The long-standing Science in Society Program (SiSP) has a brand-new name: the College of Science and Technology Studies (STS). After existing as a program since 1980 with jointly appointed faculty, the newly renamed college appoints its own faculty and draws affiliated faculty from across the humanities and social sciences. The College of STS is comprised of transdisciplinary faculty with scholarly expertise in historical, philosophical, and social scientific approaches that contextualize the many forms, practices, and institutions that constitute science and technology today. While still beloved by its over 500 alumni, the program’s unique name for its major “Science in Society”…

Guns are a pervasive, complex feature of modern life. All too often, however, the debate over firearms is reduced to simple, adversarial shouting matches. “If we just think of [the subject of guns] as a tug of war between two groups, that reinforces artificial binarism and both-sides-ism,” says Jennifer Tucker, professor of History and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Guns and Society. On Oct. 18 and 19, Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Guns and Society (CSGS) will foster a broad, nuanced, and multidisciplinary discussion — encompassing both historical and contemporary perspectives on guns and…

There are only three places in the United States where incarcerated individuals never lose their right to vote: the District of Columbia, Maine, and Vermont. Connecticut is one of 23 states where incarcerated people lose their right to vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2021, the state passed a bill restoring the right to vote for most people on parole and probation. Two advocates for this bill’s passage—State Senator Gary Winfield and organizer James Jeter—joined reentry expert Tracie Bernardi Guzman in conversation about barriers to voting in Connecticut at Wesleyan’s Allbritton Center for the Study of…

On October 2, Saidiya Hartman ’83, Hon. ’19 joined Kaneza Schaal ’06 in a conversation about their collaborative process of creating the new performance work Litany for Grieving Sisters. Moderated by Kiara Benn ’20, the event was hosted by Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts and convened in the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism. Based on Hartman’s essay of the same name, which was originally published in the journal Representations in 2022, the work explores themes of collective grief, love, and resilience. The three Wesleyan alumnae discussed the evolution of the project as they collaborate in a democratic process…

For three days in mid-September, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) embarked on an unusual trip. The university’s three chaplains—representing Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith traditions—took a dozen students from Wesleyan’s Mega Interfaith Leadership Council (MILC) to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Mass. Over the course of the long weekend, the group engaged in interfaith conversation, introspection, and community. Between moments of silence, guided hikes, and presentations on topics like spirituality, leadership, and resilience, the spiritually diverse group connected with each other across what can seem like vast, even intractable, differences. “We’re at the beginning…

The Associated Press interviewed President Michael S. Roth ’78 for a story on campus free speech on the one-year anniversary of the attacks of October 7. He talked about the ways Wesleyan is trying to foster discourse, including new courses on civil disagreement and faculty facilitation of conversation. “It’s challenging for students, as it is for adults — most adults don’t have conversations with people who disagree with them,” Roth said. “We’re so segregated into our bubbles.” Roth spoke about how to navigate disagreement on campus, “safe enough spaces,” related campus activity to democratic practice at an event for the New…

Joshua Cardenas ’19 had worked for five members of Congress but had never been involved in vetting and research before he took a job at the White House for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2022. “If you have opportunity to work in the White House, you take it. Whether it be pushing the snow, cutting the grass, anything to work there,” Cardenas said. As associate director of research and vetting in Harris’ office, he said he was tasked with ensuring events were focused on the people and issues the administration wanted to support. Cardenas always knew he wanted a career…

The Wesleyan Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and guest artists, including Indonesian vocalist Peni Candra Rini, will perform a free retrospective concert of compositions by University Professor of Music I.M. Harjito on Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall. They will perform under the direction of the composer and Sumarsam MA ’76, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music. Since 1983, Wesleyan has owned a set of gamelan instruments from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, a donation to the University from Louise Ansberry. The use of some of the instruments in the gamelan date back to the 12th century. Today, the magnificent orchestra includes colorful…

Computer-generated characters and animations have long been a part of film and promotional productions like music videos and commercials. Motion capture, a technology that records the movement of people or objects, is used widely in the entertainment industry to bring characters to life. Now Wesleyan has a space outfitted with this technology at the Digital Design Commons, which officially opened on Sept. 27 at an event with student performances and a visual effects demonstration. The Digital Design Commons (DDC) now offers students an OptiTrack motion capture studio, complete with a dozen 3-D motion capture cameras, that can accurately track movement…

The Wesleyan Field Hockey team has a new home at Hicks Field, officially named at a Sept. 21 ceremony. This new field also has a new type of AstroTurf called Poligras Paris GT zero, which is the first carbon-zero hockey turf developed worldwide. "Playing on Hicks field has been surreal, a dream come true,” said Christine Kemp, field hockey head coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach. “We play faster, smoother, and more skilled field hockey than ever before. It's been incredible to see our players take such big steps in elevating the level of play, individually and as a…

Last year, 12 dynamic critics appeared at Wesleyan for a year-long speaker series through the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism. The wildly successful series will return this academic year, this time with an array of editors across the creative landscape. The critics series was meant to highlight different aspects of how literature is produced and consumed, whereas this year’s series aims to show students how the objects of this criticism are made, said Merve Emre, Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Literature and Criticism and director of the Shapiro Center. The Center’s mission is to teach students at Wesleyan how the…

Wesleyan’s holistic approach to admissions continues to support a socioeconomically diverse student body with the Class of 2028. Among the 824 first-year students and 48 transfer students who joined the campus community this fall, there are more first-generation and Pell-grant-eligible students compared to last year. A notable 16% are the first in their families to go to college, which is higher than the percentage of children of alumni. Of those who self-reported their race or ethnicity, the data is comparable to last year: The percentage of domestic students of color remains at 32% of the class. The number of Black/African…

Renamed College of Science and Technology Studies Aligns with Growth in the Field

Center for the Study of Guns and Society to Host Annual Fall Conference

Breaking Down ‘Barriers to the Ballot’

Democracy in Action: Three Alumnae Discuss Collaboration on New Performance Work

Bridging Differences Through Interfaith Community and Dialogue

Wesleyan in the News: October 2024

Democracy in Action: Meet Joshua Cardenas ’19

Javanese Gamelan Ensemble to premiere works by I.M. Harjito

New Motion Capture Studio Opens at Digital Design Commons

Carbon-Zero Field Hockey Turf Unveiled at New Hicks Field

Visionary Editors to Speak at Shapiro Center Series

Wesleyan Maintains Diversity in Class of 2028