BYU College of Humanities

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

It might be hard to imagine stories more different than The Outsiders and Pride and Prejudice. But every style of writin...
10/01/2026

It might be hard to imagine stories more different than The Outsiders and Pride and Prejudice. But every style of writing can offer new or relatable perspectives that build connections between readers. These two College of Humanities faculty at BYU’s 2026 Education Week taught that writing—whether young adult (YA) literature, 19th century novels, or personal letters—has the power to bring people together.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/creating-community-through-the-written-word

Gazing up at stars in the night sky often provokes a deep sense of wonder about the universe and the God who created it....
09/29/2026

Gazing up at stars in the night sky often provokes a deep sense of wonder about the universe and the God who created it. But for some, simply gazing doesn’t satisfy their curiosity. That’s where science fiction comes in—it sparks the imagination, taking readers from gazing at the stars to gliding through galaxies, meeting aliens, and interacting with exciting (and sometimes troubling) technological innovations. At BYU’s 2026 Education Week, four humanities faculty explored the overlapping otherworldliness of both science fiction and theology and what it teaches us about ourselves.

Read more about that overlap on the Humanities News website: https://hum.byu.edu/finding-god-among-the-stars

Most people have used Wikipedia before, but few know where the online encyclopedia got its name. It comes from the word ...
09/24/2026

Most people have used Wikipedia before, but few know where the online encyclopedia got its name. It comes from the word wiki, which means quick or fast in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, the indigenous language of Hawai‘i. ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i is one of 1,500 languages indigenous to the Pacific region, and like many, it is severely endangered. Having grown up in Hawai‘i, linguistics professor Eve Koller has dedicated much of her research to the languages at risk in the often overlooked Pacific region, highlighting why preserving these voices matters.

Read the full article here:
https://hum.byu.edu/news/preserving-the-voices-of-the-pacific

When Lara Zanotti (Linguistics, ’26) boarded a plane to Thailand last summer, she wasn’t sure if teaching English was in...
09/22/2026

When Lara Zanotti (Linguistics, ’26) boarded a plane to Thailand last summer, she wasn’t sure if teaching English was in her future. A year later, Zanotti is now fully immersed in the world of TESOL and preparing to begin a master’s program in the fall. What originally began as a study abroad teaching English in Thailand became an experience that taught Zanotti just how much she could discover about herself if she embraced opportunities that took her outside of her comfort zone.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/finding-confidence-in-the-classroom

The Harold B. Lee Library has hosted its weekly English Reading Series since 1999 to highlight modern writing talent. To...
09/17/2026

The Harold B. Lee Library has hosted its weekly English Reading Series since 1999 to highlight modern writing talent. To finish the 2026 winter semester, three of BYU’s own student authors—Hadley Duncan Howard, Allison Hart, and Paige Winegar Fetzer—took the stage to share selections of some of their most memorable pieces, each demonstrating skill, passion, and a shared commitment to creativity.

Read the full article on the Humanities website: https://hum.byu.edu/news/creative-writing-takes-the-stage

In the final hours before his death, early church leader and prophet Joseph Smith asked apostle and friend John Taylor t...
09/15/2026

In the final hours before his death, early church leader and prophet Joseph Smith asked apostle and friend John Taylor to sing the hymn “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.” Its lyrics, centered on service and sacrifice, brought peace to the men imprisoned at Carthage Jail as they awaited their uncertain fate. Despite the familiarity of this account to many Latter-day Saints, the poem behind the hymn remains a mystery to many who sing it.

In a Wonder of Scripture Lecture on March 27, 2026, Associate Dean Leslee Thorne-Murphy (British Literature) told the story of James Montgomery, author of the poem “The Stranger and His Friend,” which was adapted to compose the lyrics to “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.” She suggested that Montgomery’s life and poetry teach not only the need for Christlike service but also what true charity looks like.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/the-story-behind-the-song

Jarring headlines fuel today’s media industry, drawing people to the news even as they want to turn away from it. Notici...
09/10/2026

Jarring headlines fuel today’s media industry, drawing people to the news even as they want to turn away from it. Noticing this trend, undergrad Madeline Miles went to work and research the effects of negative news media in Charlestown, West Virginia. Her research helped her see that soothing the divisiveness fueled by today’s news begins with one step: developing empathy.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/soothing-outrage-with-empathy

Germanic languages like Dutch, English, Danish, and Yiddish are linked by an entire linguistic family history. The langu...
09/08/2026

Germanic languages like Dutch, English, Danish, and Yiddish are linked by an entire linguistic family history. The languages and those that study them are scattered around the world, but almost one hundred of these Germanic language scholars came together in the Provo Library for a four-day event that combined the GLAC and SHEL conference organizations. The event fostered friendship, mentorship, and scholarly connections between lingustics from around the globe.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/a-germanic-family-gathering

At BYU, the classroom is a space where faith and intellect meet. Embracing this unique aspect, the Philosophy Department...
09/01/2026

At BYU, the classroom is a space where faith and intellect meet. Embracing this unique aspect, the Philosophy Department recently launched the Undergraduate LDS Philosophy Workshop—an opportunity for students to engage in mentored research that combines Latter-day Saint (LDS) beliefs with philosophical study. As a result, students strengthen both their personal faith and their futures as philosophers.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/creating-disciple-scholars

The Fédération Internationale des Petits Frères des Pauvres is a French organization that works to remedy the loneliness...
08/25/2026

The Fédération Internationale des Petits Frères des Pauvres is a French organization that works to remedy the loneliness that elderly people face.

The BYU French program regularly sends student interns, such as Ellie Pollard (Family Life and French Studies ’26) and Addison Abel (French Teaching and Anthropology ’27), to work with the organization. Pollard and Abel participated in the internship during the summer of 2025. As they made lifelong connections and friendships, they also deepened their fluency in French and received a unique glimpse into French culture.

Read the full article here: https://hum.byu.edu/news/age-old-friendships

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