School of Arts & Sciences

The Heart of the University

The School of Arts & Sciences is the heart of the University of Richmond’s offerings. You can choose from or combine majors from 24 departments and 13 interdisciplinary programs. In the School of Arts & Sciences, you will learn to integrate your classroom experience with your true interests — your calling.

It’s the chance to explore a topic you’ve always been curious about, whether that’s Russian, modern dance, or environmental ethics. It’s getting a different perspective on your favorite subject — thinking through concepts and problems in a way you never have before. It’s satisfying your curiosity and love for learning, and then working to translate that into a career path.

Support A&S

School of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Annual Report

2023-24 Now Available!
Tailwind of Love, on-campus preview, private screening

Film Studies Alumni Showcase

Miles Goldman, UR’24 

Wednesday, April 2, 7 p.m. | Jepson 118,

Campus preview, private screening followed by Q&A

Miles is coming to campus with his first professional documentary, Tailwind of Love. It follows his best friend,  Eli Beech-Brown, UR’24,  as he embarks on a deeply personal journey. The one-hour piece tracks Eli biking across America to honor the memory of his late father, who completed the same trek at age 24.

Interconnected

Interconnected: A Choreorobotic Performance

Friday, April 4 & Saturday, April 5, 7 p.m.

Cousins Studio Theatre

The line from the human to the machine is often not visible. The energy and movement that drives communication does not start as a tangible connection but rather as an intangible force, an impulse, a spark of intention. It travels through pathways, transmitting signals and commands that shape our interactions with technology. This unseen thread weaves a tapestry of non-verbal understanding, where the boundaries between human and machine blur, creating a dance of shared purpose. In Interconnected, we explore this connection, unveiling the complexity and beauty of human-robot communication, and the binds to the machines we create.

Interconnected is a 30-minute dance piece for two small mobile manipulator robots and two humans. The performance will be followed by a Q&A about the work.

Wheeler Lecture

14th Stuart L. Wheeler Gallery of the Ancient World Lecture

“The Archaeology of Democracy: Recent Excavations in the Agora of Athens”

Presented by John McKesson Camp II
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor Emeritus of Classics, Randolph-Macon College
Director of Agora Excavations, Athens, 1994–2022
Winner of the AIA’s 2024 Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement

Lecture 3 p.m. | Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein Hall

Reception following the lecture | Humanities Building, Ancient World Gallery, Room 419

A&S Convocation

A&S Honors Convocation

Friday, April 18, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of Music

Each year, the A&S community comes together to celebrate the academic accomplishments of our students at Honors Convocation.

All A&S faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend this special celebration.

 

Faculty, staff, students, and guests are invited to lunch in the Heilman Dining Center following Convocation. 

A&S Student Symposium

A&S Student Symposium

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1 TO 8 P.M.

Modlin Center for the Arts & Campus Buildings

Each April, we celebrate our diverse community of learners at the A&S Student Symposium, a showcase of student-led research projects from nearly 30 disciplines in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Student researchers share their scholarly work with the campus community and the public through oral presentations, poster sessions, performances, and art exhibits.

This year’s symposium includes the Department of Theatre & Dance’s production of Urinetown on Friday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. Free tickets are available at modlin.richmond.edu

Commencement Reception

A&S Commencement Reception

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 3-5 P.M.

Alice Haynes Room, Tyler Haynes Commons

Come mingle with A&S faculty and staff and enjoy refreshments with your classmates and their families.

Books & Roses Event

A&S Books & Roses

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 4:30-6 p.m. | HUMANITIES COMMONS

Join the A&S Dean’s Office for the third annual Books & Roses Celebration showcasing A&S faculty and staff books published between April 20, 2024 and April 20, 2025.

Books & Roses is inspired by two annual international celebrations: 1) Saint George’s Day (“Sant Jordi”) in Catalonia, where literature and love are distinctly intertwined in a massive display and exchange of books and roses, and 2) UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. Both are typically celebrated on April 23, which also happens to be the birthdate of Cervantes and Shakespeare.

The festivities will include cupcakes, refreshments, music, and roses. 

Two scholars

Meet the 2024-25 Beckman Scholars

A&S students Marcos Hendler, of Rye, New York, and Aine MacDermott, of Lexington, Virginia, have each been awarded a prestigious Beckman Foundation Scholarship to support faculty-mentored student research in the sciences.

Beckman Scholars are selected among undergraduate biology and chemistry students based on commitment to research, strong academics, and potential to become scientific leaders. UR has had 26 Beckman Scholars since 2006.

Hendler, a chemistry major, is studying computational chemistry focused on molecules related to anticancer, which has implications in possible treatments. Hendler’s faculty mentor is chemistry professor Carol Parish. MacDermott, a biochemistry & molecular biology major, is researching ancient DNA under the mentorship of biology professor Melinda Yang. MacDermott is focused on the evolution of the alcohol metabolism gene ADH1B in present-day and ancient East Asian humans.

Representing Nature Question

Humanities Center

2024-2025: How (And Why) Do We Represent Nature?

This question invites us to consider “representation” in both its political and aesthetic meaning. “Nature” is represented in paintings, poems, scripture, music, dancing, novels, laws, regulations, equations, activisms, advertising campaigns. This question asks how environments — and often their relations to human concerns — are represented across media, geographic and cultural contexts, and different historical moments.

Events

Faculty Expertise

Do you envision college as a place where your professor’s office hours are spent in deep conversation about topics beyond this week’s assignment? Where you can work side-by-side with a faculty member on cutting-edge research that is published in a professional journal?

In A&S, our faculty are experts on the cutting edge of their fields. While they could work in some of the top research institutions in the world, our faculty chose Richmond because they believe in educating tomorrow's leaders and are passionate about mentoring and sharing their knowledge with students.

A&S Faculty Highlights

Dr. Mimi Hanaoka
Hanaoka named ACS Mellon Academic Leadership Fellow

Mimi Hanaoka, associate professor of religious studies, has been named Associated Colleges of the South Mellon Academic Leadership Fellow for 2025–27.

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Dr. John Peters
Peters received NSF award for neuroscience research

John Peters, a biology professor at the University of Richmond, has received a $502,981 National Science Foundation award to support his neuroscience research on the mechanisms of learning and memory.

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Dr. Carrie Wu
Wu published on impact of global warming on floral traits

Carrie Wu, professor of biology, published "Effects of experimental warming on floral scent, display, and rewards in two subalpine herbs" in Annals of Botany.

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