Humanities Week

A weeklong celebration of the human adventure across time, history, culture and place.

Now entering its sixth year, Humanities Week opens the door to discovering how studying the humanities at Arizona State University can lead to a successful career, a good life and a more just world.

Students and the public are invited to engage with varied events throughout the week, from open houses to hands-on activities to panel discussions.

Humanities Week 2026 is October 26–30. View the schedule below for events on the calendar so far. Check back soon for updates, including details on our signature event, the Marshall Distinguished Lecture.

Image
Portrait of Jesmyn Ward against a gold circle.

Signature event

2025 Marshall Distinguished Lecture: An Evening with Jesmyn Ward

MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and two-time National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation, proving her “fearless and toughly lyrical” voice in novels, memoir and nonfiction. In 2017, she became the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for Fiction — joining the ranks of William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, John Cheever, Philip Roth and John Updike. In 2024, "Men We Reaped," "Salvage the Bones" and "Sing, Unburied, Sing" were named in the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times.

Ward is currently a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she teaches creative writing.

Register to attend. 

2026 schedule of events coming soon

Monday, Oct. 20

Humanities Week Open House

10 a.m. | Durham Hall courtyard | Learn more.

The Art and Science of Conlanging

10:10 a.m. | Armstrong Hall 101 | Learn more.

Onigiri Action 2025

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall, First Floor Lobby | Learn more.

Leopold and Environmental Stewardship

4 p.m. | BioDesign B 105 | Learn more.

The Transformative Power of Language Learning for Neurodiverse Learners

4 p.m. | Durham Hall room 135 and online | Learn more.

Native Nation Project: From ASU to the Future

6:30 p.m. | Labriola National American Indian Data Center at Hayden Library level two | Learn more.

Tuesday, Oct. 21

La Mia Italia Photo Contest

11 a.m. | Durham Hall exhibit lobby | Learn more.

Spanish Heritage voices at ASU

11 a.m. | Durham Hall room 240 | Learn more.

Exploring Día de los Muertos: A Guided Tour with Mathew Sandoval

1:30 p.m. | Interdisciplinary B room 280 | Learn more.

Echoes of David William Foster’s São Paulo in Contemporary Film

3 p.m. | Hayden Library room 236 | Learn more.

"Queen of Flowers and Pearls": A Performance by Gabriella Ghermandi

4 p.m. | Pima Auditorium, Memorial Union | Learn more.

Book launch: “Shifting Paradigms of Evil in Philosophy: Reading the Armenian Genocide with the Shoah” by Imge Oranli, part of ASU Humanities Week

6 p.m. | Durham Hall room 240 | Learn more.

Marshall Distinguished Lecture: An Evening with Jesmyn Ward

7 p.m. | Armstrong Hall 101 | Learn more.

Wednesday, Oct. 22

Animals Across Disciplines

10 a.m. | Peralta Hall 313 | Learn more.

Dig In: Humanities Lab (and Sparky!) with Sparky’s Garden

10:30 a.m. | Durham Hall west terrace | Learn more.

ASU Humanities Week Program: “Jewish Travelers and Voyages of Diasporic Self-Discovery"

Noon. | Coor Hall room 4403 | Learn more.

Narrative Studies Symposium (Part of ASU Humanities Week)

Noon. | Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 room 312 | Learn more.

Spanglish Open mic & Poster presentation

12:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more.

Fun with K-pop Demon Hunters

1 p.m. | Durham Hall room 240 | Learn more.

Fall 2025 Worldbuilding Distinguished Lecture with Erika Swyler

1:30 p.m. | Discovery Hall 250 and online | Learn more.

ASU Public History Poster Show

2 p.m. | Lattie Coor Hall first floor breezeway | Learn more.

Meet the Linguists

3 p.m. | Ross-Blakely Hall room 117 | Learn more.

Day 1: Toward Morning—Nyamathaam’im—‘Abíní, a Lecture Series

5:30 p.m. | Armstrong Hall room 101 | Learn more.

Dr. Suad Joseph: Traumatic Contestations: A Struggle for a Historical Concept of Trauma in the Arab Region

6 p.m. | Online | Learn more.

Still Starring: Reframing Aging Women in Film

6 p.m. | Online | Learn more.

Thursday, Oct. 23

Global Doors: What Spanish and Portuguese can do for you!

8 a.m. | Durham Hall SILC Café | Learn more.

ASU Book Group: ‘Wild for Austen’ by Devoney Looser

Noon. | Hayden Library Luhrs Reading Room (LIB 101) and online | Learn more.

Threads of Arabic Life: Food, Calligraphy & Conversation

Noon. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more.

Day 2: Toward Morning—Nyamathaam’im—‘Abíní, a Lecture Series

1 p.m. | Old Main Carson Ballroom | Learn more.

The Future Is Now: Nnedi Okorafor in Conversation with Matt Bell

3 p.m. | University Club | Learn more.

