College of Arts & Sciences, University of Washington

About the College
The College of Arts and Sciences provides a liberal arts education of tremendous breadth and depth to more than 25,000 students while advancing research in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. A&S alumni have received the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prizes, and Emmy and Tony Awards, and have been elected to key government positions regionally and nationally. Learn more about the College
Arts
- Art
- Dance
- Drama
- DXARTS
- Music
- Burke Museum
- Henry Art Gallery
- UW World Series
- Arts Centers
- Arts Events @ ARTSUW
The world communicates across generations and cultures through the arts. Our students are the creative artists, audiences and arts advocates of the future. Our degree programs, museums, exhibitions, and artistic performances reflect the dual nature of the arts as both creative endeavors, requiring constant renewal, and as subjects of scholarly research.
Humanities
The humanities allow us to understand and communicate the range and diversity of human cultural achievement. As the world becomes more connected and interdependent, such understanding becomes imperative. Through their focus on language, literature, film, and the history of ideas, the humanities encourage students to reflect upon their own beliefs and values as they explore those of other peoples and periods.
Natural Sciences
The natural sciences provide us with methods to investigate and understand ourselves, our world, and the universe, from the subatomic to the cosmic level. As we learn more about our world, we also come to understand our place within it as individuals and as a species. Discoveries in the sciences, often emerging from basic research, transform society as they address everything from disease to global warming.
Social Sciences
The social sciences study how and why human communities and societies are organized as they are, behave as they do, and change over time. Drawing on a diverse array of disciplines and using both quantitative and qualitative methods, social scientists are committed to creating, disseminating, and applying knowledge to address significant social problems in local, national, and global contexts. Learn more about the Social Sciences.
Support the College
Private gifts allow our students and faculty to make new discoveries, create innovative programs and reach out to people beyond the campus to enhance our communities and the world. We hope you will consider lending your support to the College so that we can continue to provide our students with exceptional educational and research opportunities.
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Perspectives: Newsletter of the College of Arts & Sciences

Behind the Scenes in Film

A&S alumni are making their mark in the film industry as screenwriters, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, and independent filmmakers. Here are six alums with behind-the-scenes careers in film—some well established, others just starting out. Special thanks to those who answered questions about their work and revealed their all-time favorite flicks.

	Teresa Cheng, Producer, DreamWorks Animation (BA, Communication, 1979), Teresa Cheng has more than 20 years of production experience on animation projects that include Shrek Forever After, Shrek the Halls, Madagascar, The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. She is currently consulting on the startup of Oriental DreamWorks in Shanghai. Read Teresa Cheng's Q&A.
	Sean Porter, Cinematographer (BA, General Studies, 2004) Cinematographer Sean Porter recently photographed the indie drama Eden, which won the Audience Award at SXSW, and Grassroots, starring Jason Biggs and Lauren Ambrose. His latest film, It Felt Like Love, premiered at Sundance 2013. Read Sean Porter's Q&A.
	Marcella Ernest, Filmmaker (MA, Communication/Native Voices, 2007) Ernest describes her films—which have screened at New York's Museum of Modern Art and Design, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and the Seattle International Film Festival—as "documentaries, but within a non-linear experimental approach to both the visual and sound." Read Marcella Ernest's Q&A.
	Matthew Salton, Video Editor and Filmmaker (BA, CHID and BFA, DXARTS, 2008) Salton has spent the last seven years producing film projects ranging from music films to documentaries to shorts. His first feature length effort, Dwarves Kingdom, was filmed in China and will be released in 2013. Read Matthew Salton's Q&A.
	Ron Simons, Founder, SimonSays Productions (MFA, Acting, 2001) Simons created his production company to develop stories "that dig deeply into the outsider's struggle for dignity and acceptance." The company's first two films, Night Catches Us and Gun Hill Road were Sundance favorites, with the latter selected as a Sundance Grand Jury nominee. Blue Caprice and Mother of George screened at Sundance 2013.
	Loren Carpenter, Co-Founder, Pixar Animation Studios (BS, Mathematics, 1974; MS, Computer Science, 1976) Carpenter invented the Reyes algorithm, which renders all of Pixar's movies. His presentation of the computer-generated film Vol Libre at a 1980 conference led to a job at Lucasfilm's Computer Division, which would later become Pixar. He has received Academy Awards for scientific and engineering achievement in software for visual effects and an Oscar statuette for fundamental discoveries in rendering.