News

Professors of English Christopher Wise and Kristiana Kahakauwila  are currently taking 14 English students on a study abroad tour of Senegal for three weeks, including stays in Dakar, Saint Louis, and M’bour.  Western Today caught up with Wise to find out more about the trip, how it coincides with his research, and what kind of experiences the students are having.

WWU Professor of English Christopher Wise gave a talk on Jan. 9 entitled "The Jihad of Iyad Ag Ghali" at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, as part of Green College's "Critical Nationalism, Counterpublics" Series.  

In this edition of Tuesday Q&A, Western Today chatted with WWU historian Hunter Price and political scientist Todd Donovan about one of the most divisive features of our Democracy: the Electoral College. Only five presidents have been elected even after losing the popular vote, but two of those are since 2000: George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

Is the Electoral College an archaic remnant of our post-Revolution past or a vital cog in our election process? Read on, and decide for yourself.

Western Washington University is embarking on a new brand campaign, called “Make Waves,” which launched on Jan. 22 with billboards, print and digital media concentrated in the Seattle metro area.

Western Washington University’s Center for Cross-Cultural Research will host Shige Oishi, professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, for a guest lecture at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, in Academic West 204, titled “What is a good fife? A happy life, a meaningful life, or something else?”

This lecture is free and open to the public.

Josh Kaplan, assistant professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at Western Washington University, will present “Cracking the Cannabis Code: How advances in cannabinoid science can improve medicine and limit harm” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan 29 in Academic West 204 the WWU campus.

This lecture is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by WWU’s Behavioral Neuroscience program.

Western Washington University Professor of Psychology Jeff Grimm has received a new grant from the National Institutes of Health furthering his research into the body’s craving for sugar, and he and his team of undergraduates recently published a paper showing how a certain protein, DARPP32, was related to sucrose craving and how that craving could be reduced through environmental enrichment. Western Today recently talked with Grimm about his work and the research of his team.

Welcome to "Tuesday Q&A," a weekly story where issues of broad topical interest are viewed through the lens of the research expertise of Western's faculty.

Experimental psychology master's student, Kristin Haraldsson is recruiting participants for her upcoming thesis project. Please see below for more information. 

Over the last 30 years, the Collins family has collected college degrees the way some people collect postage stamps or rare coins.

The family of four has racked up nine degrees in total including two doctorates; seven of the degrees are from Western. Today, three members of the family also have careers at Western. While their long list of academic and professional accomplishments are undoubtedly impressive, the Collinses aren’t in it for the accolades; instead, they say they strive each day to serve as a success story for other families of color.

Western Reads would like to invite members of the campus community to recommend texts for next year's Western Reads selection by Wednesday, Jan. 16!

The Honors Program invites proposals for not fewer than 18 seminars to be offered during the 2019-2020 academic year. Honors Seminars are junior/senior-level courses and may be on any subject; interdisciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged. Seminars are small, highly interactive, with a limit of 15 students, focusing on discussion, paper writing, problem solving, or group projects. ­Unfortunately, the program cannot accept proposals for team-taught classes.

WWU Professor of English Christopher Wise (English) gave a talk entitled "American Studies in the Arab University: 9/11 to Azawad" at Hassan II Université in Casablanca, Morocco on Dec. 10.  Wise spoke to graduate students in the Moroccan-American Studies Program about the complex history of American Studies in the Arab World from its inception at the University of Jordan, Amman in 2000 to the recent fall of Azawad.  He also spoke on the topic of "Beat Generation" writers in Morocco such as Paul Bowles, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg.

BELLINGHAM – Alaska attorney Mark Choate, a Western Washington University alumnus, will address WWU graduates and their families at the fall commencement ceremony Dec. 15 at 9:45 a.m. in Carver Gymnasium.

About 758 undergraduate and 32 master’s students are expected to graduate from Western fall quarter. There will be one ceremony for all graduates and each graduate will receive four tickets for guests. Overflow seating will be available on campus.

Western Washington University Professor of English Laura Laffrado has received the 2018 Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW) Edition award for her book, “Selected Writings of Ella Higginson: Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature.”

Laffrado was presented the award in early November at the SSAWW conference in Denver.

At the conference, Laffrado was honored for her outstanding contribution to the study of American women writers. Laffrado began work on her book a few years ago and was nominated for the award by her publisher.