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College of Arts and Humanities, Philosophy, The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

UMD to Launch 2 Bachelor’s Degrees to Explore Technical, Human Dimensions of AI

New majors aim to ethically advance AI tech, prepare students to address its societal impact.

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American Studies

After a Life-Changing Accident, Brian Cooperman ’26 Found a New Path Through American Studies

The graduating senior focused his honors thesis on disability access and is planning for a future in advocacy law.

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College of Arts and Humanities, English

Sydney Mitchell ’26 Reflects on Her Storytelling Journey at Maryland

From reading poetry on stage to researching the region’s jazz scene, the English major explored storytelling through writing, music and research.

Read More about Sydney Mitchell ’26 Reflects on Her Storytelling Journey at Maryland

Whatever your interests and aspirations, ARHU is committed to providing the knowledge, skills and opportunities all our students need to write their own stories and chart their own paths.

"In ARHU, you’re learning about how people interact with the world and each other. My goal is to build things that people are going to use. Just technology knowledge can only go so far. You have to understand how people are going to use them to be truly successful."

Ozzie Fallick '14, Software Engineer, Google
Linguistics

"Cross-cultural communication is one of the most important skills that I learned at ARHU, and I use it to engage and inform the community in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean about our events, exchanges and any other information that supports our key policy priorities in the region. ARHU gave me the tools to understand why in diplomacy, it’s as much about what you say as how you say it."

Krystle Norman '08, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
Spanish and Portuguese

"I had always loved art, but I never knew you could make a career out of it until I studied abroad in Rome. There, I took a full course load of art courses and learned all about the factors of being an art professional. It was life-changing. Now I feel lucky that I’m doing something that I’m so passionate about."

Laura Sheridan Raiffe '09, Regional Account Manager, Christie's Fine Arts
Art History and Archaeology

"One of the most important things I got out of my ARHU experience is my ability to parse arguments, think critically and see multiple sides of an issue. Being in law school, it’s important to do that—it’s a skill I use every day. Not a class goes by, not a case gets read that this skill doesn’t come into play."

AJ Clayborne '13, Student, Harvard Law School
English

GRAND CHALLENGES

DEMAND FEARLESS IDEAS

The research and creative works of our faculty, students and alumni are setting the agenda for transformative dialogue about the value of the arts and the humanities in the world today.

Research Highlights

New Scholarship from The College of Arts and Humanities

Explore Our Research

Happening at ARHU

America’s history is built from stories like Lakeland’s. A new exhibition at the College Park Aviation Museum, “Reclaiming Our Space: The Story of Lakeland,” uses interactive digital streetscapes to bring visitors into the history of a thriving Black community near Lake Artemesia that was largely displaced during urban renewal in the 20th century. “This is going to allow Lakelanders ... to see something they haven’t seen for many years, and show their children and grandchildren,” says Quint Gregory, director of the Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture. Graduate students in Gregory’s class on collaborative curation worked with Lakeland residents and community partners on the project. The exhibition was supported in part by the Maryland 250 Commission, recognizing Marylanders’ contributions to U.S. history during its milestone anniversary. Link in profile.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary on July 4, we’re spending this week highlighting scholarship, stories and creative work from the College of Arts and Humanities that offer context, perspective and new ways of understanding the American experience. First up: Professor of History Richard Bell’s award-winning new book, “The American Revolution and the Fate of the World.” Bell argues that the Revolutionary War was a global conflict whose consequences stretched far beyond the colonies. Read more in this recent conversation with Terp magazine and discover how the Revolution “disrupted trade, restructured penal systems, stirred famine, toppled empires and shaped the world as we know it.” Link in profile.
Three books from ARHU faculty are asking us to see the world differently, and they couldn't be more timely. "The Church of Divine Electricity," by Emily Mitchell (English): Speculative fiction that imagines near-future worlds shaped by AI, climate change and emerging tech. Winner of the Elixir Press Fiction Award. "Avocado Dreams" by Ana Patricia Rodríguez (Spanish & Portuguese): A deeply researched look at how Salvadoran writers, artists and activists have shaped the cultural life of the DC metro region. "Nile Nightshade" by Anny Gaul (Arabic): a wildly inventive culinary history tracing how the tomato became central to Egyptian cuisine and identity, told largely through the hands of Egypt's women home cooks. 🏆 Just announced: this book won the 2026 James Beard Media Award in Reference, History & Scholarship! These books remind us that the arts and humanities don't just help us understand the past, they help us make sense of the world we're living in right now. @beardfoundation

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