Humanities

2024 Rice wrap: A look back on a year of ‘transformative growth’

Rice concluded the year on a high note, celebrating a year of transformative growth, achievements and community spirit.

Alumnus Russ Pitman celebrated for decades of dedication and generosity

Russell “Russ” Pitman ’58 visited Rice’s new Academic Quadrangle Dec. 11, marking a significant moment in the institution’s history.

Filmmaker and alumnus Kyle Henry inspires Rice students with lessons on resilience, artistry

Returning to his alma mater, filmmaker Kyle Henry ’93 ’94 captivated Rice students with a candid 90-minute talk that offered hard-won advice and reflections on his prolific career in the film industry.

Topping out ceremony marks progress on Rice’s Sarofim Hall

Rice celebrated the topping out of Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, a new visual arts building, Nov. 12.

‘Part of the solution’: National Academies grant allows Rice to build the next generation of leaders in environmental justice

EcoStudio in Rice’s Sustainability Institute and the Rice Office of STEM Engagement have received a nearly $500,000 grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to expand the Center for Environmental Studies’ successful environmental justice education summer program for Houston high school students.

From Aldine to academia: Rice’s Civic Humanist program inspires Houston-area students

As soon as the class heard one answer, hands shot up with more questions for Rice University faculty Fay Yarbrough and Luziris Pineda Turi as well as junior Jessaly Chavez.

Rice’s ‘highly interdisciplinary’ Asian studies major bridges cultures, creates connections

The Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice, recently awarded “Game Changer: Community Partner” by Asia Society Texas, stands out for its unique transnational approach, examining Asia’s complex histories, cultures and interactions beyond national borders.

Rice hosts Southeast Mellon Mays Fellowship conference, fostering future scholars in humanities and social sciences

The Southeast Regional conference of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program unfolded at Rice Nov. 1-3, gathering undergraduate fellows from across the Southeast to present their research, connect with peers and explore graduate school opportunities.

Rice students illustrate campus life in new French comics course

When Rice’s Julie Fette was brainstorming for fall 2024 courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, one of the ideas she landed on was French Comics (FREN 322).

At Rice, novelist Andrea Bajani finds himself in translation

At the bustling crossroads of the Frankfurt Book Fair where novelist and poet Andrea Bajani visited for the prelaunch of his new novel “The Anniversary” (“L’anniversario”), he found himself face-to-face with four people — no, four versions of himself.

Renowned conceptual artist Mel Chin to headline Rice’s Campbell Lecture Series

Mel Chin, an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist and MacArthur Fellow, will bring his thought-provoking perspective to Rice’s Campbell Lecture Series Nov. 12-13.

Artists, scholars and community leaders gather at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts to reimagine monuments on campus and beyond

The Oct. 18 “Monuments Symposium” at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts provided a dynamic platform for discussions about the evolving role of monuments in contemporary society.

Rice historians offer perspectives, context for 2024 presidential election

Two weeks before Election Day, Rice’s School of Humanities hosted a discussion on the historical context and stakes of the upcoming presidential election.

Rice’s Program in Politics, Law and Social Thought tackles ‘truly foundational questions’

It started with an idea jotted down on a napkin at a bar in the Houston Heights in 2014, but the Program in Politics, Law and Social Thought at Rice has evolved into the most popular minor offered in the School of Humanities.

‘The opportunity to be valuable’: Rice Philosophy alumni prove the power of critical thinking across professions

A philosophy degree offers more than just an exploration of life’s big questions — it equips students with critical thinking and communication skills that are valuable in virtually any profession.