College of Arts and Sciences

With the creation of a new Equity, Justice & Inclusion fund, the College is putting resources behind its values. Under the leadership of Associate Dean Maya Smith, this new fund will foster faculty mentorship, curricular innovations, and more—all toward a vision of greater access and equity.

"College freshmen read a New York Times Magazine piece about issues in education, then communicate what they learned by experimenting with audience and format," writes Megan Butler, a doctoral student of English at the UW.

Building upon the curriculum of the new course, “Cinema and Feminism in the Middle East”, the department of Middle Eastern languages and cultures and the Henry art gallery collaborated on film screenings from a renowned Iranian director. The films “[serve] as a window into a culture rich with history that is worth learning about”, according to writers Shireen Aryana and Madhavi Karthik.  

Researchers from UW’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences discovered that drinking your morning coffee and then an alcoholic beverage before bed cancels the negative effects on your sleep. Frank Song, a doctoral student of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

What do you get when you put two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people on artificial intelligence together in the same lecture hall? If the two influencers happen to be science-fiction writer Ted Chiang and Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, you get a lot of skepticism about the future of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.

“Killers of the Flower Moon," the 2017 true crime book, and its new feature film adaptation, shine a light on the conspiracy to murder Osage people for their oil rights in early 1920s Oklahoma. Jean Dennison, associate professor of American Indian Studies at the UW, is interviewed.

"If a policy imposes costs locally to create benefits across the border, it is likely to run into local opposition. This is the story of Delhi’s air pollution as well as the global slowdown in addressing climate issues," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

Six University of Washington subjects ranked in the top 10, and atmospheric sciences maintained its position as No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2023. The ranking, released at the end of October, was conducted by researchers at the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a fully independent organization dedicated to research on higher education intelligence and consultation.

Hunting later at night may force the big cats to surrender their prey to larger carnivores, such as lions and leopards. Kasim Rafiq, a UW postdoctoral researcher in biology, is quoted.

Even the fastest animal in the world can't outrun the effects of climate change, according to experts. Cheetah populations are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures because hotter days are forcing them to behave more nocturnally, putting them in greater competition with other predators such as lions and African wild dogs, according to a study published in the journal Biological Sciences on Wednesday. Kasim Rafiq, postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Tweens growing up with social media are inundated with rapidly changing beauty standards and the social pressure to conform to them. Lucía Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is interviewed.

This week, attend the Diversity Lecture Series “Unveiling Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States”, celebrate the Jacob Lawrence Gallery Reopening, listen to Indigenous storytellers at Sacred Breath, and more. November 13, 3:00 – 4:30pm | Diversity Lecture Series: “Unveiling Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States: Disparities and Challenges in Women’s Health”,...

"Seek mentors and advisors whom you can trust and who also understand your situation. Ask questions if you are unsure about procedures, classes, or course of studies! Use the resources you have available. Don’t ever feel embarrassed for asking for advice or help! UW holds many resources and nobody wants to see you fail!" - Annegret Oehme, Associate Professor, Department of German Studies

"Often, we use social media as a link — this incredible resource to connect us to the people and places we love. As disinformation, decontextualization, and propaganda increase across X, TikTok, and other sites, users need to assess what the sources are for the information they are consuming," writes Danielle Marie Holland. Liora Halperin, professor of history and international studies, is quoted.

Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds. The UW's Briana Abrahms, assistant professor of biology, and Kasim Rafiq, postdoctoral scholar of biology, are quoted.