Arts & Humanities

Reina Callier fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling

Megan Maneval — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 16:22:20 +0000

Reina Callier fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling Megan Maneval Tue, 04/08/2025 - 10:22

欧美口爆视频 Arts and Sciences Magazine

For one teaching assistant professor of Classics, learning Latin 鈥渋s like lifting weights for your brain鈥� and a field people love.

Traditional

White

It鈥檚 a bird...it鈥檚 a plane! It鈥檚 another superhero film

Elizabeth Lock — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 20:19:28 +0000

It鈥檚 a bird...it鈥檚 a plane! It鈥檚 another superhero film Elizabeth Lock Mon, 02/24/2025 - 13:19

Following a blockbuster opening weekend for 鈥淐aptain America: Brave New World,鈥� 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Benjamin Robertson reflects on the appeal of superhero franchises and why they dominate studio release schedules.

Traditional

White

How ardently we admire and love 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥�

Megan Maneval — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 13:13:25 +0000

How ardently we admire and love 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥� Megan Maneval Mon, 02/17/2025 - 06:13

欧美口爆视频 Arts and Sciences Magazine

Are Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy the greatest love story? 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Grace Rexroth weighs in.

Traditional

White

What鈥檚 your breakup song? This researcher wants to know

Daniel William Strain — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:29:34 +0000

What鈥檚 your breakup song? This researcher wants to know Daniel William鈥� Tue, 02/11/2025 - 15:29

Daniel Strain

鈥淎ll Too Well鈥� by Taylor Swift. 鈥淪tory of My Life鈥� by One Direction. 鈥淒reams鈥� by Fleetwood Mac.

Certain songs are cursed

Listen to a few of the breakup songs that survey respondents shared with Anthony Pinter, plus one of his own favorites.

"All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift (2021)

"It Never Entered My Mind" by the Miles Davis Quintet (1959)

"Ivy" by Frank Ocean (2016)

"Tether" by CHVRCHES (2013)

"What Death Leaves Behind" by Los Campesinos! (2013)

Anthony Pinter, an information scientist at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, wants to know: What is your breakup song?

鈥淓veryone has a song,鈥� said Pinter, assistant teaching professor in the ATLAS Institute. 鈥淚 could play it for you right now, and it would take you back to a particular time in your life.鈥�

Pinter is 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 guru of breakups. He studies our modern digital identities, including how people manage their social media accounts after a breakup. Do they choose, for example, to delete all the photos of their ex from their Instagram? Or do they keep a few to commemorate that time in their lives?

Now, the researcher has released a survey inviting anyone to share their own breakup songs, and the memories and emotions they evoke. Pinter named the project Certain Songs are Cursed, a reference to a 2011 EP by the punk band Johnny Foreigner.

Share your breakup song

He isn鈥檛 trying to resolve, once and for all, what the ultimate breakup song is, although he hopes to have people vote at some point. Instead, he wants to explore how peoples鈥� life experiences and memories can become bound together with music.

So far, Pinter鈥檚 survey has revealed that breakup songs can come in many different flavors. Entries include a lot of obvious culprits. (Think 鈥淏efore He Cheats鈥� by Carrie Underwood). But they also include ones that are less clear cut. One survey respondent, for example, listed 鈥淎live with the Glory of Love鈥� by pop-punk icons Say Anything鈥攁 song that follows the experiences of the lead singer鈥檚 grandparents during the Holocaust.

Ultimately, Pinter hopes his findings will inform new strategies that apps like Spotify or Apple Music could employ to help listeners navigate the tough months and years after a breakup鈥攇iving people more flexibility to decide what they listen to and when.

He sees the project as an exploration of what might be one of the most universal human experiences: heartbreak.

鈥淚n many ways, breakup songs are comforting,鈥� Pinter said. 鈥淧eople may make playlists like that because they can find solace in the fact that someone else has had those same experiences.鈥�

Seeing the end

For Pinter, the project came about, in part, because of his own, long-lasting love affair鈥攊n this case with the British emo band Los Campesinos! The group's songs capture themes of sadness and loss, often through the metaphor of soccer.

