UCLA Humanities

The Great Search with John Philip Newell
2025-02-19 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 314 Royce Hall/Zoom
The story of Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence in the Garden of Eden is a mythical account of humanity’s broken relationship with the divine, with Earth, and with themselves.
In contrast, Celtic wisdom is built on a strong bond with Earth. In the prophetic figures that author John Philip Newell draws from in his book The Great Search, the Garden of Eden represents the inner garden of our souls and the outer garden of Earth, which are seen as essentially one. To live in relation to what is deepest in us is to live in relation to the ground from which we and all things have come. Where are we today, in relation to our true selves and the sacredness of Earth? And how are we to find our way home again?
Newell’s talk will explore some of these questions raised in his book at this moment of great spiritual awakening, an era characterized by religious exile on a vast scale.
RSVP here for the in-person talk (Royce 314).
Register here for the Zoom link for the event
John Philip Newell is a Celtic teacher and author of spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of Earth and every human being. His PhD is from the University of Edinburgh and he has authored over fifteen books, including his award-winning publication, Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, which was the 2022 Gold Winner of the Nautilus Book Award for Spirituality and Religious Thought of the West. His new book is The Great Search (August 2024), in which he looks at the great spiritual yearnings of humanity today in the context of the decline of religion as we have known it.
Newell speaks of himself as ‘a wandering teacher’ following the ancient path of many lone teachers before him in the Celtic world, ‘wandering Scots’ (or scotus vagans as they were called) seeking the wellbeing of the world. He has been described as having ‘the heart of a Celtic bard and the mind of a Celtic scholar’, combining in his teachings the poetic and the intellectual, the head as well as the heart, and spiritual awareness as well as political and ecological concern. His writings have been translated into seven languages. In 2020 he relinquished his ordination as a minister of the Church of Scotland as no longer reflecting the heart of his belief in the sacredness of Earth and every human being. He continues, however, to see himself as ‘a grateful son of the Christian household’ seeking to be in relationship with the wisdom of humanity’s other great spiritual traditions.
In 2016 he began the Earth & Soul initiative and teaches regularly in the United States and Canada as well as leading international pilgrimage weeks on Iona in the Western Isles of Scotland.

“Lost in Transfer? Misunderstanding, Miscommunication, and the Production of Knowledge in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean”
2025-02-14 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Royce 314, 10745 Dickson Ct, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Organizers: Stefania Tutino (UCLA), Andrea Aldo Robiglio (KU Leuven), and Eva Del Soldato (UPenn)
The question of how knowledge transfers has become central for understanding the culture of the premodern world in a global perspective. This workshop is interested in exploring the question of what happens when transfer fails: what happens when knowledge is not “translated” properly? What kind of knowledge is produced when the chain of transmission breaks down or malfunctions? We think that miscommunication is as important as communication, and we propose to explore this theme both by examining specific case studies of miscommunication and by investigating what they tell us about the structure and modes by which knowledge is produced, which in turn allows us to get to the question of the very category of “transfer” from a philosophical and theoretical perspective.
Register to attend in Royce 314
Presenter Abstracts
Conference Schedule:

9:30
Coffee, fresh fruit, pastries

10:00
Welcoming Remarks (Zrinka Stahuljak, Director CMRS-CEGS)

10:15
Paper 1: Lost in Translation: Early Modern Jesuits and the Creed (Emanuele Colombo, Boston College)

10:45
Paper 2: Mistranslating Indigenous America in the ‘Age of Reason’: Epistemological Hybridity and Colonial Violence (Diego Pirillo, University of California, Berkeley)

11:15
Paper 3: Oikonomia Understood and Misunderstood: The Latin and English Reception of Byzantine Chemical Terminology (Alexandre M. Roberts, University of Southern California)

11:45
Break

12:00
Discussion 1: (Paper 1, 2, 3) – Chaired by Matthew Acton (KU Leuven & University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’)

12:45
Lunch Break (on Royce 306 loggia)

2:00
Paper 4: Rebellious, but Effective Medieval Translations into Arabic (Cecilia Martini Bonadeo, University of Padua)

2:30
Paper 5: Hang Time: Gambling on the Future in Late Medieval Italy (Karla Mallette, University of Michigan)

