Washington University in St. Louis

Welcome to Washington University in St. Louis. I hope the information accessible here will help you learn more about the University. While this electronic visit will prove informative, we invite you to come in person and visit our campus. You will find an intellectually vibrant and diverse community of scholars who challenge themselves to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of our ever-changing, multicultural world. I think you will be impressed by the energetic teaching and learning and the pathbreaking research that go on here. The University and its people also play a significant role in the St. Louis, national and international communities. We would welcome the opportunity to show you the campus and introduce our faculty, students and staff to you. Attention class of 2018! The Common Application is officially available for fall 2014 applicants. Visit our brand new undergraduate admissions website for more information.
Many of the biggest literary and cinematic successes in the past decade have involved elements of the fantastic. Harry Potter, True Blood, The Walking Dead, dare we mention Twilight? What draws us to these stories of the supernatural? And how do they relate to our real lives? Acclaimed author of magical realism, Kelly Link, explores the pleasure of surprising readers when using traditional story tropes, and discusses the archetypes of the genre.  When tragedy strikes, we often comfort ourselves by saying "everything happens for a reason," and while the veracity of this statement in life is debated, it is always true in good literature. Every word is working toward building character, plot, setting, or layers of meaning. In this episode, Carl Phillips, poet and professor of English at Washington University, explores how life influences the creation of his poetry and the reoccurence of faith in his new collection, Silverchest. Timothy Moore, chair and professor of classics, then takes us back to ancient Greece where, even two thousand years ago, they searched for meaning in their lives and literature.Thurtene, the nation's oldest and largest student-run carnival, takes place this weekend on the Danforth Campus. The event is free and open to the public.