鈥淵ou could listen to my music with me, and you鈥檇 think, 鈥榃ow, this person might not be OK,鈥欌€� Pinter said. 鈥淚 just love that music. It鈥檚 so important to me.鈥�

He isn鈥檛 alone in that deep, emotional attachments to music. He noted that people often connect certain songs to important times in their lives鈥攑rompting powerful, sometimes even contradictory, emotions.

Currently, Pinter鈥檚 breakup song playlist on Spotify, which he created from responses to his survey, includes more than 170 entries. Surprising no one, perhaps, Taylor Swift earns the most spots on the list. But it also includes songs from R&B (鈥淚vy鈥� by Frank Ocean), jazz (鈥淚t Never Entered My Mind鈥� by the Miles Davis Quintet) and the indie scene (鈥淔rancis Forever鈥� by Mitski).

To capture the complex emotions that music elicits, Pinter often talks about first dance songs鈥攖he ones that happy newlyweds play when they take their first dance as a married couple. At first, they may inspire joyful emotions. But after a divorce, hearing your first dance song can be devastating.

Not all breakup songs, however, prompt unhappy memories.

Pinter spoke to one survey respondent who played the song 鈥淭ether鈥� by CHVRCHES non-stop after a traumatic breakup. The synth-pop song, which seemingly describes the end of a relationship, rises to a crescendo with the lead singer repeating the lyrics: 鈥淚鈥檓 feeling capable of seeing the end.鈥�

鈥淎 couple years later, when he was talking to us, he said, 鈥業f I鈥檓 by myself driving and that song comes on, I鈥檒l roll down the windows and crank it,鈥欌€� Pinter said. 鈥淔or that individual, it represented a moment of catharsis.鈥�

We will flower again

Those complex emotions can make opening Spotify a minefield for people after a breakup, he added.

Beyond the story

Our arts and humanities impact by the numbers:

40-plus Grammy awards and nominations earned by 欧美口爆视频 Boulder faculty and alumni
2,500 exhibitions across the globe have featured art from art and art history faculty
10 欧美口爆视频 Boulder-affiliated Pulitzer Prize winners

Follow 欧美口爆视频 Boulder on LinkedIn

Spotify decides what music to play for you based on a series of algorithms.

鈥淲e can now point to the Spotify algorithm and say, 鈥榃hy did you play this? You should know better,鈥欌€� he said. 鈥淲e can assign blame to a thing in a way we couldn鈥檛 if you鈥檙e just out at a bar, and someone puts a song on the jukebox.鈥�

But preventing those kinds of auditory gut punches isn鈥檛 always easy. Spotify has a 鈥渕ute鈥� function that allows users to banish songs from their playlists. That doesn鈥檛 account for more complex relationships with music鈥攕ay, people who want to hear a particular song, but only when they鈥檙e home alone and in a safe mental space.

Pinter noted that music apps could take some cues from social media platforms that have tried to provide users with more flexibility, albeit imperfectly. When users change their relationship status on Facebook, for example, they can choose to 鈥渢ake a break鈥濃€攖emporarily hiding posts from their exes while the emotions are still raw.

His own vote for the ultimate breakup song might go to 鈥淲hat Death Leaves Behind鈥� by Los Campesinos! The song鈥檚 lyrics are a bittersweet ode to losing a relationship, but feeling hopeful about moving on and being happy again. (鈥淲e will flower again/I have surely seen it鈥�).

鈥淚 think as I鈥檝e gotten older on and settled into what feels like a stable relationship that my approach to breakup songs has shifted,鈥� Pinter said. "I recognize that those past relationships have informed who I have become as a partner (and person, for that matter), and it is occasionally nice to be transported back to those moments as a reminder that I have grown because of them.鈥�

A new project from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder information scientist Anthony Pinter explores what may be among the most universal human experiences: heartbreak.

