College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a rich and balanced curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. We welcome young passionate intellectuals who are eager to help make the local community and the world a better place.
News
Student-Run Venture Produces Fresh Crop of Collegiate Apparel
Amanda Nagy - May 17, 2012Take a dedicated group of underclassmen from different majors, let them design and market a line of T-shirts on practically a dime, and the result is a new brand of collegiate apparel that never looked so fresh, so creative… so Oberlin.
Novelist and Oberlin-in-London alumna Tracy Chevalier '84 takes the politics students on a walking tour of Highgate in North London.
Oberlin-in-London Study Away Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary
EJ Dickson - May 16, 2012For the past few decades, Oberlin-in-London has served as one of the cornerstones of the college’s study away program, offering students the opportunity to study abroad in an intimate academic environment with Oberlin faculty. Each spring, two faculty members from different departments collaborate on developing an inter-disciplinary curriculum that allows students to engage in experiential, on-site learning.
David A. Evans
David Evans ’63 Wins Elite Prize in Chemistry
May 11, 2012David A. Evans ’63, a Harvard University researcher, has been awarded the Welch Award in Chemistry — a major prize bestowed to the nation’s foremost and elite chemists — for his pioneering work in synthetic organic chemistry. The $300,000 award is given annually by the Houston-based Welch Foundation to foster basic chemical research that benefits humankind.
Rhianna Rey Awarded Scholarship from U.S. Department of State to Study Azerbaijani
Amanda Nagy - May 08, 2012Rhianna Rey, a senior Posse Scholar majoring in politics, will spend this summer in Azerbaijan as part of a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). The program provides fully funded, group-based intensive language instruction as well as cultural exchange opportunities.
Andria Derstine Selected to Lead the Allen Memorial Art Museum
May 03, 2012Following a nationwide search, Andria Derstine has been named the John G.W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) at Oberlin College. She will begin her tenure on June 15, 2012. Derstine had been the Curator of Collections and Curator of European & American Art at the AMAM.
From left: senior Melissa George, Brooks, junior Lyle Kash, senior Brooklyn Demme, juniors Jamie Gerber, Marlee Blasenheim, and Tiesha Cassel. Not pictured: Professor Emerita Gorfain.
Oberlin-Grafton Education Exchange Program Reaches Out To Local Prisoners
Andres Feliciano - May 03, 2012Oberlin students and faculty and the administrators at the Grafton Correctional Institution have initiated an educational exchange program between Grafton prisoners and Oberlin students. The Oberlin-Grafton Education Exchange Program started as a six-week pilot program in January 2012, as an extension of a winter-term project drafted by Associate Professor of African American studies Pam Brooks.
Michael Parkin
Associate Politics Professor Michael Parkin Earns NSF Support for Study of Web in Campaign Communications
Amanda Nagy - Apr 30, 2012Research by associate professor of politics Michael Parkin is challenging political scholars’ understanding of how the Internet and new media affect campaign behavior. Collaborating with researchers at Northwestern University and High Point University, Parkin studies the role of the Web in campaign communications. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Parkin and Oberlin students will collect data through the 2013 legislative session.
Oberlin students, faculty, and alumni awarded Fulbright fellowships
EJ Dickson - Apr 26, 2012Nine graduating seniors, two recent alumni, and one professor have been granted 2012-13 Fulbright awards to study abroad during the coming year. While abroad, the Fulbright fellows will either serve in teaching assistantships, teaching English to native students; or engage in their own independent studies.
New Solar Array to Produce Energy for the College
Apr 26, 2012Construction of a 2.27-megawatt solar array—the largest photovoltaic array on any college or university campus in Ohio—will begin early next month on college property. The college has entered into a power purchasing agreement with Spear Point Energy to purchase electricity from the array, which will generate approximately 3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of per year.
Brad Hantler '12
Senior Brad Hantler Campaigns for Michigan Statehouse
Amanda Nagy - Apr 24, 2012Brad Hantler is coming down the home stretch to graduation, but his campaign for Michigan state representative is going into high gear. The senior from West Bloomfield, Michigan, formally announced his campaign on April 17.
Chemistry Professor Matt Elrod
Chemistry Professor Matt Elrod Receives NSF Grant for Air Pollution Research
Amanda Nagy - Apr 20, 2012Chemistry professor Matt Elrod, who studies the issues of air pollution and climate change, has received a $355,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support the next phase of his research. Elrod and his students analyze the chemical processes that lead to elevated ozone levels and particulate matter in the Earth’s atmosphere. The goal of the research is to contribute to more expedient and cost-effective solutions to the problems of air pollution and climate change.
Third Annual Senior Symposium Presents Academic Achievements of Graduating Class
EJ Dickson - Apr 18, 2012On April 27, the Senior Symposium, an annual celebration of the academic and artistic accomplishments of members of the graduating class, will be held in West Lecture Hall from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For the past three years, the symposium has been held at the end of spring semester to showcase seniors’ scholarly achievements.











