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Alex Reshanov

Laws of the Lands: Exploring the World’s Constitutions

March 22, 2023 by Alex Reshanov

There are almost two hundred countries with constitutions currently in existence, and their contents vary considerably. The Comparative Constitutions Project has been documenting and analyzing them for almost two decades, creating a set of resources for scholars and non-scholars along the way.

The Science of Teaching Science: A UT Austin-Thinkery Partnership is building better science education for kids and communities

March 22, 2023 by Alex Reshanov

Cristine Legare studies how children learn and how to make informal learning exhibits more engaging and impactful for people of all ages.

How the Right Words Could Improve Policing

March 22, 2023 by Alex Reshanov

Could a simple sentence build trust and foster better communication between police officers and the communities they serve?

The Turnaround: COLA’s UTurn program helps struggling students get back on track

October 17, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

UTurn offers academic coaching, peer mentoring, and a dedicated space where students in the program can study, socialize, and support each other. “Most 18–20-year-olds have been almost programmed to think just about getting an A,” says program coordinator Ben Burnett. “And I’m trying to program them to think about themselves and what is the best path for them.”

The Danger Imperative: Reckoning With the Perception of Violent Threat in American Police Culture

May 26, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

In July 2016, a gunman ambushed Dallas police officers, killing five, injuring an additional nine (along with two civilians), and fueling public rhetoric about a so called “war on cops.” At the time of the Dallas shooting, Michael Sierra-Arévalo, now an assistant professor of sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, was doing fieldwork […]

The Sequencing of our Success: Q & A with Kathryn Paige Harden

May 26, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

In her book, The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality, psychology professor Kathryn Paige Harden explores how genes contribute to variation in complex life outcomes such as educational attainment and income level. She argues that understanding genetic impacts on these outcomes could and should be used to promote greater equity among individuals with […]

Spring Books Unfold

May 25, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

Disentangling: The Geographies of Digital DisconnectionOxford University Press, July 2021Edited by Paul C. Adams, Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, and André Jansson, Karlstad University After the rapid rise of digital networking in the 2000s and 2010s, we are now seeing a rise of interest in how people can disentangle their lives from the […]

The Linguistics Research Center Celebrates 60 years of Innovation and Scholarship

March 29, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

Imagine a website that allows people from a variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds to learn ancient languages and research their histories. Now imagine it existing in 1999, way back in the early years of the internet. That’s the year the Linguistics Research Center (LRC) launched its free, online lesson series. The internet was a […]

Leaf Through a Good Book

December 6, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Keep your to-read list up-to-date with our fall book list, featuring a selection of titles from College of Liberal Arts faculty members and alumni.

Balancing Art and Academia

November 24, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Lisa B. Thompson is doing great. Not “all right” or “pretty good under the circumstances” or any other common COVID-era reply to the question of “how are you?” Just great. And it’s not surprising. Her life of late is series of awards, achievements and new projects so plentiful that it’s honestly a bit hard to keep track of them all.

A man sits on a bench outside, listening to earbuds plugged into his phone and looking off to his left.

Podcast Roundup: Fall 2021

November 16, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

This is a collection of some of our favorite podcasts from liberal arts faculty members. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe.

Co-author of the study Timothy Beach stands in next to old stone ruins on site at a dig.

Maya and Angkor Adapted for Climate Change

September 30, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Societies in Mesoamerica and Southeast Asia whose collapse was thought to have been caused by dramatic changes in climate displayed more resilience and adaptability than previously believed.

The Misinformation Age

September 17, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Depending on whom you ask, conspiracy theories are either having a heyday or it’s just business as usual. But whether or not there is a long-term increase happening, certain factors likely influence the ebb and flow of conspiratorial beliefs.

Empty Texas Senate Chambers.

A Texas Politics Explainer

September 2, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Many Texans learned a new word this year: quorum. And, no, it’s not the collective noun for a group of opossums. A quorum is the minimum number of assembly members that must be present in order to conduct business. For the Texas House of Representatives, that minimum is two-thirds of its members.

Illustration with exercise equipment, pets, personal checklist, plants and tablet screen with mom.

Making the Most of Self-Care

May 10, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

March marked the one-year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, and to say that it’s been a rough year would be an understatement. Whether we’ve lost loved ones, jobs, or simply the ability to distinguish between Sundays and Mondays, everyone is struggling under the weight of a constantly shifting “new normal.”

book illustration opening into travel icons: bridge, arch and buildings.

Travel by the Book

April 12, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Literature and life guide Peter LaSalle’s latest collection of travel essays, The World is a Book, Indeed.

Randy Diehl stands with his arm around Mary, they're both smiling and giving a Hook Em sign with one hand.

Teaching, Learning and Living

November 30, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Randy and Mary Diehl, 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipients, share a dedication for championing education and a joy for lifelong learning.

Michael Stoff sitting in a chair and turning to the side to smile at the camera. He is wearing a suit and tie.

Understanding Your Past

October 29, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Michael Stoff, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, teaches his students to approach history with respect, empathy and context.

Jacqueline Jones with Garrison Hall in background.

Giving Voice to History

October 23, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Jacqueline Jones, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, discusses why it’s essential to learn the history behind today’s headlines.

Collage with surveillance camera, police car, code and communications tower.

How Bias Sneaks into Big-Data Policing

October 19, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Like all human endeavors, technology is at its core still social, argues Sarah Brayne in her new book Predict and Surveil: Data, Discretion, and the Future of Policing.

Heather Rice teaching Russian

Exploring the World Through Language

August 5, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Sometimes we fall in love when we least expect it. Arriving at The University of Texas at Austin as a mathematically inclined freshman, Heather Rice had no intention of learning Russian.

graphic with feather dripping ink off the end

Turning the Past into Poetry

June 26, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

H.W. Brands hopes his latest book, Haiku History: The American Saga Three Lines at a Time, won’t be a page turner.

Youssef

Women’s Activism in Tunisia

June 16, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

In 2014, Maro Youssef arrived in Tunisia just one day before the country passed a constitution that is among the most progressive in the world. She was serving as a foreign affairs analyst at the American embassy in Tunisia.

Stylized illustration of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with social media superimposed over his face.

Ukraine’s Social Media Presidency

May 5, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

UT Austin student researchers delve into the state of democracy in Ukraine, and the role of youth political engagement and social media.

Three groups of people gather during the Crusades as shadowy figures loom in the background.Three groups of people gather during the Crusades as shadowy figures loom in the background.

Race By Any Other Name

April 21, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

In her award-winning book, The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages, Geraldine Heng argues that race did exist even if the language of the time had yet to capture the phenomenon.

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