Louis J. Swift, an emeritus professor of Classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (MCLLC), passed away on Saturday, January 30, 2021.

Lou became a Roman Catholic seminarian at the age of fourteen and went on to receive degrees from Saint Mary’s University in Baltimore and Gregorian University in Rome. He left the seminary before ordination and earned his Ph.D. in Classics from John’s Hopkins University in 1963. He began his career at SUNY Buffalo and joined UK’s faculty as the Chair of the Department of Classics in 1970. His research interests focused on the study of early Christianity and the relationship between religion and politics in America. He was a founding member of the North American Patristics Society.

In addition to his teaching duties at UK, Lou also served as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

By Angela Garner and Facundo Luque

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2021) — A partnership among The Graduate School, International Center, the Center for English as a Second Language, and the Graduate Student Congress at the University of Kentucky produced a robust seven-week virtual program during Fall 2020 for international graduate students planning to begin their studies on campus in Spring 2021. 

The program, called GradCATS (Graduate Community and Academic Transition Series), introduced new graduate students to UK and the Lexington area, built a sense of community among incoming

By Richard LeComte 

Five recently hired faculty members associated with the African American and Africana Studies interdisciplinary program in the College of Arts & Sciences are broadening the range of diverse and inclusive course offerings to University of Kentucky students. The five new hires are JWells, Vieux Touré, Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Brandon M. Erby and Aria S. Halliday. 

“It is important to hire Black faculty in these areas and all areas, because their individual and collective research expertise is essential to the mission of the University,” said Damaris B. Hill, interim director of the African American and Africana Program.  “This

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, KY. (Nov. 17, 2020) — Did you know, federal agencies have identified Russian as a priority language of national need?

A new course at the University of Kentucky aims to meet that need by preparing students for careers as global language professionals.

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MCLLC) in the College of Arts and Sciences strives to teach students how to read, speak and write in various languages on matters ranging from poetry to politics. Now, with support from an Alternative Textbook Grant from UK Libraries, RUS 410G: Russian for STEM prepares students

By Emily Sallee

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that foreign language and international economics/Chinese and international studies major and Chellgren Fellow Michael Di Girolamo has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Chinese. The Critical Language Scholarship is an intensive language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities.

Administered through the U.S. Department of State, CLS is part of a

MCLLC Faculty Members and Alum Receive Awards from Kentucky World Language Association

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, KY – Members of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences have earned honors from the Kentucky World Language Association.

The association supports, promotes and advocates for the teaching of languages and cultures in the Commonwealth and offers a clearinghouse for data as well as professional development for instructors.

Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, professor of Russian studies, folklore and linguistics, was elected president of the association. In addition, Brenna Byrd, assistant professor of German studies, has been selected by the Kentucky University Chairs group to be the next post-secondary liaison

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 21, 2020) — University of Kentucky graduates Calli Brooks and Tsage Douglas have been selected to participate in the Teaching Assistant Program in France.. The program offers recipients the opportunity to work in France for seven months teaching English to French students of all ages.

As part of the program, each year more than 1,500 Americans teach in public schools across all regions of metropolitan France or overseas in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. The American cohort is part of the larger Assistants de langue en France program, which recruits 4,500 young educators from 60 countries to teach 15 languages annually in France. The Assistants de langue en France program is managed by France Éducation

By Ann Blackford

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 13, 2020) — People often ask Christopher Decker of Los Angeles why his daughter Sophia Decker, whom he describes as an extremely gifted student in languages, chose to attend the University of Kentucky.

“I always respond by saying she fell in love with Latin and Ancient Greek," he said. "When I say there is only one accredited university in the U.S. where the classics faculty conduct class in the target language, people often guess it to be Harvard, Yale, Georgetown or Notre Dame. The correct answer is the University of Kentucky, and that is why Sophia chose to attend UK."

Christopher Decker and his wife, Theresa Decker, were so impressed by UK’s Latin program that they recently donated a $25,000 endowed fund to the UK Department of Modern and Classical

By Ann Blackford

People often ask Christopher Decker of Los Angeles, California, why his daughter Sophia Decker, whom he describes as an extremely gifted student, particularly in languages, chose to attend the University of Kentucky. “I always respond by saying she fell in love with Latin and Ancient Greek. When I say there is only one accredited university in the U.S. where the classics faculty conduct class in the target language, people often guess it to be Harvard, Yale, Georgetown or Notre Dame. The correct answer is the University of Kentucky, and that is why Sophia chose to attend UK,” he says. 

