BYU College of Humanities

BYU College of Humanities Think clearly. Act well. Appreciate life. For lovers of Literature, Languages, Linguistics, and Art.

Meet one of our outstanding faculty members in the English Department, Deborah Dean. ✨
06/18/2026

Meet one of our outstanding faculty members in the English Department, Deborah Dean. ✨

Behind the scenes of every art museum are many hands busy at work tending to the details that shape the museum’s atmosph...
06/16/2026

Behind the scenes of every art museum are many hands busy at work tending to the details that shape the museum’s atmosphere. BYU student interns at the Springville Art Museum gained experience in many of these roles, from dusting art to arranging exhibits for community shows. Along the way, they learned that museums are built on collaboration, care, and often-unseen work that brings each gallery to life; the skills they gained extend well beyond the museum’s walls.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/finding-meaning-in-the-museum

Art comes in many forms—paintings, sculptures, architecture, installations. For Katie Kresser, resident art historian at...
06/11/2026

Art comes in many forms—paintings, sculptures, architecture, installations. For Katie Kresser, resident art historian at Seattle Pacific University, an understanding of art is defined by more than its form. In her Faith and Imagination lecture at BYU on March 19, 2026, Kresser argued that recognizing art’s true meaning requires looking beyond the work of the paintbrush and into the mind of the artist who holds it.

Read full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/true-awe-in-art

Imagine working on a single project for 27 years straight, then having Michelangelo say the work is good enough to exist...
06/09/2026

Imagine working on a single project for 27 years straight, then having Michelangelo say the work is good enough to exist in paradise. This was the experience of Lorenzo Ghiberti, who created Florence Cathedral’s famous baptistry doors called the Gates of Paradise, replicas of which are on display at BYU’s Museum of Art (MOA). On March 6, Associate Professor Elliott Wise (Eucharistic and Liturgical Imagery) gave a lecture at the MOA entitled “Sacred Symbolism in the Gates of Paradise,” explaining the origin of these historic doors and the way they symbolically point to Christ.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/the-doorway-to-paradise

Many people think of art curation in museum settings, involving long-term planning, large spaces, and curators who have ...
06/04/2026

Many people think of art curation in museum settings, involving long-term planning, large spaces, and curators who have full creative freedom. Allie Sena (Art History, French Studies ’26) and Natalie Rasmussen (Comparative Studies MA ’26) found themselves in very different circumstances when they were asked to curate a new art exhibit for BYU’s Humanities Center. Working with a small room and a short deadline, the pair took on the complicated task and created an exhibit that displays unity across humanity.
Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/curating-human-unity

As an undergraduate philosophy student at BYU, Professor David Laraway had no idea the journal he and other students cre...
06/02/2026

As an undergraduate philosophy student at BYU, Professor David Laraway had no idea the journal he and other students created to showcase their work would become a lasting tradition. Yet more than three decades and dozens of student editors later, the Aporia undergraduate journal for philosophy is not only still standing, but it’s also providing a unique experience for students worldwide to engage in thought-provoking discussion.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/aporias-lasting-legacy

When Professor Donald Parry set out to find a simple way for students to practice Biblical Hebrew verbs, he found almost...
05/28/2026

When Professor Donald Parry set out to find a simple way for students to practice Biblical Hebrew verbs, he found almost nothing. One quick search revealed a tool with only 32 verbs, something students could master in minutes. That gap became the beginning of something much bigger.

With support from BYU’s Office of Digital Humanities, Parry created the Biblical Hebrew Learning Suite, an interactive resource that now supports thousands of learners. What started as a need for better verb practice has grown into a comprehensive tool with vocabulary builders, grammar exercises, native speaker recordings, and even an interactive Hebrew Bible.

Designed for beginners and advanced students alike, the suite meets learners where they are and grows with them. Students who spend time with it outside the classroom consistently see stronger results, and many continue using it long after their courses end. Even more, the resource is available to anyone around the world, making it a lasting tool for lifelong learning.

Learn more here: https://hum.byu.edu/your-companion-for-biblical-hebrew-study
Photo by David John Arnett

Poetry has a unique way of turning strangers into a community. After a life-changing trip to the Navajo Nation, BYU stud...
05/26/2026

Poetry has a unique way of turning strangers into a community. After a life-changing trip to the Navajo Nation, BYU student Aiden Jones used a Humanities Undergraduate Mentoring (HUM) Grant to bring Indigenous voices to the forefront in Provo. By organizing public poetry readings of Indigenous poetry at local bookstores and cafés, she created a space where students shared powerful stories of heritage, resilience, and connection.

Read more about how these events fostered understanding and showcased the heart of the humanities: https://hum.byu.edu/giving-voice-to-native-stories

Meet one of our outstanding faculty members in the German & Russian Department, Jennifer Bown ✨ From earning national re...
05/21/2026

Meet one of our outstanding faculty members in the German & Russian Department, Jennifer Bown ✨

From earning national recognition for research in language education to being named BYU’s Professor of the Year in European Studies, her work continues to shape the way students experience language learning.

Her teaching spans from introductory Russian courses to advanced research seminars, and her scholarship explores how study abroad experiences influence identity, connection, and language growth.

Through both her research and her classroom, she is helping students see language as not just words, but as a bridge to understanding people and cultures around the world.

Six College of Humanities graduate students stepped up to the challenge at the Three Minute Thesis Competition, sharing ...
05/19/2026

Six College of Humanities graduate students stepped up to the challenge at the Three Minute Thesis Competition, sharing years of research in a format that rewards clarity, creativity, and confidence. Their presentations highlighted not only impressive scholarship but also the personal growth that comes with graduate study.

Topics ranged across literature, language, and lived experience. Gabriella Schwartz explored identity through geometric fractals and William Wordsworth’s The Prelude. Michele Walker compared essays to rivers that grow and shape perspective over time. Lauren Smith examined how gratitude journaling can strengthen both well being and second language skills. Each presentation offered a unique lens on what it means to learn, reflect, and keep becoming.

Photo by Faith Riddoch

Read the full story here: https://hum.byu.edu/competing-against-the-clock

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