “The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea.”