Dear College of Humanities Students,

Despite the ever-changing challenges posed by the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the College of Humanities remains focused on two priorities for students: your health and your academic progress toward graduation.

We are making every effort to help you succeed in your academic lives and beyond. Our faculty and staff are working, in coordination with University officials, to minimize any interruptions. Starting Wednesday, March 18, classes will be conducted online. Our priority is to ensure your academic progress is not disrupted and that you will finish the semester and graduate on time—whether that’s this term or in a term to come.

Our incredible advising team is available to support you with all of its usual services, but now in a virtual format. Advising can take place via email, phone, or Zoom—whichever works best for you. Please remember to check Trellis Advise for appointments. The advisors will be in touch soon with more detailed information about how they will be providing support.

If you have had to return suddenly from a Study Abroad program and anticipate any difficulty completing your coursework and earning credit for the semester, please contact Lyn Durán (laduran@email.arizona.edu ) as soon as possible so that she can explore with you how we might be able to help.

Individual faculty members will communicate to their students any necessary information about transitioning to online classes, as well as any updates to their syllabi for the remainder of the semester. This will enable all students to complete their courses and have valuable learning experiences. Fortunately, the College of Humanities is a leader in online learning and many faculty members have pursued innovative ways of teaching to increase student engagement, so we are well-prepared to make this adjustment and will extend additional help to students whenever possible. I am in touch with the COH undergraduate ASUA Senator Grace Sluga and Graduate and Professional Council Representative Jonathan Henao-Muñoz, both of whom will be helpful in communicating important messages between students and College and University leadership.

Any official campus updates will be posted to the University’s Coronavirus Information page. Information related to more specific student concerns is available at the Dean of Students Office and Guidance for Research Students and Postdocs. For other on-campus resources, please see information about University Libraries Changes and Support, the Disability Resource Center, and Housing & Residential Life.

Please follow all prescribed health and safety precautions, including social distancing, to minimize the spread of this disease and keep our campus and community safe. Campus Health remains open should you feel the need to seek medical attention.

We will convey additional information to students as necessary, and we appreciate your patience and flexibility as the College and University move forward through this difficult time.

With best wishes,
Dean Alain-Philippe Durand

P.S. On Monday morning via Facebook, University Provost Liesl Folks and Dean of Students Kendal Washington White presented a live video update to address questions. You can see a recording of this session here.

Congratulations to Dr. Letizia Bellocchio and Dr. Beppe Cavatorta who have just been awarded approximately $5000 from the College of Humanities 2019-20 Teaching and Outreach Grant Program for their project: “Italian Language in Wonderland: An Online Textbook for UA Intermediate Italian Students.”

Congratulations!

Congratulats to Dr. Fabian Alfie whose translation of La Compiuta Donzella (ca. 1260), the first woman poet of Italian literature, has just been published.

For more information, please visit: “La Compiuta Donzella of Florence (ca. 1260): The Complete Poetry”  https://ir.uiowa.edu/mff/vol55/iss3/1/

Two College of Humanities professors are among 27 UA employees selected to participate in the 2019-20 Academic Leadership Institute.

Carine Bourget, Professor in the Department of French and Italian and Acting Director of the School of International Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Jiang Wu, Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies and Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies, are Fellows in the yearlong program designed to build the capacity of current and future University leaders.

The Academic Leadership Institute is a partnership between the Office of the Provost and the Division of Human Resources. The cohort is selected through a competitive application process, which looks at leadership potential, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and interest in enhancing the whole of the University community. More than 100 applicants are evaluated each year by the ALI advisory board. See the full list of Academic Leadership Institute Fellows here.

UA Alumna Honorine Rouiller attended the 45^th Conference of the African Literature Association held in Columbus OH in May 2019 and presented a paper, "Comics as a new support to convey collective and national memory."