3:00
Paper 6: Communicating in Manuscript, Miscommunicating in Print: The Siege of Curzola (1571) and Its Media Aftermath (Ivan Lupić, University of Rijeka)

3:30
Break

3:45
Discussion 2: (Paper 4, 5, 6) – Chaired by Sarah Marie Leitenberger (University of Pennsylvania)

4:30
Closing Remarks

5:00
Reception

Grand Theft Eco: Environmental Futures of Los Angeles - 2 screenings with Q&A
2025-02-05 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Darren Star Theater (Melnitz Hall 1422), 225 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Grand Theft Eco: Environmental Futures of Los Angeles repurposes the game engine and design of Grand Theft Auto 5 to creatively imagine environmental change and its consequences for Los Angeles in the year 2050. The first of three “machinima” (video game cinema) episodes, titled “The iBear in the River,” will make its debut on February 5 (episode description in image below).
To commemorate this release, LENS will hold two screenings, each with a production Q&A afterwards.

WHEN: 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (Doors at 4:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., respectively)
WHERE: Darren Star Screening Room (Melnitz Hall 1422)

The Darren Star Screening Room has a 50-seat capacity. Because of the limited capacity, we ask that you RSVP in advance, if possible, for the screening you plan to attend. Standby attendees without an RSVP may be accommodated, space permitting.

2025 World Languages Day
2025-02-05 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Bruin Plaza, Los Angeles, California, 90095
World Languages Day, a cherished UCLA tradition last held in 2018, returns to spotlight the university’s diverse language programs.
Open to all UCLA students, World Languages Day offers opportunities to explore UCLA’s language offerings, engage with faculty and peers and learn about the academic and professional benefits of multilingualism.
Whether you’re curious about studying a new language or deepening your existing knowledge, World Languages Day invites you to discover the many ways languages shape our understanding of the world.
Join us on February 5 to enjoy interactive activities, cultural experiences and opportunities to win special prizes!

Crafting Your Future: Resume and Cover Letter Mastery Workshop
2025-02-04 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Are you ready to take your Humanities degree into the job market?? Do you want to use your Humanities experience to craft a compelling professional narrative? Join us at the UCLA Career Center for “Crafting Your Future: Resume and Cover Letter Mastery Workshop” where you will learn how to effectively showcase your skills and experiences, tailor your documents for specific roles, and make a lasting impression. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insider tips and personalized feedback and land your dream job.
Key Topics include:

Understanding Resume Formats and Structure: Explore chronological, functional, and combination formats to determine what best fits your background.
Tailoring Your Resume: Learn how to customize your resume for specific job descriptions using keywords and relevant experiences.
Highlighting Skills and Accomplishments: Discover how to effectively present your skills, achievements, and quantifiable results.
Building Strong Bullet Points: Understand the importance of powerful language and action verbs in conveying your experiences.
Crafting a Compelling Cover Letter: Master the art of writing a cover letter from the format to the structure that complements your resume and captures the employer’s attention.
Common Mistakes to Avoid: Identify frequent pitfalls in resumes and cover letters and how to steer clear of them.

To register, go to: Resume & Cover Letter Workshop for Humanities
Meet our workshop leader:
Armine Kulikyan
Armine earned her B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in College and Career Counseling from Cal State Northridge. Prior to her role at UCLA, Armine worked in both academic and career counseling at multiple campuses such as CSU Los Angeles, CSU Northridge, Pasadena City College, and Cal Lutheran University. In her current role as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education & Development at UCLA’s Career Center, Armine provides career counseling to Social Science and Humanities majors, as well as to Pre-Law students. She also serves as the liaison to the Transfer Student Center and the Humanities Career Panel Series. Through her professional experiences, Armine realized her passion for career development and hopes to motivate, educate, and guide students to reach success and fulfillment. One piece of advice Armine shares with students is “It’s okay to not know where you’re going and you don’t have to have it all figured out. Career development is a lifelong process.”
Meet our moderator:
David MacFadyen
David MacFadyen was trained both at the University of London (SSEES) and UCLA, where he received his PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Since that time, he has been an avid scholar, promoter, and collector of recordings from East Slavic cultures (Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus). The size of that collection is now approximately two million compositions, constituting a substantial and unique database, recently donated to the Wende Museum in Los Angeles. It is undergoing major archival treatment––specifically with the application of blockchain technology––such that rare audio files may be safely lent in so-called trustless environments to both institutions and individuals. The embedding of AI-assisted metadata is also an essential part of the archive’s improvement.

