On the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the news outlet Ukraine World shared a video on Twitter showing a Ukrainian woman in Henychesk giving sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers. [1] She says, “Take these seeds and put them in your pockets so that at least sunflowers [the Ukrainian national flower] will grow where …
Sport and the Humanities: A Natural Dance Partnership
The Olympics always leave me a bit nostalgic. Thanks to my dad’s involvement with Cycling Canada, my childhood was immersed in sport. From memories of holding my dad’s hand as we manoeuvered through the throngs of people behind the scenes at my first Olympics in Montreal, to members of the national team training in our …
Expounding–and Expanding–Love on Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has always been, for me, a paradoxical time of year. It falls during my least favorite month, in the dreariest part of the winter with the most snow and ice, and the least amount of sun. No matter what the calendar says, no one can convince me that February is not the longest …
My Curiosity Runnin’ Wild: Meandering through Mexico, Music, Literature, and Film
Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio with no particular place to go. — Chuck Berry A few blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City sits Plaza Garibaldi. During colonial times, the square was called Plaza Santa Cecilia to honor the patron saint of musicians. In 1920, the postrevolutionary government of Álvaro Obregón …
Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellows Nominations
We are currently looking for a new group of Humanities Center undergraduate fellows. Generous donors have made it possible for us to fund at least four student fellowships – the equivalent of a full scholarship – next year. As always, our pool of candidates will consist solely of nominations sent by you, our faculty. The …
One Year Fellowships 2022-23
BYU’s Humanities Center sponsors two one-year faculty fellowships. Unlike the multi-year fellowships, these one-year fellowships will be awarded by application rather than appointment. The fellowship period will begin in the fall semester of 2022. Fellowships will come with a salary supplement of $2,500, a research stipend of an additional $2,500, and release from two courses …
Humanities Center Feature: Jimmy Santiago Baca and the Freeing Grace of Poetry
Celebrated poet Jimmy Santiago Baca came to BYU for a two-day visit on Thursday January 27 and Friday January 28. His visit included a poetry workshop, a film screening of the award-winning documentary about his life and work, “A Place to Stand,” an English reading series reading, and an interview about social justice and poetry. …
Winter 2022
All Colloquia will take place in 4010 JFSB and on Zoom at 3:00 PM unless otherwise specified. https://byu.zoom.us/j/94078851742 January 13 Justin White (Philosophy) Backsliding and Bad Faith: Aspiration, Disavowal, and (Residual) Practical Identities January 20 Roundtable with Susan Rugh, Stephen Jones and Jim Faulconer BYU’s Second Century: How Are We Doing? February 10 Walter …
Surprised by Love
Such is this steep ascent, / That it is ever difficult at first, / But more a man proceeds, less evil grows. / When pleasant it shall seem to thee, so much / that upward going shall be easy to thee / as in a vessel to go down the tide, / then of this …
Is Music Simply “Auditory Cheesecake”?
Psychologist Steven Pinker ignited a firestorm in 1997 by infamously claiming that music is auditory cheesecake—nothing but a pleasant by-product of the processes of evolutionary selection and not essential for human survival or reproduction.[1] Unlike language, which he believes to be biologically adaptive, Pinker argues that music is merely a technology that humans have invented …












