Humanities & Society

The annual Mr. Wash. U. event at Edison Theatre was held April 17. It supports City Faces, which provides art classes to children and young adults living in St. Louis public housing. The charity was founded by Bob Hansman, associate professor of architecture and urban design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

Students at the School of Medicine will perform “Young Frankenstein” April 24-26 in Whelpley Auditorium at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, which abuts the Medical Campus. The performance is the school’s ninth annual completely student-run musical.

Joseph Loewenstein, PhD, director of the Humanities Digital Workshop, is leading a vertical seminar for faculty, staff and graduate students in the digital humanities. The burgeoning field gives scholars new methods to analyze literature and history and encourages a new kind of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

WUSTL senior Alaina Smith works as a court advocate with the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court and as a facilitator at RAVEN, a batterer intervention program. Smith is among this year’s Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award winners.

Thurtene Carnival drew thousands of revelers to Washington University in St. Louis to enjoy rides, shows and food. The student-run carnival benefited local charity TASK, or Team Activities for Special Kids.

Three beloved longtime Brown School faculty — representing 102 years of scholarship, research and collaboration — were elevated to new positions within the faculty April 2 during an installation ceremony in Brown Lounge.

Washington University will conduct a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for the Gary M. Sumers Recreation Center at 4 p.m. Friday, April 11.

Rubelmann House residential adviser Michael Land is organizing farewell events for “Ruby” alumni and residents, starting on Saturday, April 12. Rubelmann will be replaced with a new residence hall, slated to open in August 2015.

On Friday, April 11, Washington University in St. Louis will break ground on the new Gary M. Sumers Recreation Center. The center is part of a $54 million renovation and expansion of the university Athletic Complex — the first significant update since 1985.

In an American Academy of Arts & Sciences report called “The Heart of the Matter,” the academy argues that the humanities and social sciences are necessary for a vibrant, competitive and secure nation. This is not the usual argument for the humanities, and that’s a good thing, according to WUSTL Provost Holden Thorp, PhD. He will give the annual Phi Beta Kappa/Sigma Xi lecture on April 17, titled “From Salesman to Hamletmachine: The Need for the Humanities.”