The Ethics and Governance of Climate Intervention
Should we rule out geoengineering?
The Schlaretzki Lecture 2026
Friday, April 17, 3 p.m.
Thurgood Marshall Hall, Room 0301
Featuring Anna Stilz, Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley
Learn more: philosophy.umd.edu/events/schla...
What does the Fourth of July mean now? Join us for the launch of The Douglass Dialogues, a new series bringing scholars and public intellectuals into conversation across difference. Grounded in the legacy of Frederick Douglass, this dialogue invites rigorous thinking, honest exchange and the possibility of disagreement as a form of learning. The first conversation, What to Us Now is the Fourth of July?, revisits Douglass’s 1852 speech and asks what it means to confront the “character and conduct of this nation” in 2026, as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. Featuring: Christopher Bonner, associate professor of history, UMD Janelle Wong, professor of American studies and government and politics, UMD Larry Thompson, University of Georgia, former deputy attorney general of the United States Monday, April 20 1 to 2:30 p.m. David C. Driskell Center
What does the Fourth of July mean now?
Join the launch of The Douglass Dialogues as scholars revisit Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech and ask what it means in 2026.
April 20, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
David C. Driskell Center
The University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies invites you to A Night with Betsy Rosen, TDPS Puppetry Artist in Residence. On April 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cafritz Foundation Theatre, Betsy Rosen will discuss her professional journey in puppetry, including her role as Assistant Puppetry and Movement Director and Puppet Captain on the first national tour of “Life of Pi.” Moderated by Dean Stephanie Shonekan, this conversation will offer insight into interdisciplinary performance, collaboration, and creative leadership in the performing arts. Free and open to the public. No tickets required. Learn more: go.umd.edu/betsyrosen26
Join Betsy Rosen, UMD School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies puppetry Artist in Residence, in conversation with Dean Stephanie Shonekan as she reflects on her journey, from UMD to the national tour of "Life of Pi."
April 6, 6 PM
Free and open to all
go.umd.edu/betsyrosen26
Has a professor challenged you in positive ways? Or maybe they’ve been a mentor and role model to you...Take 5 minutes and nominate them for a teaching award! Visit go.umd.edu/dh26. Nominations close April 1 at 5 p.m.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Art Mollye Bendell, Assistant Professor of Art Brandon Donahue-Shipp, David Page MFA ’02, Noah McWilliams MFA ’21 and Pamela J. Thompson MFA ’91, who are semifinalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize.
baltimoretimes-online.com/arts-culture...
Pictured left to right: H.E. Nada Hamadeh Moawad (Ambassador of Lebanon), Matar and Brigitte Blachere (Program Manager at Smithsonian Associates).
Congratulations to Director of the Language House and Associate Clinical Professor of French Marilyn Matar, recipient of the 2026 Grand Prix de la Francophonie!
Left to right: H.E. Nada Hamadeh Moawad (Ambassador of Lebanon), Matar and Brigitte Blachere (Program Manager at Smithsonian Associates).
What role can the humanities play in strengthening democracy? Join the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities for a Lessons in Leadership conversation with Dr. Terry Scott and Dr. David Domke, co leaders of the Institute for Common Power. In conversation with Dr. Quincy Mills, they will discuss how humanities training informs their leadership and their work to protect voting rights and democratic participation. March 31 5 to 6:15 p.m. Tawes Hall, Room 1100 Reception to follow Register: https://douglasscenter.umd.edu/events/education-action-humanities-blueprint-remaking-democracy
Join the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities for a Lessons in Leadership conversation with Dr. Terry Scott and Dr. David Domke, co leaders of the Institute for Common Power. @theinstitutecp.bsky.social
Register:
douglasscenter.umd.edu/events/educa...
Congratulations to several UMD College of Arts and Humanities faculty who received the 2026 Independent Scholarship, Research and Creativity Awards (ISRCA), supporting bold research and creative work across disciplines.
today.umd.edu/faculty-hono...
Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and a panel of ARHU experts for an engaging pop-up roundtable discussion on war and its impact on communities, democracies and futures.
March 12 | 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | Taliaferro Hall
Learn more: arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...
Today: How do songs become prayer, testimony and praise?
Join UMD ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan for a virtual lecture exploring five songs that African American communities turn to as sites of worship, reflection and collective memory.
March 9 | 12:30-2 p.m.
Register: arhu.umd.edu/events/preci...
We are proud to share a roundup of recent honors earned by faculty and staff in the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities.
arhu.umd.edu/news/spring-...
Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at
@peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity.
Register now:
arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...
UMD Research Professor of History Julie Taddeo provides insight on the recent arrest of former Prince Andrew and what it means in the broader context of accountability and public scrutiny.
Listen to the full segment:
We’re taught the American Revolution ended at Yorktown in 1781. but its final battle was fought in southern India in 1783. In his latest book, Richard Bell (@rickbell.bsky.social) of @umdhistory.bsky.social explores the revolution as a global war that reshaped empires.
arhu.umd.edu/news/rethink...
Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at
@peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity.
Register now:
arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...
