The School of Liberal Arts and the Folger Shakespeare Library co-sponsored a scholarly conference and workshop, “Rac(e)ing the Shakespearean Archive: Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction New Orleans,” which examined the role of race and modern interpretations in William Shakespeare’s work. Held in February, the conference featured Othello performances with actors of different ethnicities and genders.

Tulane has joined the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Research University Consortium, which comprises a select group of ACLS associate members that are prominent institutions who play a leadership role in sustaining and enhancing the national infrastructure of humanities and interpretive social sciences research.

William Balée, chair of the Department of Anthropology at the School of Liberal Arts, has been awarded the Distinguished Ethnobiologist Award by the Society of Ethnobiology, the society’s highest recognition of lifetime achievement. Balée was recognized for demonstrating “the ideal of sustained scholarly excellence and leadership, with humble dedication to supporting ethnobiology students both at his institution and in the society.”

Roxanne Dávila, senior professor of practice of Spanish and Portuguese, is the new associate dean for language pedagogy and initiatives in the School of Liberal Arts. Dávila oversees all aspects relating to language learning and pedagogy and leads the school’s strategic vision for advancing language learning at Tulane.