A resulting ability to track the use(s) of music 24/7 then opens up exciting possibilities in Western markets, preserving the IP of far-flung musicians with timely, fair payments––free of any intermediaries and/or their commissions. Not to mention the fact that the blockchain makes false information about financial dealings cryptographically impossible.

With this focus on technology’s benefit for free speech and free enterprise in both Russia and Ukraine, MacFadyen is simultaneously authoring a series of monographs on the history of Russia’s recording industry––a troubled domain that, on occasion, reflects the same civic abuse that has taken such awful shape since 2022.

He also runs a non-profit (Pacific Sound and Vision) that offers free education to young musicians from Eastern Europe, connecting them to SoCal experts in a range of technical, creative, and financial realms. Work continues with decentralized tech to offer creative solutions to Russia’s centralized destruction of democratic and artistic liberties.

Richard & Mary Rouse History of the Book Lecture by Kristina Richardson
2025-02-03 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Royce 314, 10745 Dickson Ct, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
“Between Two Worlds: The Roma and Early Global Print Cultures”
Guest Speaker: Kristina Richardson (University of Virginia)
Richardson will show that Roma and other traveling people not only utilized block printing between 800 and 1450 in North Africa and West Asia but also introduced print technology in their new homes when they migrated to Central Europe in the 1410s. Traveling people were the links bridging the early print cultures of North Africa, West Asia, and Central Europe.
Kristina Richardson is the John L. Nau Professor of History at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on premodern non-elite Arab history, particularly the history of people with disabilities, users of sign language, Romani groups (ghurabā’), craftspeople, and enslaved laborers and entertainers. Her current book project is Black Basra: Race, Labor, and Piety in Early Islamic History.
The History of the Book Lecture series, established in 1993 through the efforts of Richard and Mary Rouse, provides an annual venue for internationally recognized authorities on medieval and Renaissance books to present their expertise at UCLA. The lecture’s focus alternates each year between medieval manuscripts and Renaissance books. The topics explored in past lectures were book and manuscript illustration, the development of printing, early book printers and sellers, the book trade, and medieval and Renaissance book and manuscript collections.
Register to attend in Royce 314
Register to attend via ZOOM
More information about past Richard and Mary Rouse History of the Book lectures can be found here.

Bilingual Lecture Series: Film Screening and Director Q&A
2025-02-02 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 314 Royce Hall
Bilingual Lecture Series: Film Screening and Director Q&A with Mohammad Ehsani
Alternate live stream on Zoom:
https://ucla.zoom.us/j/95549537236
The Water Will Take Us (2022)
(Persian with English subtitles)

In the spring of 2019 Iran experienced a near apocalypse event that went by almost unnoticed by the world. Widespread flash flooding affected large parts of the country over the course of one month, leading to major damages countrywide and leaving the already impoverished population in utter disarray. The film is a look at how years of mismanagement, poor spatial planning and climate change are impacting civil society in Iran.
Lady Urmia (2013)
(Persian with English subtitles)

The film is a poetic documentary about Lake Urmia, in the northwest of Iran, which is drying up completely. The environmental catastrophe will affect also neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The film is narrated in the voice of the lake itself, crying for help and trying to gain international attention to its suffering.
About the Director
Mohammad Ehsani, an Iranian independent filmmaker and a member of the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association and IDA. He has made several award-winning documentary and fiction films, such as The Lovers: The Victims, Tabriz: Images from the Forgotten World, Enamel Dome, Lady Urmia, Once Hamoun, Karun, When the Woodpeckers Leave, and The Water Will Take Us. Ehsani’s films deal with historical drama and social environmental issues in Iran.

