Literatures and Cultures

Into the Woods: Nature Works its Magic in Shakespeare in Yosemite

April 15, 2025

As Yosemite Likes It UC Merced performers

If Arden, the sprawling, wild forest in William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” were in the United States instead of the Bard’s imagination, it would certainly be a national park. Like Yosemite. That is why this light comedy is an ideal fit for the annual UC Merced...

Long-Standing Series Introduces Local Kids to Opera

Thousands of Merced County schoolchildren will be introduced to the wonders of opera this month during the latest entry in the long-running Children’s Opera series at UC Merced. Co-produced by UC...

Dean Earns NEH Support for Book on Madrid Attacks

Jill Robbins, dean of the UC Merced School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, has received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the completion of her...

Student-Professor Team Publishes Book on Literary Pioneer

UC Merced alumna Beth Hernandez-Jason and Professor Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez have teamed up to create a compilation of essays devoted to the works of author John Rechy. “The Textual Outlaw: Reading...

Professor to Direct UC Education Abroad in Chile, Argentina

Professor Cristián Ricci won’t find himself in the classroom sharing his love of Spanish and Moroccan literature with UC Merced students this fall. That’s because he’ll be busy in his new role as...

Love of Music Continues to Drive Alum’s Career in Social Media

Shavone Charles is combining her love of music and technology to blaze a new trail in social media. Charles graduated from UC Merced in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Cultures,...

Literature Professor Wins Latino Book Award

UC Merced Professor Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez recently won a 2015 International Latino Book Award for “With a Book in Their Hands: Chicano/a Readers and Readerships,” which beat six other finalists...

Literature Professor Releases Book on Acclaimed Chilean Author

Ignacio López-Calvo, professor of Latin American literature in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, has edited a book that was published by Palgrave MacMillan this month. “Roberto...

Students, Faculty Inducted into Hispanic Honor Society

Spanish majors and minors at UC Merced have a new measure of excellence to pursue, thanks to the recent charter of the university’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi. UC Merced is the seventh UC campus to...

Student’s Lengthy Academic Journey Concludes at Commencement

For Helen Dahman, college was always more marathon than sprint. Now 73, Dahman was just out of high school when she took her first college classes. But she wasn’t ready then and instead entered the...