Olivia DrakeIn this issue of The Wesleyan Connection, we speak with Edgar Pliaskis from the Class of 2014. Q: Where are you from and what attracted you to Wesleyan? A: I was born in Vilnius, Lithuania and moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago. For me, Wesleyan was always a small school and away from a big city—a beautiful environment to earn a degree and make lifelong friends. Q: What are you majoring in and why? A: I am double majoring in economics and Italian. I picked Italian because I was always interested in languages—Italian is a very beautiful language…
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Lauren RubensteinNo matter what field of study they pursue, Wesleyan students almost inevitably find that their education provides an introduction to cultures other than their own. Whether it’s the German film, West African dance, or Latin American politics class they take; a study abroad adventure; or a new friend or classmate from another part of the world, the Wesleyan experience reaches far outside central Connecticut. To celebrate and share the global nature of a Wesleyan education—as well as the impact of Wesleyan students, faculty and alumni in countries around the world—a new International website has just been launched. The site serves…
Bill FisherOn Aug. 25, Wesleyan welcomed 92 international students to campus - 71 foreign nationals and 21 U.S. citizens living abroad, or about 13 percent of the entire Class of 2017. Why did they choose Wesleyan? Here are a few of their answers: [youtube width="640" height="420"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU1_o7sl85o[/youtube]
Chair of the Russian Language and Literature Department Priscilla Meyer and her daughter, Rachel Trousdale, an associate professor at Agnes Scott College, co-authored a paper. The paper, “Vladimir Nabokov and Virginia Woolf,” will appear in the coming issue of Comparative Literature Studies. A Penn State Press publication, Comparative Literature Studies “publishes comparative articles in literature and culture, critical theory, and cultural and literary relations within and beyond the Western tradition.” Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-born novelist, most known for his book, Lolita (1955). He also founded Wellesley College's Russian Department and was a distinguished entomologist. In July, Meyer and Trousdale presented two sections of…
In this video, travel writer, editor, and radio host Pauline Frommer '88 talks about growing up in the travel industry, and reveals how her Wesleyan education changed her mind about her career. Frommer majored in intellectual history at Wesleyan. "I thought I was going to be a theater major, and then I started taking a lot of history and philosophy classes and they blew my mind." Watch this video and many more on the Video @ Wesleyan website. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/5i0KNtIZFcA[/youtube]
Anya Morgan is a member of the Class of 2014. Q: Anya, happy senior year to you! What are you majoring in, and why did you decide on these majors? A: Thank you! I'm majoring in English and French. I think I always knew I was going to be an English major, since my mom is an English teacher and raised me on books – it's in my blood. I've also got some serious French Canadian roots on both sides of my family, so I'm able to practice speaking French with my grandparents. I guess both majors were predetermined! Q:…
On Aug. 25, Wesleyan welcomed 92 international students to campus. Of these, 71 are foreign nationals and 21 are U.S. citizens living abroad. International students represent about 13 percent of the entire Class of 2017. Students come from more than 50 countries around the world including Portugal, Macedonia, Singapore, Jamaica, Bosnia, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Kuwait, Mongolia and others. International Student Orientation began Aug. 25 when orientation leaders helped move the new students into their residence halls. International students received a campus tour, a welcome dinner, shopping trips and multiple educational programs sessions that…
David LowIn his new collection Cut These Words into My Stone: Ancient Greek Epitaphs (Johns Hopkins University Press), Michael Wolfe ’68 brings together his English translations of ancient Greek epitaphs, with a foreword by Richard Martin, a classics professor at Stanford University. Greek epitaphs, considered by some scholars to be the earliest artful writing in Western Europe, are short celebrations of the lives of a rich cross section of society that help form a vivid portrait of an ancient era. Wolfe divides his book into five chronological sections spanning 1,000 years, beginning with the Late Archaic and Classical periods and ending…
Vera Schwarcz, the Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, professor of history, is the author of Ancestral Intelligence, published by Antrim House Books in 2013. She signed copies of her book and read selected poems at Broad Street Books on July 22. Photos of her book signing are below: (Photos by Eki Ramadhan '16) (more…)
To view up-and-coming CFA events visit this link. (Photos by Eki Ramadhan '16)
Natalie Robichaud ’14Su Zheng, associate professor of music, associate professor of East Asian studies, spoke in a recent China Daily USA article about the number of African musical artists in China and how their presence is “creating new types of harmony between the two lands.” Zheng starts off by pointing out that “Wherever there are Africans, there is good music - just like wherever there are Chinese, there is good food.” When she discovered that there were no reports on the presence of African music in China, she decided to research the music of the African diaspora herself. The research completed by…