Robert Watson
Distinguished Professor of English
Rethinking Shakespeare’s Othello: New Perspectives and Insights
- Friday, November 13, 2026
- 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. PT
- Schoenberg Hall
Professor Robert N. Watson explores Shakespeare’s Othello through several overlooked perspectives, including Othello’s anxieties about masculinity, the religious tensions of Shakespeare’s England that magnify the question of whether love (earthly or divine) must be earned, and Othello’s use of code-switching to navigate his social position (which allows Shakespeare to offer vocabulary lessons). Finally, a close reading of Act 4, Scene 3 reveals lost insights into race, slavery, and the heroine Desdemona’s full humanity.
New to Shakespeare’s Othello? Read a brief synopsis of the plot and key themes relevant to the lecture.
Dean Buonomano
Professor of Neurobiology
Professor Buonomano's bio and lecture details are forthcoming.
Registration link coming soon!
Past Recipients
2025 (Fall) Peter Lunenfeld
"Future Street: Los Angeles in the Era of Artificial Intelligence"
Nomination Guidelines
Nominated and selected by peers, the distinguished recipients of the Faculty Research Lecture awards are exemplary of UCLA’s commitment to research excellence. The lecture format of this honor provides the recipients a platform to share their scholarship broadly with faculty, students, and the UCLA community and is a recognition of the importance of the wide dissemination of knowledge generated by UCLA faculty.
Previously administered by the Academic Senate, the Faculty Research Lecture is now a program of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA).