Movies and media shape children’s understanding of culture and morality, but the “Disneyfication” of literature often raises questions about what is gained or lost in the process. Martina Mattei, a Comparative Literature Ph.D. student at UC Santa Barbara, examined Disney’s adaptations of Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid. She noted how Disney simplified the dark moral complexity of Pinocchio into a more uplifting tale and highlighted the backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting in the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid, reflecting nostalgia for Disney’s earlier portrayal. Mattei argues that simplified adaptations can risk erasing the cultural richness of the originals, shaping how future generations understand these tales.

Kaitlyn Ugoretz, a UCSB Ph.D. candidate, delves into the evolving practice of Shinto outside Japan, highlighting how sacred spaces are created through rituals rather than geography. Her research explores how Shinto is flourishing in the U.S. among non-Japanese practitioners, driven by global influences like anime and inclusive spiritual values.

The four-person UCSB band Wahoo was formed last year in a dining hall and the members have since established themselves as rising stars by playing at The Rose Bowl’s Bruin Fest for Hispanic Heritage Month. Andrew Adorno (on guitar), Carlo Lapayese-Calderon (on Cajon), Matthew Diaz (lead vocals) and Abhi Sahota (on bass) aim to keep performing on larger stages. Andrew Adorno sat down for an interview to talk about Wahoo’s Rose Bowl performance, how UCSB fostered the creation of Wahoo, and his personal journey with music.

As part of his senior directing concentration, UCSB student Alex Guaydacan tackled his biggest project yet: solo directing “The Incident Report” for the Fall One Acts. In an interview, he reflects on the directing process, from navigating friendships with cast members to building confidence as a director. Guaydacan speaks about the process of bringing his vision to life for UCSB’s annual theater showcase.

Valeria Perez, host of Grrrls Who Rock!!! at UCSB’s radio station KCSB, sits down to discuss women and gender-expansive people in rock, finding your path in college, and radio show hosting.

Historian Evan Axel Andersson spoke on amulets and daily life in ancient Roman Egypt at the 2024 Van Gelderen Lecture, hosted by UC Santa Barbara’s History Department. Andersson discussed how these ancient artifacts did much more than adorn—serving as vital protective and spiritual tools.

Twenty students in the 2024 Raab Writing Fellowship program presented their final projects at a showcase last week, displaying multimedia works from books and zines to videos games and interactive websites — including research, fiction and creative nonfiction. Topics ranged from jazz, to AI to incarcerated women, and an Athenian prostitute. The program is generously funded by Santa Barbara writer Diana Raab, a former UCSB Foundation Trustee. It is administered by the UCSB Writing Program.

Thomas Heine, a fourth-year student in UC Santa Barbara’s Germanic and Slavic Studies department will be combining his knowledge of German language, culture, and business with his passion of aviation. He is working towards flying for Lufthansa, the largest airline in Europe.

This spring, UC Santa Barbara students co-facilitated the creation of Originalia, an art showcase featuring the painting, sculpture, and interactive artwork of 11 students interpreting their experiences with reproductive biology. UCSB students Emilie Risha and Anastasia Senavsky described how they came together to express their passion for reproductive biology in an interdisciplinary manner.

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won third place in the prose category.

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won first place in the prose category.

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the Photography category.

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. Here are the first and second prize winners in the music category.

This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the visual art category.

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. Here is the second place in the poetry category.

This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. This poem won first place in the poetry category.

An award ceremony and luncheon was held at UC Santa Barbara’s Mosher Alumni House last week to honor the recipients of the Give Day 2024 Student Creativity Contest, sponsored by the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts. HFA dean Daina Ramey Berry joined students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors to celebrate. Winning entries will run in the coming days on the HFA website.

Stained Glass Productions, a new student-run theater collective at UC Santa Barbara, staged its first production, "Seasons of Broadway: A Cabaret," hoping to give students more opportunities to perform musical theater. The ensemble of 16 students performed from multiple renowned musicals, all songs falling into the theme of fall, winter, spring, or summer.

Allen Schultz, a Writing and Literature major specializing in film and screenwriting at UC Santa Barbara, took on the job of production manager in the student-produced film, “Overture". In this interview, he delves into the logistics of creating a student-made film about a young boy, who is both blind and deaf, overcome by his love for music as he experiences the vibrations of sound. Allen also discusses his rewarding role as director in his own short film “Disposable,” a story about life as a UCSB student and Jewish identity.

Lily Fitzgerald, a third-year UC Santa Barbara Film and Media Studies student, started baking cakes in the neighboring community of Isla Vista in 2022. Shortly after, she founded her business “Sunshiney Cakes,” and has since been baking these whimsical, wildflower-topped cakes and posting them to social media.

UC Santa Barbara graduate student Gulia Gurevich last week shared her research into Uzbek music history, in a joint lecture and recital. Gurevich presented Uzbek history as it influenced music, and discussed women’s role in music as a professional and educational field. After her lecture, she performed several different Uzbek works, including both solo and duo pieces.

Undergraduate student altarists worked with Las Maestras Center to create an altar for display in the Library at UC Santa Barbara. The altarists sat down to talk about their experience creating the altar and having it on display.

UC Santa Barbara’s Literature and Mind research center, housed in the English Department, and its Trauma-Informed Pedagogy project hosted a talk on the use of trigger warnings in the classroom. Undergraduate student Bethany Clements shared research into trauma-informed teaching and proposed solutions to help students engage with potentially triggering content.

The UC Santa Barbara Classics Department began the school year with an event that brought ancient myth to life. Interested students participated in a play through of the video game “Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical.” During the session, organized by Classics Ph.D. student Rick Castle, participants examined how contemporary adaptations of ancient stories portray marginalized communities, such people of color and queer people.

The 2022-2023 web and social media intern team in the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts covered an array of events for the HFA website and social media platforms this year. Meet the faces behind the stories.

UCSB’s honors history students Cole Grissom, Madeline Josa, and Raana Naghieh recently spoke about the impact of women on politics in settings ranging from Ancient Rome to Georgian England, at a colloquium hosted by the History department.

UC Santa Barbara 2023 graduate Nina Lopez choreographed three numbers for the Spring Dance Recital “VITALITY.” She was one of five senior students who choreographed the showcase. She recently sat down for an interview to discuss her background in dance and what the future holds for her.