Lauren Rubenstein

Wesleyan will present the first-ever creative writing specialization on the Coursera platform, beginning Feb. 9. Taught by four award-winning authors, the specialization is open to anyone with a love of reading or a drive to invent a story or tell their own. Titled “Creative Writing: The Craft of Story,” the specialization will include four courses, plus a capstone.

On Feb. 2, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joyce Jacobsen announced that Wesleyan has hired eight new tenure-track faculty in fields including African American studies, sociology and physics, among others. Wesleyan also made a senior hire, which will be announced later this semester after a successful tenure review, Jacobsen said. Nine other faculty searches are ongoing and will hopefully be completed this spring. “With 18 searches going on, we will likely have a larger than usual group of new faculty coming to campus next fall,” said Jacobsen. “We’re excited to welcome this accomplished and diverse group of scholar-teachers.” Brief…

At a time when many are decrying the demise of liberal arts colleges, Wesleyan has received its largest application pool ever for the Class of 2020. As of Feb. 1, 12,026 students had applied, marking a 22 percent increase over the previous year and a 10 percent increase over the previous all-time high three years ago for the Class of 2017. “We’re very pleased by not only the sheer number of students who can see themselves at Wesleyan—amongst the highest of any liberal arts college—but also by the highly talented and diverse nature of the applicant pool,” said President Michael Roth. “I’d like…

Following an ISIS attack in the heart of Jakarta earlier this month, Assistant Professor of Government Ioana Emy Matesan writes on the blog "Political Violence @ a Glance" why she believes ISIS will not thrive in Indonesia. The ISIS affiliate in Indonesia remains very small, and "varies drastically from its counterpart in Syria in terms of motivations, organization, and perhaps more importantly, ability to challenge the state or claim territory." Matesan notes, "Indonesia has seen its fair share of violence, and even some earlier attempts to build an Islamic state." She provides a history of different groups that over time…

The Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life will host a series of three panels in February and March on the refugee crisis. All events will take place in PAC 001. The first panel, The Development of the Crisis and the Response in Europe, will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. Moderated by Professor of Economics Richard Grossman, the panel is comprised of Bruce Masters, the John E. Andrus Professor of History; Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria; and Marcie Patton, professor of politics at Fairfield University. The second panel, The Refugee Experience, will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 17. Moderated by…

Gina Athena Ulysse, professor of anthropology, professor of feminist, gender and sexuality studies, writes an "Ode to Haiti's Neo-Comedians" in The Huffington Post about Haiti's recently cancelled election runoff. The title of her essay refers to Graham Greene's The Comedians, a book whose description read: "Set in Haiti, amid an atmosphere of brutal force and terror-ridden love, three desperate people work out their strange destinies." Ulysse writes: Relevance of The Comedians is apparent in Haiti's recently cancelled election runoff that was set for this past Sunday. Indeed, until then, the outgoing president Michel Martelly, a chap with dictatorial tendencies who leads the "Bald Headed Haitian Party"—insisted on…

The Davison Art Center has been awarded two photographs by the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, as part of a gift from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to 33 leading colleges and universities around the world. The prints, titled "Ghada" and "Sayed," are part of Neshat's Our House is on Fire series, an exploration of Egypt after the Arab Spring, which was supported by the Foundation. "Shirin Neshat is one of the most important photographers of our time, and these deeply moving portraits evoke our common humanity. Looking closely at the photographs, you can see a veil of calligraphy—the text in Persian…

On Feb. 18, Stanley Fish will deliver the 25th annual Hugo L. Black Lecture on Freedom of Expression. The title of his talk is, "Micro-aggressions, Trigger Warnings, Cultural 'Appropriations' and History: What's Happening on Campus?" The talk begins at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. Fish is the Davidson-Kahn Distinguished University Professor and professor of law at Florida International University; Floersheimer Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School; Emeritus Professor of English and Law at Duke University; and Dean Emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Distinguished Professor of English, Criminal Justice and Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He…

At its annual meeting on Jan. 21, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) presented President Michael Roth with the Frederic W. Ness Book Award for his book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters, published in 2014 by Yale University Press. The Ness Award is given annually to a book that best illuminates the goals and practices of a contemporary liberal education. In Beyond the University, Michael S. Roth recounts the historic debates over the benefits—or drawbacks—of a liberal education. In this provocative contribution to the disputes, Roth focuses on important moments and seminal thinkers in America’s long-running argument over vocational vs. liberal…

Ruth Johnson, assistant professor of biology, assistant professor of integrative sciences, is the co-author of a new paper titled "The adaptor protein Cindr regulates JNK activity to maintain epithelial sheet integrity" published in the journal Developmental Biology on Jan. 7. The paper was co-authored by Hannah Yasin '15, Samuel van Rensburg MA '15, and Christina Feiler, an exchange masters student who worked in Johnson's lab during 2012-13. The publication represents Yasin's honors thesis, and van Rensburg's and Feiler's masters theses. According to the abstract: Epithelia are essential barrier tissues that must be appropriately maintained for their correct function. To achieve this a plethora…

The Los Angeles Times offers a preview of "Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides, a new dramatic oratorio composed by Neely Bruce, the John Spencer Camp Professor of Music, which has its world premiere Jan. 23 at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. The piece tells the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a diplomat and little-known Portuguese hero to many thousands of Jews during World War II. In June 1940, nearly 120,000 refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution amassed down the road from the Portuguese consulate in Bordeaux, France. Though Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar issued a vehement directive to deny…

All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend the annual commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Dorceta E. Taylor, a leading voice in the environmental justice movement, will deliver the keynote address, titled "Different Shades of Green or Beyond the Farm" at 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 29 in Memorial Chapel. A desert reception will follow. Taylor is professor, James E. Crowfood Collegiate Chair, and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Michigan. She is past chair of the environment and technology section of the American Sociological Association. In addition to the Wesleyan community,…

Wesleyan Launches First-Ever Creative Writing Specialization on Coursera

Wesleyan Hires 8 New Tenure-Track Faculty

Wesleyan Receives Record Number of Applications for Class of 2020

Matesan Writes on Why ISIS Will Not Thrive in Indonesia

Allbritton Center to Host Series of Panels on the Refugee Crisis

Ulysse: ‘Ode to Haiti’s Neo-Comedians’

Davison Art Center Awarded 2 Photos by Iranian Artist Neshat

Stanley Fish to Deliver Hugo Black Lecture Feb. 18

Roth’s Beyond the University Wins AAC&U’s Ness Book Award

Johnson, Alumni Author New Paper in Developmental Biology

LA Times Features New Dramatic Oratorio by Neely Bruce

MLK Commemoration on Environmental Justice to be Held Jan. 29