April 14-18 is Undergraduate Research Week at UT, hosted by the Senate of College Councils and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Colleges and organizations across campus, including the College of Liberal Arts, coordinate events throughout the week to showcase the work of undergraduate researchers. On April 15, a group of 11 outstanding […]
Q&As
Imagining a More Equitable World for Africa’s Gay Community
In most African countries, being gay means living in constant fear. For example, an anti-homosexuality bill recently signed by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni calls for 14 years in prison for first time offenders and life in prison for repeat offenders. Even those who don’t report gay friends and loved ones are considered to be breaking […]
PLAN II ABROAD: Varun Bhatnagar
Varun Bhatnagar, a Plan II honors, business honors and finance sophomore, made his time away from classes count this summer by taking an internship abroad in Shanghai. Read about his job at one of China’s top marketing firms, his take on Chinese culture and his biggest challenges in his own words in this Q&A. Where […]
Q&A: Cognitive Psychologist Art Markman on How to Achieve Your Goals and Make Those Changes Last
The New Year is on the horizon, and just like clockwork many people are dutifully preparing lists of resolutions that will likely be forgotten by mid-January. Art Markman, a cognitive psychologist at The University of Texas at Austin, shows us a better way to make lifestyle changes in his new book Smart Change: Five Tools […]
15 Minute History Podcast Tops ITunesU Charts
What’s the real story behind medieval witch hunts and demonic possessions? Why did Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, set forth on a spiritual quest? Listen in as award-winning UT Austin faculty and graduate students unravel history’s enigmas in 15 Minute History, a podcast series created by the History Department’s Not Even Past and the university’s […]
Jeanne and Michael Klein On the Art of Giving
Pro Bene Meritis 2013 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions […]
Ben Barnes On Pursuing Your Dreams
Pro Bene Meritis 2013 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions […]
Marion Mark On the Meaning of Education
Pro Bene Meritis 2013 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions […]
Toyin Falola On Telling Africa’s Story
Pro Bene Meritis 2013 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions […]
What I Did During My Summer Vacation…
Globe-trotting liberal arts students share their summer experiences Classes are officially back in session and another summer has come to an end. Liberal arts students made their time away from Austin count by taking on amazing adventures that enriched their academic, personal and professional lives. From an anthropological dig in Belize to a prestigious public […]
Meteorologist Troy Kimmel Talks Tornadoes and Climate Change
Troy Kimmel is a senior lecturer of Studies in Weather and Climate in the Department of Geography and the Environment. He is a committee member/instant meteorologist for University of Texas Campus Safety and Security, as well as committee chief meteorologist, KOKE FM Radio, Austin. A monster EF-5 tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb of […]
Graduating Senior Paulina Sosa Aims to End Extreme Poverty
Everything changed for Paulina Sosa, a philosophy and psychology double major, when she journeyed to a landfill community in Mexico on a church mission trip. At age 13, she was overwhelmed by a young boy’s desperation for basic needs when she presented him with a couple of trinkets. “I remember thinking that a piece of […]
Q&A: Doctoral Student Explores History of Science in Southeast Borderlands
Cameron Strang, a doctoral student in the Department of History, has been generating a great deal of interest among fellow historians with his research on skull collecting and scalping in the early American borderlands. He argues that science of the nascent United States was not exclusively from institutions in the Northeast, but that it incorporated […]
Q&A: Professor and Poet Kurt Heinzelman on Adelaide Writer’s Week
Kurt Heinzelman, English professor, founding co-editor of The Poetry Miscellany and advisor and editor-at-large for Bat City Review, has been publishing poetry for 30 years in such journals as Poetry, Poetry Northwest, Massachusetts Review and Southwest Review. Recently, Heinzelman was invited as a featured author to Adelaide Writers’ Week, an important part of the larger […]
Humanities Research
What is the value of humanities research? Why is it a practical component of an undergraduate’s education? The answer is simple. Explorations into literature, philosophy, art, music and poetry teach us how to make sense out of a complex and interdependent world. Whether they’re deciphering ancient manuscripts, unraveling medieval mysteries, or reciting a Shakespeare play, […]
Life Lessons from the Great Books
Students explore themes that have shaped modern civilization For any of life’s challenges, there is a Great Book to offer valuable insight. From Homer’s “Odyssey” to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” the world’s greatest tomes have touched on themes that are as relevant today as when they were written. Tracing the ideas, stories […]
A New World Pope
2013 marks a historic year for the Catholic Church. In an unexpected move, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, becoming the first pontiff to step down in nearly 600 years. Now–for the first time ever–a Jesuit from Latin America will lead more than one billion Catholics worldwide. In light of these monumental changes, we caught […]
Home Sweet Home?
Take a look at your bedroom. Is it scattered with laundry? Adorned with photos? Are you only leaving a sliver of space in the closet for your partner’s clothes? These seemingly mundane domestic scenarios may reveal a surprising amount of information about a couple’s relationship, according to a forthcoming study led by Lindsay Graham, a […]
Q&A: Is the Texas Twang Dying Out?
Go to any small Texas town and you’re likely to get an earful of “y’alls,” “might-coulds” and “fixin tos.” But in big cities like Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texans are sounding a lot less like cowpokes and more like other Americans. With a surge of newcomers, rapid urbanization and new technology, the Lone Star State’s […]
Q&A: Beauty and Social Justice
A staunch defender of beauty, Harvard University professor and award-winning author Elaine Scarry shows how appreciating aesthetic pleasures can press us toward a greater concern for social justice in her book “On Beauty and Being Just.” Drawing inspiration from writers and philosophers – as well as her own personal experiences – Scarry shares some provocative […]
Words with Friends
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
Pioneering Heart
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
From History to Haiku
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
On the Record
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
Balancing Act
Presidential scholar discusses war power and accountability Many Americans believe that the growth of presidential war power relative to Congress is irreversible. Bruce Buchanan, government professor at The University of Texas at Austin and one of the nation’s leading presidential scholars, contests that view. In his latest book, “Presidential Power and Accountability: Toward a Presidential […]