After years of education policy and diversity campaigns encouraging women to pursue scientific careers, the industry was kicking them out.
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Continued Resistance: A Q&A with Professor Madeline Hsu about Hong Kong
When the Chinese government took back Hong Kong after more than 150 years of British rule in 1997, it was a significant point of pride. For China, it marked the ending of an era of imperialism and foreign aggression; but for the people of Hong Kong, it was just the beginning of their fight to […]
Only When it is Dark Enough, Can You See the Stars
In Christian thought and practice, Christmas is about an innocent baby born into poverty in a livestock manger. He is also identified as the prince of peace and is revered as the son of God by wise men from fabled eastern cultures that had created and practiced their forms of high civilization for several thousands […]
Solving Problems with Sociology: Q&A with ASA President Christine Williams
Sociology is an academic discipline devoted to documenting and analyzing social oppression. This primary focus, Christine Williams says, is what drew her to the field. Williams, a professor of sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, is an extremely prolific sociologist, especially in regard to her work on gender discrimination and sexual harassment in […]
New LBJ Library Director to Show LBJ History Through Modern Lens
History professor Mark Lawrence’s favorite story about former President Lynden B. Johnson took place right here on The University of Texas at Austin campus and changed the university’s social climate just as his presidency shifted the entire nation’s. One evening, LBJ decided on a whim that he wanted to attend a party held at the […]
Ancient Alteration
Evidence showed that the Maya faced environmental pressures and responded to by converting forests to wetland field complexes and digging canals to manage water quality and quantity.
Attitude Adjustment
Boosting academic success does not have to derive from new teachers or curriculum; it can also come from changing students’ attitudes about their abilities, according to the latest findings from the National Study of Learning Mindsets published in Nature. The experimental study involved more than 12,000 ninth graders from 65 public high schools across the […]
A Matter of Life and Death
In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in August, sociologists Mark Hayward of UT Austin and Isaac Sasson of Tel Aviv University examined the intersection of education, cause of death and life expectancy across gender and race. Overall, life expectancy declined by an average of two months from 2010 to […]
History Not on Repeat
Brian P. Levack Photography by Brian Birzer Education: B.A. History ’65, Fordham University; and Ph.D. History ’70, Yale University Hometown: New York, New York Brian P. Levack is the John E. Green Regents Professor Emeritus in History at UT Austin, where he has taught for nearly 50 years while earning distinguished teaching awards. During his […]
Yiddish on the Rise
The Yiddish language is deeply rooted in Jewish culture, typically passed down from generation to generation. Though not currently one of the most studied languages, scholars say that Yiddish is breathing new life and may even be on the rise. “The number of Yiddish speakers is already increasing. Everyone thinks of it as a dying […]
The Protection of Being Known
Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Allison McNamara studies lesser known primate species that face risks of extinction.
Dreams of El Dorado
The rapid growth of America came as a shock to some, as it was the only country whose expansion occurred with such little government supervision. In Dreams of El Dorado, author H.W. Brands recounts the rich history of the American West. Beginning with the purchase of the Louisiana territory, which propelled future Western expansion of […]
Affording Jane Austen
In The Lost Books of Jane Austen, Janine Barchas explores the burgeoning popularity of Jane Austen’s novels beginning in the nineteenth-century. Through photographs and unique historical perspectives, Barchas shares some of the earliest and cheapest reprints of Austen’s work that brought the author recognition in the working-class, leading to the reputation she has today. Learn […]
Why the most popular candidate in a close election will probably lose
The Presidential elections of 2000 and 2016 were controversial, in part, because it seemed like the wrong person won. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore by 5 electoral votes after losing the popular vote by about 540,000. And in 2016, Republican Donald Trump garnered 27 more electoral votes than Democrat Hillary […]
New Faculty 2019-2020
This academic year, the College of Liberal Arts welcomes 17 new faculty members to the 40 acres. Read more information on each of them below: Alagraa BedourAssistant Professor, African & African Diaspora StudiesAlagraa Bedour completed her Ph.D. in Africana Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a master’s in […]
Camp Alba
After spending three days on the University of Texas at Austin campus, sixth graders from Martin Middle School left with a greater sense of connection to their communities and their first single track, produced by hip-hop artist and activist Olmeca. Latino Studies at UT Austin invited a group of the school’s incoming sixth-graders to participate […]
Fighting for Change: A Q&A with the 2019 Randy Diehl Prize Recipient
Megan Abrameit, a psychology and humanities double major from Tyler, Texas, has received the 2019 Randy Diehl Prize in Liberal Arts. Now in its fourth year, the $17,000 award was established by donors to support a graduating liberal arts senior who is committing the year after graduation to service for the greater good, be that […]
Grading Brain Health: How Educational Experiences Impact Cognitive Functioning Later in Life
High school experiences follow you long after you’ve graduated, shaping your professional success and even your health. Now, researchers are investigating how it could contribute to your future brain health and maybe even impact your likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s Disease. University of Texas at Austin sociologist Chandra Muller researches how educational experiences shape life course […]
From UT to DC
Lance Gooden exemplified what it means to be a University of Texas at Austin graduate as he stepped into the role of United States Representative earlier this year. Before being elected to serve in Congress, Gooden held a position in the Texas House of Representatives for District 4. After winning the general election in November […]
Student Projects Shine During Dean’s Research Reception
On April 18, a group of hand-picked liberal arts students who have conducted exceptional research projects presented their posters at the Dean’s Research Reception. College faculty and staff, administrators and Dean Randy Diehl all gathered to learn about the outstanding work liberal arts students have conducted. The annual event is a part of UT Austin’s […]
Team of the Year
Out of 145 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) detachments across the country, Detachment 825 of the University of Texas at Austin was named the Team of the Year. In making their selection, the national headquarters for Air Force ROTC considers each detachment’s accomplishments. “They make their determination on overall mission impact, the uniqueness […]
A Week on Mars
For most, going to Mars is merely a childhood dream, but for Sukjin Han, that dream became a reality — all while never leaving Earth. The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is a project that is operated by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. The project hosts a select group of […]
Meet Ann Huff Stevens: Our Next College of Liberal Arts Dean
Ann Huff Stevens will begin as dean of the College of Liberal Arts on July 15, 2019. Stevens comes from the University of California, Davis, and is a Texas native with roots in Corpus Christi. She is a professor of economics who has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chair of the Department […]
Trolling the U.S.: Q&A on Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election
It’s been more than two years since the 2016 presidential election, and the United States is still piecing together Russia’s propaganda-filled interference in U.S. political conversations on social media. According to a February 2018 poll by The University of Texas at Austin and The Texas Tribune, 40 percent of Texans believe Russian interference played a […]
New Year, Same You: Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail
After we’ve spent all our money on gifts and stuffed ourselves to the brim with endless holiday treats, it’s no wonder many of us see the new year as an opportunity to become a little less broke and little more fit. But come next December, most of us will find ourselves back in the same […]