Humanities & Arts


Five Questions with Professor Peter Der Manuelian

Harvard professor of Egyptology on unsolved mysteries, cats, and the beauty of ancient craftsmanship.

by Olivia Farrar

Scientific Stardom

How Galileo’s geometric and military compass helped him calculate his own ascent

by Nina Pasquini

Leslie Jamison’s Many Selves

The essayist on isolation, empathy, and selfhood

by Nina Pasquini

The Unruly Academy

President emeritus Neil L. Rudenstine on changes in the academy and society that made universities more contentious—and diminished support for humane learning

by Neil L. Rudenstine

Arts and Engineering

The deans of arts and humanities and the school of engineering and applied sciences share their plans and priorities.

by Jonathan Shaw

A Return to the Beloved Community

Poet and lawyer Reginald Dwayne Betts on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy

by Lydialyle Gibson

The Fish in Harvard Square

Artist Isola Murray’s child-size animals

by Olivia Farrar

Jimmy Carter and James Agee ’32

Why this “sovereign prince of the English language” touched the president’s heart

by Lincoln Caplan

Five Questions with Jacob Roberts ’19

The actor and filmmaker on creativity, collaboration, and celebrity canines

by Nina Pasquini

History and Love in Haiti

Alumna Nadine Pinede’s young-adult novel—in verse

by Lydialyle Gibson

Western Civ.

An archaeologist/curator/hands-on humanist, and an artifact from the era of typewritten term papers

by Primus VI