Torah and Tactics: Jewish Ethics, Just War and the State of Israel

4:30 p.m. | Pima Auditorium, Memorial Union room 230 | Learn more.

Friday, Oct. 24

Water Workshop

9:30 a.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall RBH196 | Learn more.

So what are you going to do with that?: Humanities alumni panel

Noon. | Armstrong Hall L1-30 and online | Learn more.

Water Power: Water Politics and Environmental Histories from Arizona to Arabia

Noon. | Walton Center auditorium | Learn more.

Stellar Alumni Reading Series: M.L. Martin and Hayden Casey

6 p.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall room 196 | Learn more.

2025 highlights

In 2025, ASU hosted over 35 events for Humanities Week. You can view recordings of a few highlights below.

Schedule of events 2024

Monday, Oct. 21

Humanities Week Open House

10 a.m. | Durham Hall courtyard | Learn more.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz: A New Light on a Literary Legend

Noon. | Virtual | Learn more.

Humanities Week SILC Café: Korean

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more.

Crip Critique: Spoken Word Narratives on the Lived Pasts and Imagined Futures of Work

2 p.m. | Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (Hybrid) | Learn more.

Tuesday, Oct. 22

Spanish Heritage Events: Spanish Heritage Voices

11 a.m. | Durham Hall 240 | Learn more and RSVP.

Brazilian Dance and Music Workshop

Noon | Durham Hall 240 | Learn more and RSVP.

Designing Planetizenship: Manifestos, Constitutions, Declarations, and Art as Tools for Building Inclusive Futures!

Noon | Memorial Union Stage and Hayden Lawn | Learn more and RSVP.

Humanities Week SILC Café: German

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more.

Traveling to Romania: History, Politics and Culture at the Heart of Europe

4:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more.

CAIS Film Series: Lion of the Desert

6 p.m. | Virtual | Learn more and RSVP.

Marshall Distinguished Lecture: An Evening with Dan-El Padilla Peralta

7 p.m. | Armstrong Hall, Roskind Great Hall (ARM 101) | Learn more and RSVP.

Wednesday, Oct. 23

Film and Media Studies Student Showcase

10 a.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall (room 117) | Learn more and RSVP.

Spanish Heritage Events: Spanglish Open Mic

11 a.m. | Durham Hall 240 | Learn more and RSVP.

Gene Wilder, Jewishness and Me: A Personal Journey with My First Movie Star

Noon. | Ross-Blakley Hall | Learn more and RSVP.

Humanities Week SILC Café: Spanish and Portuguese

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more and RSVP.

Visualizing Chicano/a/xs: Photography and Prints

1:30 p.m. | ASU Art Museum | Learn more and RSVP.

ASU History Program Poster Show

2 p.m. | Lattie F. Coor Hall, First Floor Breezeway | Learn more and RSVP.

Humanities Week "Her" Movie Night

5 p.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall 197 | Learn more and RSVP.

Thursday, Oct. 24

Spanish Heritage Events: Latinx Cultures in the United States

11 a.m. | Durham Hall 240 | Learn more and RSVP.

Scavenger hunt at the ASU Art Museum with Migration Related Themes

1 p.m. | ASU Art Museum | Learn more and RSVP.

Humanities Week SILC Café: Japanese

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more and RSVP.

Onigiri Action 2024

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more and RSVP.

Worldbuilding Fall 2024 Distinguished Lecturer: Author Nick Fuller Googins

1:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Cochise Room and online | Learn more and RSVP.

Zine-Making Workshop

1:30 p.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall (room 117) | Learn more and RSVP.

Curator IRL XP with the Hispanic Research Center

3 p.m. | Hispanic Research Center A202 | Learn more and RSVP.

The brush is mightier: One man's mission to rescue art from the Taliban

3 p.m. | West Hall (room 135) | Learn more and RSVP.

Diaspora and the Korean Wave

4:30 p.m. | Memorial Union, Pima Auditorium (room 230) | Learn more and RSVP.

Friday, Oct. 25

Civic Activism in South Korea: the Intertwining of Democracy and Neoliberalism

10:30 a.m. | Durham Hall 240 | Learn more and RSVP.

So, what are you going to do with that?: Humanities alumni panel

11:30 a.m. | Memorial Union 207 and virtual. | Learn more and RSVP.

Humanities Week SILC Café: Vietnamese

1:30 p.m. | Durham Hall lobby | Learn more and RSVP.

Stellar Alumni Reading Series: Katie Berta and David Martinez

6 p.m. | Ross-Blakley Hall (room 196) | Learn more and RSVP.

Additional resources

ASU logo.
Academics
Admission Programs
Repeatedly ranked #1 for innovation, sustainability, and global impact
Maps and Locations Jobs Directory Contact ASU My ASU
Copyright and Trademark Accessibility Privacy Terms of Use Emergency