UMass Boston Professor of Philosophy Lynne Tirrell gave a talk titled “Toxic Speech” about linguistics and their societal influence on Thursday, April 20.
Tirrell studies the philosophy of language, politics of discourse and the ways that linguistic practices influence social justice or facilitate injustice. She is currently researching the power of linguistics in shaping social conditions that make genocide possible, focusing on the Rwandan genocide of the Tutsi people in 1994.
The college announced that its first-ever official mascot is the Mammoth on Monday, April 3, marking the end of a six-month mascot selection process that began in October.
In total, 72 percent of the student body, 31 percent of eligible alumni and 35 percent of staff members voted for their mascots of choice, for a total of 9,260 votes.
Official data shows that the number of alumni votes amounted to three times that of student votes.
Amherst College professors held a symposium on March 8, International Women’s Day, to discuss global feminist movements. A march through the Amherst town commons followed the panel and discussion session of the symposium, which was titled “Feminist Movements in a Reactionary Era: A Teach-In, Talk-Around and Walk-Out Honoring the International Women’s Strike.”
Sophie Chung is an English major with a concentration in film theory. Her thesis examines Asian-American voices on YouTube and how they affect the Asian-American community at large. Her adviser is Mellon-Keiter Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of English Yu-ting Huang.
The Mascot Committee published a list of 30 mascot semifinalists, including ideas such as hamsters, moose, fighting poets and aces, on the college’s website this past December.
The Mascot Committee, comprised of members from the Alumni Executive Committee, Association of Amherst Students and staff representatives, underwent three rounds of discussion to narrow down the 2,045 suggestions submitted by the Amherst community.
The college welcomed conservative author, blogger and op-ed columnist Ross Douthat on Nov. 16 to give a talk titled “American Conservatism and Donald Trump.” The talk, which was open to the public and livestreamed, was held in Stirn Auditorium, where Douthat spoke for 45 minutes about the history and ideology of modern conservatism and how it relates to President-elect Trump’s success. After the talk, Douthat answered questions from the audience and signed copies of his book, “Bad Religion: How America Became a Nation of Heretics.”
Renowned physician and award-winning poet Rafael Campo ’87 gave a talk titled “Medicine and the Humanities: Healing with Poetry” in the Cole Assembly Room on Friday, Nov. 11. He spoke about poetry as a crucial way of empathizing with people across differences and diverse experiences.
