Humanities Institute

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz is a hub for academic research, cross-discipline collaboration, and public engagement. We incubate ideas and foster innovation by funding projects, centers, and research clusters that enable faculty and students to work on some of the biggest problems of our day.

The Institute is a source, resource, and force for Humanities-based inquiry and engagement with world events. We’re passionate about expanding the field of Humanities scholarship with digital tools and an interdisciplinary focus. And we believe strongly that the core subjects of the Humanities—philosophy, history, language and literature—should be accessible to everyone. That’s why we’re committed to engaging with the broadest community possible—from first-generation undergraduate students, to local residents, to anyone interested in compelling ideas and making sense of this increasingly complex world.

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Events from this organizer

Today

  • Ruth Typing Lady Banner

    Ruth Ozeki – The Typing Lady

    Bookshop Santa Cruz

    Bookshop welcomes Booker Prize finalist Ruth Ozeki (A Tale for the Time Being), who will share her spellbinding story collection The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions about the lives we […]

  • Homer’s The Odyssey Reading Group

    Homer’s Odyssey is becoming a major motion picture. Whether you like movies or not, this is a great excuse to read this millennia-old story about a salty war hero who just wants to go home. Join us on June 24th and July 1 to discuss the Odyssey with UC Santa Cruz Ancient Studies faculty Anne Kreps and Martin Devecka […]

  • Homer’s The Odyssey Reading Group

    Homer’s Odyssey is becoming a major motion picture. Whether you like movies or not, this is a great excuse to read this millennia-old story about a salty war hero who just wants to go home. Join us on June 24th and July 1 to discuss the Odyssey with UC Santa Cruz Ancient Studies faculty Anne Kreps and Martin […]

  • Santa Cruz Shakespeare Opening Night

    The Audrey Stanley Grove in Delaveaga Park 501 Upper Park Rd, Santa Cruz, United States

    Tickets are now on sale for Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 2026 Season, featuring Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. Co-sponsored by the Humanities Institute. The 2026 season runs from July 16 – August 30. Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most beloved comedies. Of all the couples in Shakespeare, perhaps none is more widely loved than Beatrice and […]

  • Ocean Vuong

    Ocean Vuong – The Emperor of Gladness

    Rio Theater 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, United States

    The hardest thing in the world is to live only once… Bookshop Santa Cruz and The Humanities Institute are pleased to welcome critically acclaimed author and staff favorite Ocean Vuong (Time Is a Mother, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous) for an event celebrating the paperback release of The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong’s bighearted novel about chosen […]

  • Cabrillo Festival 2026 – Opening Night

    “We the Dreamers is both an invitation and a responsibility”; says Music Director Cristian Măcelaru. “At this historic moment, we are asking how music can help us imagine a more expansive ‘we’—one that listens deeply, embraces complexity, and dares to hope. These works remind us that dreaming is essential to shaping a more just and […]

  • Weekend with Shakespeare

    Dig deeply into this season’s Shakespeare productions with a special weekend of lectures, discussions and hands-on activities. In partnership with UCSC’s Shakespeare Workshop and The Humanities Institute, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about each play during the day and then enjoy the production that same evening. This year, Weekend with Shakespeare will […]

  • Weekend With Shakespeare

    Dig deeply into this season’s Shakespeare productions with a special weekend of lectures, discussions and hands-on activities. In partnership with UCSC’s Shakespeare Workshop and The Humanities Institute, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about each play during the day and then enjoy the production that same evening. This year, Weekend with Shakespeare will […]