WRD encourages WRD majors and minors to conduct research at UK.

To help facilitate undergraduate research, WRD will offer up to $1,000 as support.

We encourage work in areas related to writing, rhetorical studies, or digital research. Such work might include:

To apply, please send a two page letter to the department chair at j.rice@uky.edu in which you

The decade since the publication of Catherine Gallagher’s landmark essay “The Rise of Fictionality” (2006) has witnessed an increasing concern with overturning well-established theories of the rise of the novel and the development of literary realism through a re-examination of the axiomatic values underpinning contemporary attitudes toward the concept of “fiction.” Variously substantiating, expanding and adapting Gallagher’s central claim that “fiction” is not a universal constant but a particular mode of negotiating referential truth claims that only emerged in the mid-eighteenth century, scholars of the early British and French novel such as Sarah Tindal Kareem, Srinivas Aravamudan, and Nicholas D. Paige have recently offered invigoratingly new accounts of the complex and contested epistemological status of imaginary stories as they began to define and redefine themselves against

Professor Patricia Crain of New York University has been selected to receive the 2017 Early American Literature Book Prize, which is awarded in odd calendar years to a second or subsequent monograph, and in even years to a first book.  Crain’s book Reading Children: Literacy, Property, and the Dilemmas of Childhood in Nineteenth-Century America was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2016.

Reading Children makes a “stunning contribution” to the field of childhood studies by showing the long colonial history of children’s reading practices. The committee noted Crain’s creative relation to temporality, which “depends upon contradistinction and juxtaposition” rather than linear development.  Underlying this entire project is a deep commitment to ensuring that early American literature be understood both on its own terms and as a key

By Hiyabel Ghirmay

The University of Kentucky has a growing commitment to being one of the top research institutions in the nation by pursuing excellence in interdisciplinary research and creative efforts that not only enrich lives, but also address the most important challenges of the Commonwealth and beyond. Serving over 5,000 UK undergraduates each year, despite being only four years old, the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies (WRD) has quickly established itself as both an emerging area of strength in creative endeavors, as well as a hub of interdisciplinary research and projects that cross traditional boundaries.

A new and exciting learning space called the “Digital Distillery” is the department’s latest effort in cultivating and supporting scholarship at the undergraduate level. The Distillery is a learning and working space as well as a central

On Thursday, March 2, 2017, the UK Appalachian Center celebrated its 40th Anniversary and the retirement of three affiliated faculty members: Dwight Billings, Ron Pen, and James Hougland.  Guests gathered at the Hilary J. Boone Center on UK's Campus, and the UK Appalachian Center Director, Chris Barton, and the Appalachian Studies Director, Shaunna Scott gave talks about the Center's 40-year history and each of the faculty members' contributions throughout the years. More details can be found in the UKNow article here.

The Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women (OPSVAW) in the College of Arts and Sciences announces that it will support three graduate and professional students during the 2016/2017 Academic Year. Student support is one of the top priorities of the OPSVAW, and the 2016/2017 academic year will see the OPSVAW fund two research assistantships and one graduate fellowship.

One of the research assistantships is named for Mary Byron, a victim of domestic violence who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1993. Because of a gift from the Foundation created in Mary’s name, the OPSVAW has the opportunity to support students while also continuing to honor Mary and share her story.

“We take this opportunity to advance the careers of these young scholars while also teaching them that there are real women behind their research,” said Carol E. Jordan, executive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2015) — The University of Kentucky will host 140 Fulbright students from Pakistan, who recently arrived in the United States for their graduate studies, at the Fulbright Pakistan Fall Seminar Nov. 5-8, 2015. The seminar, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan, will focus on how social justice movements have shaped contemporary U.S. life and culture. Carol E. Jordan, executive director of the University of Kentucky Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women, will give the keynote address for event.

The seminar will also address how to be successful in the U.S. higher education system, and participants

(Oct. 5, 2015) — Michael W. Young, an esteemed geneticist known best for identifying the genes that regulate circadian rhythms, will deliver two lectures at the University of Kentucky this week as part of the 2015 Thomas Hunt Morgan Lecture Series sponsored by the UK Department of Biology.

Young, vice president for academic affairs and Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor at The Rockefeller University, will speak Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9.

His first lecture, "Genes Controlling Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Drosophila," will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday in Room 116 of the Thomas Hunt Morgan Biological Sciences Building. His second lecture, "Genetic Pathways to Understanding Human Sleep Disorders," will be

By Guy Spriggs

(Oct. 12, 2015) – Yitang Zhang - the mathematician who solved the bounded gap problem and spent many hours studying in University of Kentucky Libraries in the '90s - will deliver this year’s Hayden-Howard Lecture, hosted by the UK Department of Mathematics, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 15.

The event will take place in Room 110 of the White Hall Classroom Building.

