Ghosts, ghouls and skeletons have become synonymous with Halloween. A USC Dornsife scholar and folklorist explains how Halloween continues an ancient Celtic tradition of the celebration of the dead.
One hundred years ago, the excavation of King Tut’s tomb brought us a mummy with a “pharaoh’s curse.” Our fascination with mummies goes back much farther, however. USC Dornsife scholars explain why we’re still so wrapped up in these eerie remains.
A USC Dornsife scholar has completed the first comprehensive list of Japanese Americans forcibly imprisoned during WWII. It’s part of a larger memorial project honoring the victims of Executive Order 9066.
USC Dornsife’s Trisha Tucker notes that nearly 1,600 books were targeted in 2021 — the highest number of attempted book bans since tracking began more than 20 years ago.
During her 30-year career at USC Dornsife, the trailblazing historian’s achievements include a groundbreaking book on the history of Chinese women’s reproductive care.
Excavation led by USC Dornsife scholars yields clues about the lives of ancient soldiers stationed outside Megiddo in the province of Judea.
Lewis Lawyer wrote the first published book on the grammar of Patwin, spoken by Indigenous people for hundreds of years and now undergoing a revitalization effort.
The relationship between modernist authors Hilda Doolittle (known as “H.D.”) and Annie Winifred Ellerman (pen name “Bryher”) spanned two world wars, four decades and even a few marriages (to other people).
It’s vital to human life and one of our deadliest foes. USC Dornsife experts look back at how water has helped get the creative juices flowing throughout the ages.
From Socrates to the Salem Witch trials: Students explore when humanity runs ideas and beliefs through the legal wringer, and how these spectacles have changed our culture.
Many religions have been used to prop up nationalism, and Catholicism is no exception. A USC Dornsife scholar who is also a Jesuit priest explores how the Virgin Mary had been enlisted to stir up patriotic fervor.
Elizabeth Van Hunnick’s endowment gift, one of the largest to a university history department, is intended to support the development of more informed leaders.
Some people have a flair for playing instruments. Ho-Chun “Herbert” Chang PhD ’23 has a knack for inventing them.
The Book Prizes ceremony at USC’s Bovard Auditorium is a prologue to this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, the nation’s largest literary and cultural festival.
The Easter Bunny typically evokes memories of fun and colorfully painted eggs, but this mythical rabbit has prehistoric origins and is a longstanding cultural symbol that keeps returning each spring.
USC Dornsife creative writing PhD candidate Jean Chen Ho talks to Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen about her acclaimed first book, Fiona and Jane, and how her research into a violent event in L.A. history illuminates today’s spike in anti-Asian racism.
The Irish government recently declared a national holiday for this lesser-known Irish saint. A USC Dornsife scholar and medieval historian explains her fascinating life and history.
The college’s Department of English, with the support of the Subir and Malina Chowdhury Foundation and in collaboration with Kenyon College and the Kenyon Review, will award the $20,000 prize during a gala at USC in April.
Ring in the New Year with these USC scholar-recommended reads that promise a little self-transformation.
A scholar of Christian spirituality argues that prayers are meant to bring together a faith community — something apps aren’t likely to achieve.
In the settlement of Jamestown, a more typical incident of distrust, displacement and repression can tell more about the colonial era than the Pilgrims’ experience.
The Catholic Church has set in place rigorous criteria for determing if a person can be named “Saint,” including performance of a miracle. But how does the Church determine what is a miracle?
Redemption. Romance. Body horror. USC scholars explore these concepts and other reasons why the medieval author and his master work resonate with modern readers.
Jessica Marglin, associate professor of religion and history at USC Dornsife, provides insight into an oft-misunderstood aspect of Muslim culture.