Traditional

White

No, it鈥檚 not Darwinism if you get hurt while doing something dumb

Elizabeth Lock — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:24:20 +0000

No, it鈥檚 not Darwinism if you get hurt while doing something dumb Elizabeth Lock Tue, 02/11/2025 - 15:24

In honor of Darwin Day Feb. 12, 欧美口爆视频 Boulder evolutionary biologist Daniel Medeiros explains what we get right and wrong about Darwinism.

Traditional

White

What is 鈥榬omantasy,鈥� and why can鈥檛 readers get enough?

Daniel William Strain — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 18:31:30 +0000

What is 鈥榬omantasy,鈥� and why can鈥檛 readers get enough? Daniel William鈥� Mon, 02/10/2025 - 11:31

Daniel Strain , Nicholas Goda

This Valentine鈥檚 Day, love is in the air鈥攁nd so are magic, flaming arrows, fairies, dragons and more.

Christine Larson. (Credit: Jimena Peck)

Last month, "Onyx Storm," the third book in Rebecca Yarros鈥� Empyrean series, took the publishing industry by, well, storm. The book follows a dragon rider named Violet and her family, friends, lovers and exes at Basgiath War College. It sold 2.7 million copies in its first week on bookshelves, a 20-year record for literature marketed toward adults.

鈥淥nyx Storm鈥� is the latest success story for the fast-rising genre of fiction dubbed 鈥渞omantasy.鈥� These books blend the conventions of fantasy novels with those of romance. Think sorcerers, mythical creatures and raging battles mixed with heaping doses of sex. Other heavy hitters in the genre include Sarah J. Maas. Her 鈥淎 Court of Thorns and Roses鈥� (or ACOTAR, to fans) novels dive into the adventures of Feyre Archeron in the faerie lands of Prythian.

Christine Larson, assistant professor of journalism at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, follows trends in the romance industry closely. Her 2024 book 鈥�Love in the Time of Self-Publishing鈥� traces the 40-year history of Romancelandia, a tight-knit community of romance writers.

Larson weighs in what makes romantasy books so appealing, how TikTok played a role in their popularity, and why you may want to reevaluate those steamy sex scenes.

Is the rise of romantasy a new phenomenon?

Everyone talks about romantasy as if it's new. But the fantasy or paranormal sub-genres in romance have been around for decades. We can look at 鈥淭wilight.鈥� We can look as far back as the 鈥淒ragonriders of Pern鈥� series by Anne McCaffrey in the 1960s. Those books combined adventure and strong women who find their equal and their happily ever after.

Why do you think they鈥檝e become so popular?

Romantasy has really taken off for two reasons: One reason is that Sarah Maas and Rebecca Yarros are amazingly good writers who tell a great story. The second is because people are feeling unsettled right now. Women, especially, are often feeling powerless, and the heroines in these books have power. They gain power, and they find love interests who are their equals. That鈥檚 important to women right now鈥攖o imagine a different world.

How did social media play a role in the emergence of romantasy?

Romantasy has been promoted in a huge way by TikTok, or, specifically, by the sub-segment of TikTok known as BookTok. Romance has been the most popular genre of fiction since the 1980s. With the rise of BookTok, younger readers dispelled myths about older romances. A lot of people thought romance was Fabio and a scantily clad woman bursting out of her bodice, and that it was very old fashioned. But, in fact, romance has come a long way. It has all these different sub-genres now.

Where did all these types of romance come from?

The evolution of new sub-genres in romance rose because of self-publishing beginning around the launch of the Amazon Kindle in 2007. There were many stories that could never be told, could never get published in traditional romance publishing, including stories about Black protagonists, Latina protagonists, LGBTQ+ protagonists, and even these fantasy stories.

Romance writers are super smart, and they said, "I don't need a publisher. I can self-publish." These books took off, and, eventually, romance publishers had to change, as well.

Romance has come a long way, but a lot of readers still turn up their noses at these books. Are romantasy books subject to those same biases?

Romance is the most disparaged, dismissed, mocked genre in the history of literature, but women's literature has always been denigrated by the literary community. It鈥檚 not only romance. Fantasy has also been a sort of stepchild of the science fiction world that was associated with women writers. It鈥檚 also thought less of in the literary world.

