CHSS Western Today News

Western's College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the WWU Alumni Association will present "Curating and Presenting Lasting Literature: WWU's Bellingham Review" at noon on Wednesday, March 10 via Zoom as part of the CHSS Dean's Lecture Series.

On Friday, Feb. 5, the Associated Students of Western Washington University (ASWWU) Executive Board of Directors welcomed their new AS VP for Sustainability, Zarea Lavalais. Lavalais’ term began immediately, following the Board’s consent to the results of the 2021 special election. Lavalais is majoring in cultural anthropology with a minor in psychology, and will serve as the AS VP for Sustainability until the end of spring quarter, 2021.

Social media has come a long way since MySpace exploded in popularity almost 20 years ago; it is now the way billions of people around the world consume news and stay connected to friends and family.  

Western Washington University Journalism Senior Instructor Joan Connell, who teaches classes on media ethics, chatted with Western Today about the social media landscape as it pertains to journalistic ethics, corporate responsibility and accountability, and political agendas.  

Western’s faculty and students are engaged in exciting research across a variety of fields. Periodically, Western Today will share short summaries of the latest developments in grants and research at Western Washington University.

Western Washington University’s Division of University Relations and Marketing received top honors from the 2021 Best of CASE VIII Awards.

The division received a total of eight awards, including a Grand Gold Award for the Fall Anthem Video, and three Gold Awards recognizing Window magazine and the New Student Orientation website.

Ready to do some reading for Black History Month? The English Department has compiled a list of books to keep you occupied and interested during February, from well-known classics like Toni Morrison's "Beloved" to "So You Want to Talk About Race" by WWU alumna and MLK Day speaker Ijeoma Oluo, and deep nonfiction dives into issues of race and social justice such as "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide" by Carol Anderson and "How to Be and Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi.

Seven Western Washington University students have been selected to participate in the 2021 Legislative Internship Program in Olympia this winter.  

Nathanael Jo of Pasco, Kahler Kirk of Kelso, Frances Vail of Kirkland, Lydia Hainfield of North Bend, Davin Rose of Bellingham, Beth Taylor of Spanaway and Eric Negomir of Littleton, Colorado will intern winter quarter at the state legislature under the supervision of the House and Senate intern coordinators. 

Western's Center for Cross-Cultural Research will host Aerika Brittian Loyd, PhD, Associate Professor, University of California, Riverside, for an online presentation about the threat of racial discrimination and the value of cultural assets for health in justice-involved youth of color on Monday, Jan. 25, from 4-5 p.m.

WWU Assistant Professor of History Christine Johnston’s new edited collection, "The Gift of the Nile? Ancient Egypt and the Environment" was just published by the Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections. The contributors offer studies on the cultural and environmental impact of the Nile on the people of ancient Egypt. 

Professor Anne Lobeck, Department of Linguistics, has been inducted into the 2021 class of 

Whatcom County’s four higher education institutions -- Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University, and Whatcom Community College -- will co-host a keynote speaker and provide opportunities for local community service to recognize the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday that bears his name.