Fighting Antisemitism and Preserving the Memory of the Holocaust: Advances in Greece and Europe? By Leon Saltiel
2025-02-02 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Fowler Museum at UCLA, 308 Charles E Young Drive North, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Fighting Antisemitism and Preserving the Memory of the Holocaust: Advances in Greece and Europe?
Lecture by Leon Saltiel, Director of Diplomacy, Representative at UN Geneva and UNESCO, and
Coordinator on Countering Antisemitism for the World Jewish Congress
Sunday, February 2, 2025
4:00 p.m.
The Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium, The Fowler Museum at UCLA
Reception to follow
Introductory remarks by The Honorable Christina Valassopoulou, Consul General of Greece in Los Angeles
Event is free but advanced registration is requested.
RSVP: https://forms.gle/qeSd5APvr7EewWAG6
If you are unable to attend but would like to watch the lecture via livestream on our YouTube channel, the link is provided below:
Livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/S72stydzSRU?feature=share
This year marks the 80th anniversary from the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and the end of the Second World War, which resulted in the Holocaust of 6 million Jews in Europe and North Africa by the Germans and their collaborators. Since then, countries have been grappling with how to deal with this past but also with antisemitism, which is scarily showing its ugly face again, threatening democracy, the rule of law and peaceful coexistence. Eighty percent of Jews in Europe feel that antisemitism has grown in their country in recent years. This lecture will focus on these challenges, and a way forward, using Greece as a case study, a country trying to heals its wounds after a turbulent past.
Dr. Leon Saltiel is a historian specializing on the Holocaust in Thessaloniki, Greece. He holds a Ph.D. in Contemporary Greek History from the University of Macedonia, in Thessaloniki, Greece, and has been a post-doctoral researcher at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His publications include The Holocaust in Thessaloniki: Reactions to the Anti-Jewish Persecution, 1942–1943 (Routledge 2020), which won the 2021 Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research, and ‘Do Not Forget Me’: Three Jewish Mothers Write to their Sons from the Thessaloniki Ghetto in Greek (Alexandria 2018), English (Berghahn 2021) and French (Denoël 2023). He also serves as Director of Diplomacy and Representative at UN Geneva and UNESCO, and Coordinator on Countering Antisemitism for the World Jewish Congress.
This event is held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles, co-sponsored by the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies and made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Gefyra (Bridge) is a collaborative program established by the UCLA SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture and the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Gefyra’s mission is to connect students, faculty, and communities along the West Coast of North America with Greek scholars, artists, and other creators, so that they can together explore expansive and imaginative approaches to Greek culture and knowledge production. The program additionally supports academic conferences and cultural projects that bridge the West Coast and Greece.
Presented by:
Co-sponsored by:

Under the auspices of:

To save time, you may purchase your parking permit for $16 in advance using Bruin ePermit: https://bruinepermit.t2hosted.com/pnw2/selectevent.aspx. Select “UCLA Campus Event,” then “Leon Saltiel Lecture” With the advanced parking permit, you can park anywhere in Parking Structure 5 EXCEPT in the Pay-by-Space section. For instructions on how to use this portal, please click here.
To purchase a permit when you arrive at Parking Structure 5, please park ONLY in the Pay-By-Space/Visitor Parking area on the rooftop of this structure, and proceed to the Self-Service Pay Station machine to pay by credit card (the parking on this level is very limited).
Guest drop/Ride-share drop off is closest at the turnaround at the front of Royce Hall located at: 10745 Dickson Court, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Accessible parking: If you have accessibility needs, you may park in the Pay-By-Space/Visitor Parking area on the rooftop (level 6) of this structure, and proceed to the Self-Service Pay Station machine to pay by credit card. Please visit our Campus Accessibility Map to view related information.

For inquiries, please contact hellenic@humnet.ucla.edu

2024 Humanities Welcome
2024-09-25 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Schoenberg Music Building, 1100 Schoenberg Music Building, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
The Humanities Welcome, held at the beginning of each academic year, invites faculty, staff and students to come together to showcase the Humanities at UCLA.

The event introduces students to the benefits of Humanities coursework and degrees, with an introduction by Dean Alexandra Minna Stern, classics professor Hannah Čulík-Baird offering an inside peek at her research, and an undergraduate student providing a first-person account of what it’s like to study in the Humanities.

It all takes place Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Schoenberg Music Building! (map)

Stop by for some free Humanities swag, and stay for a reception afterwards with free refreshments, representatives from Humanities-related clubs and plenty of opportunity to mingle with Humanities faculty, staff and students.

Space is limited! Students, staff and faculty are strongly encouraged to register in advance on the event website.

Featured speakers
Alexandra Minna Stern, Dean, Humanities Division

Hannah Čulík-Baird, Associate Professor of Classics
Jack Perry, Class of 2025
