Department of Comparative Studies at OSU

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Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

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Check out this overview of our most recent Undergraduate Research Colloquium here!

Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

Throwback Thursday: Undergraduate Research Colloquium 2026 On Friday, April 17, the Department of Comparative Studies hosted its annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium. Nine undergraduate students presented their original research to an audience of faculty, students, and community members.

For her final story as CLAS intern, Gabrielle DeMarco wrote a film review of "echoes of a wet finger" by Vitória Cribb.
In this film, we observe the main character, Tixa, as something of a human-reptile hybrid existing in her own solitary but technological universe.

You can read her review at go.osu.edu/echoes-review, featuring quotes from Department of Comparative Studies at OSU professor Dr. Liliana Gil. If you're curious, interested, or intrigued you can still catch the film at Wexner Center for the Arts until July 26.

Please join us in congratulating this year's departmental award recipients!

https://comparativestudies.osu.edu/news/2025-2026-department-comparative-studies-award-recipients

Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

2025-2026 Department of Comparative Studies Award Recipients At this evening's annual awards ceremony -- in conjunction with the Humanities Institute's end-of-year celebration -- the following awards were presented:

🎉 Please join us in congratulating Department Chair Dr. Hugh Urban!

https://comparativestudies.osu.edu/news/dr.-hugh-urban-elected-american-academy-arts-and-sciences

Center for the Study of Religion at The Ohio State University
The Humanities Institute at Ohio State
Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

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Dr. Hugh Urban elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Please join us in congratulating Comparative Studies Chair Dr. Hugh Urban, who was recently elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences!

Congratulations, Dr. Weiner!

Dr. Isaac Weiner receives 2026 Ratner Award Please join us in congratulating Dr. Isaac Weiner, who was among this year's recipients for the Ronald and Deborah Ratner Distinguished Teaching Award.The Ratner Distinguished Teachings Awards are presented annually for outstanding teaching by tenured faculty in the arts and humanities. The Ratner A...

Looking for courses for the upcoming autumn term? Check this out to see what we have in store!

Autumn Semester 2026 Undergraduate Courses | Department of Comparative Studies Comparative Studies Courses Click here to jump down to Religious Studies course offerings.This list is current as of April 8, 2026. Course schedule and descriptions are subject to change. We are adding here course-specific descriptions, as well, as they become available. Please refer to SIS for the....

Today!

It's FRIDAY: Come to Sullivant Hall for a groundbreaking conference exploring how psychedelics intersect with religion, culture, history, science and art. Scholars, practitioners and artists will share insights across disciplines.

Find the full schedule and RSVP through the link in the first comment.

Department of Comparative Studies at OSU
The Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education CPDRE
History of Art Department-Ohio State University

🐌 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕-𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑱𝒊𝒎 𝑬𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌

This past Thursday and Friday, eco-activist Jim Embry and OSU alum Jennifer Bailey returned for a third time to the Columbus campus to share their ongoing work and enthusiasm for this September's biennial Terra Madre e Salone del Gusto, which takes place in Torino, Italy.

Following an engagement at the student-led LABash conference earlier in the morning (the fourth time this landscape architecture event was held at OSU), Jim met with Senior Academic Program Coordinator Mark Anthony Arceño's classes — COMPSTD 4420: Cultural Food Systems and Sustainability, and COMPSTD 2420: American Food Cultures — where he talked about the Six Pathways for a Sustainable Future: Earth-centric/women-centric; indigenous wisdom; George Washington Carver and the African-American ethos; youth/art/hip-hop; seed work and the Terra Madre network; and transformative vision.

In addition, Jim delivered a public lecture on Friday aimed at connecting Terra Madre to our Department's emphases on culture, interdisciplinarity, and collaboration. Reflecting upon and comparing Jim's experiences throughout his eight previous Terra Madre gatherings, and looking to the future, the Slow Food movement continues to illustrate the kinds of collaboration needed to affect positive change over time, inclusive of an awareness, appreciation, and response to the grand challenges facing individuals and communities at local, regional, national, and international scales.

According to Mark Anthony (who is also Slow Food Columbus's Chapter Leader), "Slow Food is not *just* about good, clean, and fair food for all. In many ways, this is an interdisciplinary movement that underlines the requirement that all of us are needed to attain that very goal, as we foster an equitable, inclusive, and just culture that affirms we are all part of a vast and highly interconnected food system."

PC: MA (1-3, 5-7); JB (4)

✅ 2 Days of Panels ✅ Expert Keynotes ✅ Critical Conversations. This conference is a must-attend for scholars and professionals interested in the evolving landscape of religion and wellness.

Find the full schedule and RSVP through the link in the first comment.

Department of Comparative Studies at OSU
The Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education CPDRE