BYU Humanities Center

04/16/2026

Come enjoy the art exhibit in the Humanities Center (4101 JFSB) on Thursday, April 16th, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Refreshments will be served.

04/09/2026

Join us for our final event of the semester, a roundtable conversation on AI and Pedagogy, Thursday, April 9th at 3:30 pm in 4010 JFSB.

04/07/2026

This week’s Humanities Center essay, written by undergraduate fellow Sawyer Wood, explores the idea of “goodness” and moral ambiguity through both popular and classic storytelling. By comparing Wicked: For Good and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Sawyer highlights the value of stories that challenge us and leave us with more questions than answers. Check it out by clicking the link below.

This essay was written by Sawyer Wood, BYU Humanities Center intern and student fellow. A few months ago, Wicked: For Good was released in theaters. As the concluding adaptation of one of Broadway's longest-running musicals, it stood among the year’s most anticipated films, and seemed to be someth...

04/01/2026

Join us Thursday at 3:30 pm in 4010 JFSB for a Humanities Center Colloquium with Justin White exploring how love, grief, and perception shape our world. Don’t miss this thought-provoking discussion.

03/26/2026

This week’s Humanities Center event brings together colleagues Matthew Mason, Chris Hodson, Mary Eyring, and Nick Gentile for a conversation on how we tell long-form stories.

Join us as we explore the challenges, opportunities, and critical dynamics of crafting book-length projects.

Thursday, March 26, at 3:30 pm in 4010 JFSB. Refreshments will be served.

03/23/2026

This essay by Aiden Jones, BYU Humanities Center student fellow, examines how language shapes thought, and how even a single word like “deserve” can carry profound weight.

Read more and consider how we communicate meaning in a world full of clichés.

This essay was written by Aiden Jones, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow. I don’t know that I’ve ever been able to use words to communicate as well as Helen Burns, whose “soul sat on her lips, and language flowed” as she spoke to her friend Jane Eyre. [1] Today, language, like almost ev...

03/19/2026

In a reflective essay inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke, BYU Humanities Center student fellow Julia Morgan explores solitude, memory, and the uncertainties of early adulthood in Provo.

We invite you to read and consider what it means to “live the questions.”

This essay was written by Julia Morgan, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow.   Dear Rilke, I know you were born in 1875, and that you didn’t write Letters to a Young Poet to me. But I’m in need of some counsel, and, as I am a Young Poet as well, …

03/19/2026

The Humanities Center welcomes Dr. Katie Kresser from Seattle Pacific University as our Faith & Imagination Lecturer on Thursday, March 19 at 3:30 PM in 4010 JFSB.

Her presentation explores why art matters and how it shapes culture and reveals deeper truths. Refreshments will be served. We hope you’ll join us!

03/11/2026

BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow Chris Rogers explores why language diversity is a blessing, not a problem to solve. His essay reflects on how languages shape culture, identity, and our understanding of humanity.

Read more to discover why every language matters.

This essay was written by Chris Rogers, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow. I think, write, and teach about language diversity a lot. In my classes students are asked to analyze the similarities and differences between languages from all over the world, how they have independently developed, and...

03/11/2026

Join us for a Humanities Center roundtable on AI’s role in academic research and its impact on scholarly practices, Thursday, March 12 at 3:30 p.m. in 4010 JFSB.