A Message from the Dean
Welcome to this year’s Perspectives, the College of Humanities annual magazine. Collected in these pages are prismatic visions of the humanities: some articles serve as lenses into the past, while others refract possible futures, and still others stand in this moment and ask us who we are and what we believe in. We are glad to have you with us on this intellectual journey.
In these pages, we highlight the college’s sophisticated research environment and the notable scholarly achievements of our faculty on national and international stages. We visit the hugely popular Great Books course for first-year undergraduate students, observing a broad vista of intellectual history from which the next generation of scholars can launch into deeper humanistic inquiry.
We explore the proposal of a new AI center to bring together campus, community, and industry partners to address the intersections and opportunities that this technology can open for people with disabilities. We celebrate the revitalization of the university’s renowned Middle East Center while somberly reflecting on the painful realities currently wracking the region itself. We delve into thoughtful considerations of the symbiotic relationship between culture and religion, making space for all who are curious about the role religion plays in individual identity as well as society writ large.
We consider the narrative forms and immersive art of video games, the capabilities of computational linguistics, and how to educate students in the subtle and delicate interdisciplinary craft of diplomacy. We hear a distinguished alumni’s reflections and a graduating student’s profoundly moving story about what the humanities have meant to them from two very different vantage points in their lives.
Studying the humanities gives us the ability to see the world through multiple lenses, a gift that perhaps we take for granted. It gives us the capacity to forge strong connections, ask adept questions, and think more critically, deeply, compassionately, and creatively. As you peer into this prism of Perspectives with us, we hope that it throws new light onto old ideas, casts unexpected and provocative shadows where perhaps you hadn’t looked for a while, and splashes brilliant color over every aspect of life.
Sincerely,
Hollis Robbins
Dean, College of Humanities
University of Utah
Introducing Acting Dean,
Wanda Pillow
In October 2024, the College of Humanities welcomed Acting Dean Wanda S. Pillow. Pillow, a professor of gender studies, has served as chair of the Gender Studies Division and as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School for Cultural and Social Transformation. She is a first-generation student and an award-winning teacher, mentor, and scholar.
Currently serving as co-Editor of the journal Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies and as principal investigator on a Mellon Multivocal Humanities grant, Pillow’s work is widely read across multiple fields of study and has been recognized with several prestigious fellowships, including at the Huntington Library, the Newberry Library, and the National Humanities Center. Her work focuses on analyses of power, subjectivity, and representation in feminist inquiry and theory as well as applied research projects that show how these issues impact American identity in policy and popular culture.
“I am honored to be working alongside such talented colleagues,” says Pillow, “and I am eager to work with the college to promote the forthcoming diplomacy degree, extend humanities scholarship on AI and disability, and support the groundbreaking work our faculty are doing in game studies, among other exciting initiatives.”
Please join us in welcoming Acting Dean Pillow to the college!