Public Humanities

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 …

This post was written by Starly Pratt, a Humanities Center student fellow.    In the sport of bouldering, one has to be a little insane. Or, at least, it appears that way. I’ve often heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. This coincides with …

This post was written by Kaden Nelson, a Humanities Center student fellow.    It’s difficult to find purpose in writing a paper when its composition sits against the backdrop of what seems to be a progressively purposeless world. Students and scholars in the humanities have been pummeled relentlessly over the last two decades with statistics …

This post was written by Mabel Court, a Humanities Center student fellow.    History unspools as it occurs; the future has always been an ever-murky, ever-shifting puzzle. That being said, there do seem to be compounding factors that make this historical moment feel particularly uncertain, with mounting political polarization, wars and rumors of wars, and …

This post was written by Stephen Tuttle, a Humanities Center faculty fellow.     The year I turned eleven, I spent a lot of time not reading. I was more interested in setting a high score on Megamania, a video game that was basically Space Invaders if the invaders were hamburgers (I know, I don’t get …

This post was written by Coleman Numbers, a Humanities Center student fellow.    “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.” —Joseph Smith, 1851 Why is so much science fiction concerned with totalitarianism?   This question has infected me since I started Adrian Tchaikovsky’s latest novel, Alien Clay. It’s not the question I expected …

This post was written by Rex P. Nielson, BYU Humanities Center Director.    I’ve just returned from attending the MLA annual convention, held this year in a very chilly and rainy New Orleans. Following a lengthy more-than-ten-year stretch in which I deliberately avoided the MLA convention, a hiatus that I freely admit was prompted by …

This post was written by Kathryn Charles, the current Humanities Center Intern.    Under most circumstances, I would jump at the chance to visit Monet’s garden at his home in Giverny, France. Under jet-lagged circumstances in the early morning, I did not. My husband, Sam, who had visited the garden before, promised me that if …