Beyond the story

Our arts and humanities impact by the numbers:

40-plus Grammy awards and nominations earned by 欧美口爆视频 Boulder faculty and alumni
2,500 exhibitions across the globe have featured art from art and art history faculty
10 欧美口爆视频 Boulder-affiliated Pulitzer Prize winners

Follow 欧美口爆视频 Boulder on LinkedIn

One of the central, and perhaps most controversial, aspects of these books are their sex scenes, which get, um, a little explicit. What roles do these scenes play in the books?

Anyone who is shocked by the sex scenes in romantasy has not read romance. Romance comes in, shall we say, a variety of spiciness levels鈥攆rom zero (like Amish romance, which is very sweet) all the way up to four chili peppers (like 鈥�50 Shades of Gray鈥�).

The portrayal of sex in romantasy, and all romance, celebrates women's pleasure. That's why it's controversial. Many societies throughout history have feared or suppressed women's sexual pleasure, and romance is a space where that doesn't happen.

Say fantasy isn鈥檛 my genre. What other sub-genres of romance should I try?

If you have a favorite genre, there is a romance sub-genre for you. If you like spy fiction, there's romantic suspense. If you like sci-fi, there's sci-fi romance. There's sci-fi paranormal romance. Romance writers are women of words. They write because they love to read, and they're fantastic at world building in any genre.

欧美口爆视频 Boulder Today regularly publishes Q&As with our faculty members weighing in on news topics through the lens of their scholarly expertise and research/creative work. The responses here reflect the knowledge and interpretations of the expert and should not be considered the university position on the issue. All publication content is subject to edits for clarity, brevity and university style guidelines.

Fairies and dragons and love! Oh my! An expert on romance fiction digs into one of the publishing industry's hottest trends.

Traditional

White

Where is today鈥檚 cool hand Luke?

Megan Maneval — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:17:54 +0000

Where is today鈥檚 cool hand Luke? Megan Maneval Fri, 01/31/2025 - 07:17

欧美口爆视频 Arts and Sciences Magazine

In honor of what would have been Paul Newman鈥檚 100th birthday, 欧美口爆视频 Boulder film historian Clark Farmer considers whether there still are movie stars.

Traditional

White

Meeting a little princess in the secret garden

Megan Maneval — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:36:31 +0000

Meeting a little princess in the secret garden Megan Maneval Tue, 01/07/2025 - 13:36

欧美口爆视频 Arts and Sciences Magazine

欧美口爆视频 Boulder Associate Professor Emily Harrington examines the enduring power of stories we read in childhood and what we can learn from them as adults.

Traditional

White

Exploring the 鈥榤usical audacity鈥� of funk

Megan Maneval — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:03:46 +0000

Exploring the 鈥榤usical audacity鈥� of funk Megan Maneval Fri, 12/13/2024 - 08:03

欧美口爆视频 Arts and Sciences Magazine

In a newly published book, 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Professor Reiland Rabaka delves into the culture and sound of music鈥檚鈥渂est-kept secret鈥�

Traditional

White

New leadership, bold vision: Michael Uy and the future of the AMRC

Ally Dever — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 21:53:07 +0000

New leadership, bold vision: Michael Uy and the future of the AMRC Ally Dever Wed, 12/11/2024 - 14:53

Ally Dever

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder is a unique hub for exploring and celebrating the diverse traditions of American music. Jointly housed in the College of Music and the University Libraries, the AMRC boasts the largest repository of archival collections on American music in the region, including scores, recordings, personal papers and artifacts documenting the nation鈥檚 musical heritage.

This year marks a new chapter for the AMRC with the appointment of Michael Uy as its director. An accomplished scholar, Uy is the author of a book on public and private arts funding and has published extensively in leading musicology journals. His distinguished career includes serving as the assistant dean at Harvard College from 2017 to 2023, along with earning numerous prestigious teaching awards.

American Music Research Center Director Michael Uy.

In a conversation with 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Today, Uy shared his vision for the AMRC, discussed upcoming initiatives and highlighted the opportunities and events in store for students under his leadership.

How does the AMRC decide which research projects and initiatives to pursue?

