Greetings from the Dean 2018
Each year, the PLU Division of Humanities puts together a collection of stories into Prism, offering a few reflections of the great work our faculty do in classrooms and beyond. This year’s stories will introduce you to a new Philosophy professor , a Nordic Studies…
The Future of Classics at PLU
As you know, PLU went through a difficult process of prioritization this year, responding to lower enrollments and seeking to proactively budget for a sustainable future rather than wait until we reached emergency conditions. This led to hard conversations and hard choices, ultimately made by…
A Conversation with Dr. Moneyang and Dr. Ortigas
On Friday, September 29th, Athena Gordon had a conversation about vocation, teaching, and the importance of languages with two professors in the Department of Languages & Literatures. José Ramón Ortigas is an Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies who earned his PhD from the University of…
Collin Brown: A Lute Returns Home
Robin and Collin (pictured in 2017) were PLU students and, eventually, became spouses. Now, Collin is back as a professor. In Fall 2017, PLU’s Department of Languages and Literatures welcomed visiting lecturer Collin Brown. Professor Brown is teaching first semester Norwegian as well as Writing…
New Faculty Profile: Adam Arnold
Philosophy professor Adam Arnold is a new addition to PLU’s faculty. Originally from the Tacoma area, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, Tacoma in 2009. From there, he earned the opportunity to study away at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University…
Indivisible: English Faculty Members Join the Anti-Trump Resistance
While the country was divided in joy and grief over Donald Trump being elected President, various U.S Congressional staff members wrote a handbook to encourage resistance to Trump’s political agenda, which sparked the creation of Indivisible, a grassroots and non-partisan political group dedicated to that…
Philosophical Discourse and Tweeting: On Dr. Pauline Shanks Kaurin’s Public Philosophy
Following Dr. Pauline Shanks Kaurin’s recent publication in Newsweek, PLU’s Philosophy Department Chair sat down with me to discuss her article’s reception, the role of Twitter in philosophical discourse, and how philosophers of the modern day relate to the public. The article, originally published by…
The Trail to Social Justice: Ultrarunning Meets Dark Green Religion
In her free time, professor of religion Dr. Bridgette O’Brien likes to participate in ultrarunning—completing runs longer than a marathon (26.2 miles). While Professor O’Brien is out on the trail, she often takes that time to think about her connection to the outdoors, a connection…
Rediscovery: Dr. Jenkins and the Texts of Hermann Broch
Occasionally, we are fortunate enough to find things that are more exciting than what we are searching for. This is certainly true for Dr. Jen Jenkins, Associate Professor of German in the Languages and Literature Department at Pacific Lutheran University. Dr. Jenkins spent the 2016-2017…