There is no more significant rite of passage in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance than the Senior Project, an opportunity for students to cap off their research on departmental themes. This year’s projects by World Arts and Cultures (WAC) majors cover a huge range of topics, from the culture of meat-eating to the meaning of truth, from Magical Realism to a meditation on allyship, and from an ancient Persian inscription to a consideration of HIV and fraternity culture at UCLA. In each case, these Senior Projects weave together the personal and the political in ways that emblematize the WAC degree's foci on arts activism, critical ethnographies, and visual cultures. It has been an honor for us, as professors in this department, to work so closely with this group of compassionate, talented, and engaged students, and to see their work blossom. In most years, the culminating WAC Senior Projects would be offered at live presentations and exhibitions in Kaufman Hall and elsewhere on campus. This year—tah-dah!—you are invited to participate via Zoom or YouTube. Register on Eventbrite to join on Friday, May 22, at 5 pm, and please stay after for a live Q&A.
Dan Froot and David Gere, WAC Senior Project Mentors