Christopher Decker and his wife, Theresa Decker, were so impressed by UK’s Latin program where they watched their daughter thrive, that they recently gifted a $25,000 endowed fund to the UK Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, housed in

By Adrian Ho and Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 30, 2020) — Six College of Arts & Sciences faculty members received Alternative Book Grants from the University of Kentucky Libraries.

These faculty members plan to replace

By Addison Cave

LEXINGTON, KY. (June 22) -- Sheila Jelen, interim director of the program in Jewish Studies and associate professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts & Sciences at University of Kentucky, was recently awarded the Zantker Charitable Foundation Professorship in History.

Jelen has published a variety of monographs and edited volumes including, most recently, Salvage Poetics: Post-Holocaust American Jewish Folk Ethnographies (2020) and Reconstructing the Old Country: American Jewry in the Post-Holocaust Decades (2017). Her work has appeared in such journals as Prooftexts, The Jewish Quarterly Review, The AJS Review, Religion and Literature, Comparative Literature Studies and Hebrew Studies.

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 5, 2020) — University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that five recent UK graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences received Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among approximately 2,100 U.S. students who will travel abroad for the 2020-21 academic year.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 160 countries. 

The UK alumni awarded Fulbright grants are:

The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to learning and working environments that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable for students, staff, and faculty.

We stand in solidarity with those working to confront systemic racial injustice in our communities and in the United States. We recognize the disproportionate burden of racism and other forms of violence on many within our A&S community during this time. We affirm our support of faculty, students, staff, and alumni in standing against all forms of racism, discrimination, and bias.

During this time of pandemic and continued racism and violence that especially impact marginalized communities of color, we recognize the disproportionate impact on Black and African-American people. In the context of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and here in Kentucky, Breonna Taylor and David McAtee, we affirm that

By Richard LeComte

Even if students can’t travel to foreign lands this summer, they can extend their knowledge of languages through a series of courses offered online in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences. 

“I think one really big advantage of online learning the lockdown – when students can’t leave their homes – is the ability to travel virtually,” said  Julie Human, assistant professor of French and Francophone Studies in UK’s Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures Department (MCLLC). “You can explore the customs and ways of the Francophone world whenever you’re stuck at home inside your four walls.”

Classes in Spanish, French, German and other languages are offered online through UK this summer. 

“We have all the elementary levels of Spanish – levels 101,

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that five students and alumnae have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, six other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the foundation. Included among the recipients are College of Arts & Sciences alumni and current undergraduates. 

NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field.

By Lindsey Piercy, Kody Kiser and Amy Jones-Timoney

Six of the University of Kentucky's passionate and accomplished educators were surprised earlier this spring by student nominators and the UK Alumni Association as 2020 Great Teacher Award recipients. Anna Voskresensky is one of this year’s Great Teacher recipients.

“It means a lot to me, because I’ve always liked what I do,” she said. “I

By Katia Davis

Liang Luo, associate professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MCLLC), has received a grant from the Korea Foundation to offer Korean courses in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky starting fall 2020.

The $12,000 grant will go toward hiring a contracted part-time instructor to teach two Korean language courses each semester. 

The Korea Foundation was established in 1991 to promote a “better understanding of Korea within the international community and to increase friendship and goodwill between Korea and the rest of the world through exchange programs,” according to the Korea Foundation website. 

UK’s Korean Language and Culture Club and the UK Korean Student

By Gabriela Antenore

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. The Gaines Center is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at the University of Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Masamichi ​(Marro) Inoue, associate professor in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures, will be the new College of Arts & Sciences  International Village Living Learning Program faculty director starting Fall 2020.

Located in Blazer Hall, the International Village provides students with a meaningful international experience on UK’s campus through opportunities to explore other cultures and develop treasured friendships. Through the International Village, students have regular interactions with

By Ryan Girves 

This week marked the start of online learning for University of Kentucky students across campus following the announcement from President Eli Capilouto suspending all in-person instruction through the end of the spring semester in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

UK is one of many universities to move its classes online using channels such as Zoom — a video conferencing platform — as part of an effort to de-densify campus. 

“Overall, both faculty and students indicate that the transition to online is going better than expected,” said Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning and Academic Innovation Kathi Kern. “Faculty have devoted themselves tirelessly over the last week to rethink their courses and prepare them in a new way.”

In the week leading up to the launch of