The AMRC selects its research projects and initiatives primarily through the guidance of the director, which is to say I have a lot of discretion which initiatives we pursue. However, these decisions are not made in isolation.

Each academic year, the director collaborates with a team of three to four graduate students specializing in historical musicology, ethnomusicology or related fields. This year, my approach has been to actively involve these graduate students in brainstorming and developing new initiatives for the center, fostering a collaborative environment where their insights and ideas help shape our programs moving forward.

We also have an advisory board made up of community members, donors and other faculty members at the College of Music and libraries, and they are another layer of decision-making and source of new ideas.

What new research areas or initiatives are on the horizon?

Looking ahead, the AMRC is exploring a variety of exciting research areas, including scholarship on Indigenous music practices and 欧美口爆视频's rich musical heritage.

Indigenous music is a particularly vibrant focus, with projects ideas ranging from analyzing protest music to heavy metal within Indigenous communities. The center is also preparing for a visit by Raven Chacon, a MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, in support of the College of Music's McVey Lectureship. His visit will include interviews, student engagements and discussions surrounding Indigenous music.

Simultaneously, the AMRC is considering projects on 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 musical traditions, from bluegrass and folk to the legacy of the iconic Caribou Ranch recording studio鈥攚here artists such as Chicago, Elton John and The Beach Boys recorded some of their most famous music.

These projects aim to generate accessible resources, such as study guides and bibliographies, to benefit both scholars and the general public. These efforts may also culminate in special issues of Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal, the AMRC鈥檚 scholarly publication.

What initiatives do you hope to launch?

One of my key interests is exploring American systems of funding that musicians, scholars and artists operate within, particularly regarding public and private funding. This could potentially lead to a national conference or convening on the topic. Similarly, the AMRC could serve as a hub for discussions on Indigenous music-making as well as the Chicano/Latinx, African American and Asian American histories of music in 欧美口爆视频.

At the same time, there鈥檚 important housekeeping work to be done within our archives. Currently, about 30% of our collections remain unprocessed and inaccessible. Addressing this is a medium-term goal that requires attention and resources. It鈥檚 not the most glamorous project, but it鈥檚 essential for ensuring these materials can support research and scholarship.

What are some standout collections housed in the AMRC archives?

The AMRC houses an array of eclectic collections. One special and unique collection is the Raging Grannies of Denver archive, which documents a group of older women who sang protest songs with a humorous twist. Active during the early 2000s, they reworked familiar tunes with satirical lyrics addressing political and environmental issues. Their archive includes photos, handwritten lyrics and recordings that showcase their spirited activism.

Another highlight is the Otis Taylor collection, recently donated by the legendary blues banjo artist himself. Plans are underway for a spring concert where Taylor will perform and lead a master class with students and faculty.

Additionally, the Dan Fong collection features an impressive array of photographs from iconic 欧美口爆视频 music events, including images of the Grateful Dead, John Denver and Chuck Berry. A spring exhibition of Fong鈥檚 work is also in the works.

Finally, the AMRC boasts the extensive Glenn Miller collection, comprising over 1,300 boxes of material. It includes personal treasures from the World War II bandleader, including his trombone from his days at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, handwritten scores, letters and much more.

What ongoing initiatives are still happening?

One of the larger ongoing projects at the AMRC is the Pueblo Soundscapes initiative, which was originally spearheaded by my predecessor Susan Thomas. This project, nearing its conclusion, documents the music and culture of the city of Pueblo, 欧美口爆视频, and the surrounding county.

Researchers interviewed community members and created a digital archive of oral histories and performances that will be accessible to the general public through the University of 欧美口爆视频 Libraries. The project, which also involved significant work by graduate students, is partnering with the Latino History Project and K-12 educators to develop educational curricula for primary and secondary school teachers. While this year will mark the end of the project, it lays the groundwork for new initiatives currently in development at the center.

How does the AMRC support the College of Music鈥檚鈥榰niversal musician鈥� approach to its mission?

