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This post was written by James R. Swensen, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow.   Just so you know, it takes about a week (or so) to recover from a study abroad program, even when everything goes smoothly. Having directed and co-directed several programs, my family and I have learned that once the students have …

This post was written by Brooke Farnsworth, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow.   Rummaging through my attic, I recently happened upon a binder, water-damaged and falling apart. As I sifted through the well-worn papers, a familiar note fluttered into my hand. I recognized the handwriting and language as my own. The letter was titled, …

This post was written by Sara Phenix, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow.   The unlikely first sign that something was wrong with my vision was a broken ankle. On the second day of a two-week research trip to Paris in December 2023, I missed the last step of a staircase on the Ile de …

This post was written by Sawyer Wood, BYU Humanities Center Intern and student fellow.   While studying in Northern Spain this summer, I visited the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which stands in a city literally built around its religiosity. The cathedral was constructed on a sacred site believed to be the resting place of …

This post was written by Rex P. Nielson, BYU Humanities Center Director.   On July 25, 1139, in a placed called Ourique, roughly an hour north of modern-day Lisbon, Afonso Henriques and his armed forces faced a much larger army loyal to the Almoravid dynasty and the governor of Córdoba, Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar. Though …

This post was written by Jane Henderson, winner of the 2025 Humanities Center Essay Contest.   Ross Gay said joy is “a room at the top of a flight of stairs.”  I was standing in a room in a community center in the middle of Herriman, Utah. It was warm with bodies. Colorful posters breathed …

The Humanities Center is pleased to display an exhibit featuring the work of four Latter-day Saint artists: James Rees, Jessica Day Smith, Sarah Schwieger, and Justin Wheatley. The exhibit was curated by Elizabeth Finlayson, a current BYU Comparative Studies MA student and a graduate of BYU’s Art History & Curatorial Studies program.   Elizabeth was inspired …

This post was written by Sophie Hirtle, a Humanities Center student fellow.    My great-grandmother Mary Abbott Self loved to write. While she kept most of her works to herself, she was especially proud of an article she published in 1951 in the Independent Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California. In her article, she describes the …

This post was written by Ryan Hill, Assistant Academic Director of the BYU Humanities Center.    A few months ago, as I listened to a song by Trueno, one of my favorite musicians, I was struck by the lyrics of one of the verses. In his song, “Sangría,” released in 2019, the young Argentine hip-hop/rap …

This post was written by Sydney Jo Pedersen, a Humanities Center student fellow.    “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”   - George Bernard Shaw  Even before they speak their first word, a child begins to communicate. They express surprise with raised eyebrows, joy with a smile, and hunger …