A WUSA9 feature highlights a University of Maryland course taught by Professor Juan Carlos Quintero Herencia, where students examine Bad Bunny’s music as a lens on culture, politics, language and identity.
Watch the story: go.umd.edu/270b
Join us Monday at 9 a.m. to kick off Love Data Week 2026 at UMD with a virtual fireside chat hosted by Chief Data Officer Michelle Appel and featuring ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan. The conversation explores how data show up differently in the humanities and STEM.
umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Revolution Summer reshaped D.C. punk in 1985. Forty years later, its cultural and political impact lives on through the UMD Libraries D.C. Punk Archive, a leading collection documenting punk’s DIY media, political expression and community.
Read more via WAMU: wamu.org/story/25/12/...
Our Dean, Stephanie Shonekan, is featured on today’s 1A rebroadcast discussing protest music, Afrobeats, and Fela Kuti’s legacy of political resistance. The segment highlights her research on his mother and her influence on his life and music. the1a.org/segments/pro...
People walk on McKeldin Mall on Sept. 2, 2025. (Sam Cohen/The Diamondback)
What role do you think humanities play in addressing today's challenges? dbknews.com/2025/11/20/r...
Join the UMD Libraries on Thursday, November 6th, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in McKeldin Library room 4109 as Dean Stephanie Shonekan discusses their work Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow Tears and Blood. www.lib.umd.edu/research/eve...
New episodes of our "Rhyme and Reason” podcast are here!
From Black barber shops to Haitian cinema to immigrant political life, these conversations reveal how the arts and humanities help us see beyond headlines, connect past and present and support communities.
Listen now: umd-arhu.podbean.com
An 1863 engraving from Harper’s Weekly titled “The Emancipation of the Negroes, January 1863—The Past and the Future” by Thomas Nast. The illustration contrasts slavery and freedom in a large circular composition labeled “Emancipation.” Inside the circle, a freed Black family gathers warmly around a stove in a comfortable home, children playing and elders smiling. Surrounding scenes outside the circle depict the horrors of slavery on the left—whipping, auction blocks, and despair—and scenes of freedom and opportunity on the right—education in a public school, paid work, and family reunification. At the bottom, a small circular vignette shows an angel freeing a shackled enslaved person, symbolizing deliverance and hope.
UMD’s Freedmen and Southern Society Project has received a $300k grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its landmark book, “Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861–1867,” chronicling one of the most consequential moments in U.S. history. go.umd.edu/241s
Graphic for an event titled “Disability and Accessibility at UMD,” moderated by ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan. The text is centered on a dark blue gradient background with glowing white and peach lettering. Event details read: Thursday, October 23, 2025, Discussion: 4:00–5:00 PM, Taliaferro Hall Library (Room 1126). In the lower right corner, a white box with red and yellow arrows contains the logo “ARHU Pop Up Discussion.”
As part of Disability Awareness Month, join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and panelists for a conversation on disability and accessibility at UMD. Open to UMD students, faculty, and staff. Oct 23, 4–5 PM, Taliaferro 1126.
Dean Stephanie Shonekan unveiled ARHU’s Timely & Timeless strategic plan at our annual assembly as we celebrated 2025 Service Award winners—with music, poetry, and student reflections on the four commitments.
arhu.umd.edu/news/arhu-20...
Illustrated Persian manuscript spread from the Khamsa of Nizami, showing text in black ink on cream pages. The right page features a colorful miniature of Khusrau on horseback gazing at Shirin, who sits beneath a tree on green grass. The scene includes vivid blues, reds, and greens, bordered by Persian calligraphy. The aged pages have visible wear and small tears. Image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago collection.
UMD’s Roshan Institute for Persian Studies received a major gift to establish the Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Persian Digital Library, the first open-access, scholar-vetted archive of Persian texts.
today.umd.edu/roshan-insti...
Join the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies on Wed, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. for the launch of Technocreep and the Politics of Things Unseen—a feminist take on why our ties to tech often feel “creepy.”
go.umd.edu/technocreep
Promotional graphic for an event titled “Being Human in the Age of A.I.” Moderated by ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan. Text reads: “Thursday, October 9, 2025. Round Table Discussion: 3:30–4:30 PM. Taliaferro Hall Library (Room 1126).” Bottom right corner features the ARHU Pop Up Discussion logo with a red, white, yellow, and black arrow design. Background is dark blue fading to black with glowing white and cyan text.
Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and panelists this Thursday, Oct. 9, 3:30–4:30 p.m., to explore how the College of Arts and Humanities examines AI through humanistic and social science perspectives—examining its impact and creatively using its tools. arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...
The HPV vaccine prevents cancer—but uptake remains far below national goals.
Professor of Communication Xiaoli Nan has earned a $2.8M NIH grant to lead an interdisciplinary team developing an AI-powered chatbot to support parents in making informed choices.
Read more: arhu.umd.edu/news/umd-res...
Have you voted yet for your favorite #JaneAusten heroine? @umdhistory.bsky.social Prof Julie Taddeo takes part in @uk.theconversation.com #FightClub! @umd-arhu.bsky.social
theconversation.com/who-was-jane...