Arts & Humanities

College Inspires Students on Their Odysseys

Through the lens of one short story, an English professor encourages new UT students to take initiative in mapping their journeys. For students navigating their first year at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a short story set in the last century provides perspective for their path ahead. Since 2024, the Odysseys program created by English…
Medieval Insight for Modern Renaissance Thinkers

Medieval and Renaissance Studies dive into the past to unveil the big-picture foundations of modern culture across the globe. The interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST) program gives students an in-depth study of world events and cultures of the rich historical period stretching from 300 to 1700 CE. The curriculum allows students and faculty to…
Africana Studies Brings Girls Poetry, Music, Food

UT’s Department of Africana Studies has collaborated with Girls Inc. to create Black History Month activities for elementary students in East Tennessee. During February, elementary school girls across three counties are exploring poems, jazz, and Southern foods with support from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Professor Natalie Graham, interim head of the Department of Africana…
Tennessee Teens Tackle Tough Topics in Ethics Bowl

The UT Department of Philosophy hosts an annual competition for high school students that requires critical thinking, moral reasoning, and respectful debate. While a snowstorm shut down much of East Tennessee on the last Saturday in January, teenagers from across the region gathered to sharpen their analytical skills by grappling with philosophical questions. Usually, a…
250 Years of Common Sense

An event observing the 250th anniversary of Common Sense gave students a look at how the ideas of American democracy spread throughout the colonies. If Thomas Paine were writing today, his 47-page pamphlet Common Sense might be known as the most famous blog or podcast in the country. It was published in Philadelphia in January…
Scholar Spotlight: Natalia Doan

“I study the influence of samurai on people and ideas outside Japan.” Natalia DoanAssistant ProfessorDepartment of History My most recent project examines how a teenage samurai became a national celebrity in the United States before the American Civil War, and, in doing so, challenged many of the ideas and values of antebellum American culture. Much…
NEH Grant Supports Jackson Papers Project

A substantial new National Endowment for the Humanities grant helps continue and expand UT’s Papers of Andrew Jackson project. UT’s Papers of Andrew Jackson project received a grant worth over $2.8 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest grant ever awarded to the project, which launched in 1971. The goal of the…
Storytelling in the 21st Century

Vols learn to steer 21st century narratives through Visual and Interactive Storytelling. Storytelling traditions drive the heartbeat of the shared human experience, from the age-old intimacy of campfire tales to today’s world-wide digital platforms. The recently launched Visual and Interactive Storytelling (VIS) program offers UT students a major that connects history and traditions with these…
WGS Adds Women’s Health Degrees

Women, Gender, and Sexuality program keeps the interdisciplinary pace and launches new major and minor in women’s health. The Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) interdisciplinary program gives UT students opportunities to explore the ways that these topics intersect to shape the past, present, and future of human cultures and societies. The curriculum connects classes from…
Collins Takes the Vol Spirit to the Second Mile

Alumna Hannah Collins built her successful business on language and communications skills honed in the College of Arts and Sciences. Hannah Collins shaped her path as an entrepreneur on the strong communications skills and cultural understanding she developed as a Spanish major at UT. Early goals of possibly working at the United Nations grew into…