The Hayden-Howard Lecture Series was established in 2001 to bring renowned research mathematicians to UK. The lecture was established by a friend of the Department of Mathematics and is named in honor of

By Whitney Harder

(Oct. 5, 2015) — Celebrating the accomplishments of distinguished alumni and faculty, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will induct five new members into the its Hall of Fame Friday, Oct. 9.

The ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. in the Singletary Center for the Arts' Recital Hall. Parking is available in Parking Structure #5, located at 409 South Limestone. Joining the ranks of more than 50 current members are Roger Di Silvestro, Linda Challis Gill, David H. Johnson, Bobbie Ann Mason and Professor Emeritus Kevin Kiernan.

Roger Di Silvestro, B.A. 

By Gail Hairston

(Sept. 28, 2015) — The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education today announced the two winners of its 2015 Acorn Award for outstanding teachers at the state’s public and independent colleges and universities.

Associate Professor Christia Spears Brown of the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology received the Acorn Award as the four-year-institution representative. Awards were presented at the Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship luncheon in Lexington.

"I am honored to receive this award for my teaching," Brown said. "Teaching and connecting with my students is one of the most rewarding parts of my day. My goal is always to engage my students so that they can learn, think critically and

By Whitney Harder

(Oct. 1, 2015) — Four faculty members at the University of Kentucky, including one from the College of Arts & Sciences have been selected as 2015-2016 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program fellows, the SEC announced Wednesday.

Fellows selected from UK are:

By Whitney Harder

(Sept. 25, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Staff Senate is welcoming a slate of new officers for the 2015-2016 year.

The Staff Senate serves as the administrative voice for the more than 17,000 full and part-time staff at UK, and also runs several key activities for the university community, such as the CRISIS financial assistance program, Outstanding Staff Awards program (OSA) and the annual UK Appreciation Day through the UK Appreciation Day (UKAD) Commission. 

This year, the leadership team represents a range of areas across campus.

Chair Jann Burks is in her 24th year at the university, currently serving as a 4-H Youth Development extension specialist. She has also worked in the 

By Weston Loyd

(Sept. 25, 2015) — The University of Kentucky's Gaines Center for the Humanities and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences are teaming up to present a symposium on violence and the human condition. The series' second event, focused on violence in Latin America, will run 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the west end room of the 18th floor of the Patterson Office Tower. The symposium is free and open to the public.

The second event of the series, "

By Whitney Harder

(Sept. 24, 2015) — During a recent visit to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a delegation from the East African nation of Djibouti visited the University of Kentucky and experienced what it means to "see blue."

The visit included Aboubaker Hassan Ali, secretary general of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research for Djibouti; Madina Daher Okiye, secretary general of the University of Djibouti; Col. Mohamed Ali Obsieh, commander of Military Education; and Said Mohamed Farah, first secretary of the Djibouti Embassy.

The group was welcomed by Carey Cavanaugh, former U.S. Ambassador and director of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, and Patterson School students. Two graduate students in the 

By Whitney Hale

(Sept. 23, 2015) — The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) has selected University of Kentucky senior Robert Cass, of Lexington, as one of this year's 38 recipients of the prestigious $10,000 scholarship. The ASF Scholarship is presented annually to outstanding college students majoring in science, technology, engineering or math.

For more than 30 years, the ASF has identified and supported the best and brightest undergraduate students pursuing educations in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields across the nation. The Astronaut Scholarship is known for being among the most significant merit-based scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM students. Candidates must be nominated by

Rachel Farr, an assistant professor in developmental psychology at the University of Kentucky, was recently featured in a New York Times article.

The article focuses on Dr. Farr’s research on adoptive children with either two fathers or two mothers. Her study has involved following 49 children over the past eight years.Dr. Farr has many goals for this study which include trying to determine whether children of gay parents are more likely to be teased in school.

The full article can be found at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/back-to-school-worries-for-gay-parents/?_r=0. 

By Mariana Moreno

(Sept. 21, 2015) — Donald A. Ritchie will deliver the University of Kentucky Libraries 2015 Edward F. Prichard Lecture, sponsored by the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Center. He will deliver a talk titled "Where Is Henry Clay Now That We Really Need Him? Political Compromise in an Uncompromising Era." The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in the UK Athletics Auditorium of William T. Young Library.

Ritchie is the historian emeritus of the United States Senate. He earned his bachelor

By Dara Vance

The Committee on Social Theory at The University of Kentucky is hosting Professor Mahmood Mamdani as its Fall Distinguished Speaker. On October 2, Dr. Mamdani will give a talk entitled “Political Violence and Political Justice: A Critique of Criminal Justice as Accountability.” The talk will take place at 3:30 pm in the W.T. Young Library Auditorium. 

Dr. Mamdani is a Professor of Anthropology, Political Science and African Studies at Columbia University. He is also the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University’s School of Internal Affairs. Additionally, he is the Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala, Uganda.

A native of Uganda, Dr. Mamdani was awarded one of 26 scholarships to study in the United States when Uganda won its independence. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Mamdani