The AMRC plays a pivotal role in supporting the College of Music鈥檚 universal musician approach by equipping students with the knowledge and tools to deeply understand the histories of the music they perform and to explore new musical horizons. Through its extensive archival collections, the AMRC provides a treasure trove of materials for students to explore. They have opportunities to study, interpret and play new music, fostering skills that will serve them throughout their careers.

The AMRC enhances students鈥� educational experience with opportunities to program, perform and engage with diverse works. This integration of research, performance and programming is a distinctive feature of the AMRC, offering 欧美口爆视频 Boulder students a unique and invaluable resource that prepares them to excel as versatile and informed musicians鈥攁n approach rarely matched by other music schools or colleges nationwide.

American Music Research Center Director Michael Uy discusses his vision for the center, upcoming initiatives and the opportunities and events in store for students under his leadership.

Traditional

White

Arts & Humanities

Reina Callier fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling

Related Articles

It鈥檚 a bird...it鈥檚 a plane! It鈥檚 another superhero film

Related Articles

How ardently we admire and love 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥�

Related Articles

What鈥檚 your breakup song? This researcher wants to know

Seeing the end

We will flower again

Related Articles

No, it鈥檚 not Darwinism if you get hurt while doing something dumb

Related Articles

What is 鈥榬omantasy,鈥� and why can鈥檛 readers get enough?

Is the rise of romantasy a new phenomenon?

Why do you think they鈥檝e become so popular?

How did social media play a role in the emergence of romantasy?

Where did all these types of romance come from?

Romance has come a long way, but a lot of readers still turn up their noses at these books. Are romantasy books subject to those same biases?

One of the central, and perhaps most controversial, aspects of these books are their sex scenes, which get, um, a little explicit. What roles do these scenes play in the books?

Say fantasy isn鈥檛 my genre. What other sub-genres of romance should I try?

Related Articles

Where is today鈥檚 cool hand Luke?

Related Articles

Meeting a little princess in the secret garden

Related Articles

Exploring the 鈥榤usical audacity鈥� of funk

Related Articles

New leadership, bold vision: Michael Uy and the future of the AMRC

How does the AMRC decide which research projects and initiatives to pursue?

What new research areas or initiatives are on the horizon?

What initiatives do you hope to launch?

What are some standout collections housed in the AMRC archives?

What ongoing initiatives are still happening?

How does the AMRC support the College of Music鈥檚鈥榰niversal musician鈥� approach to its mission?

Related Articles

Arts & Humanities

Reina Callier fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling

Related Articles

It鈥檚 a bird...it鈥檚 a plane! It鈥檚 another superhero film

Related Articles

How ardently we admire and love 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥�

Related Articles

What鈥檚 your breakup song? This researcher wants to know

Seeing the end

We will flower again

Related Articles

No, it鈥檚 not Darwinism if you get hurt while doing something dumb

Related Articles

What is 鈥榬omantasy,鈥� and why can鈥檛 readers get enough?

Is the rise of romantasy a new phenomenon?

Why do you think they鈥檝e become so popular?

How did social media play a role in the emergence of romantasy?

Where did all these types of romance come from?

Romance has come a long way, but a lot of readers still turn up their noses at these books. Are romantasy books subject to those same biases?

One of the central, and perhaps most controversial, aspects of these books are their sex scenes, which get, um, a little explicit. What roles do these scenes play in the books?

Say fantasy isn鈥檛 my genre. What other sub-genres of romance should I try?

Related Articles

Where is today鈥檚 cool hand Luke?

Related Articles

Meeting a little princess in the secret garden

Related Articles

Exploring the 鈥榤usical audacity鈥� of funk

Related Articles

New leadership, bold vision: Michael Uy and the future of the AMRC

How does the AMRC decide which research projects and initiatives to pursue?

What new research areas or initiatives are on the horizon?

What initiatives do you hope to launch?

What are some standout collections housed in the AMRC archives?

What ongoing initiatives are still happening?

How does the AMRC support the College of Music鈥檚 鈥榰niversal musician鈥� approach to its mission?

Related Articles

How does the AMRC support the College of Music鈥檚鈥榰niversal musician鈥� approach to its mission?