For Benjamin Gregg, professor of government at The University of Texas at Austin and author of the new book Creating Human Nature: The Political Challenges of Genetic Engineering, the potential of gene editing technologies is too great to leave it to ad hoc reactions, either from a skittish public, a sensationalistic media, or a heavy-handed state.
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#PRADAMARFA
For better or for worse, Marfa is a city defined by artists. In his new short documentary, “Prada Marfa? A Film about a West Texas Icon,” American studies professor Randy Lewis takes stock of the town’s transformation through the lens of Prada Marfa, a hyperreal public art installation that has become emblematic of the city.
Keeping it in the (Liberal Arts) Family
All three of the front-desk staff members in the Dean’s Office in Gebauer Building are alumnae of the Cellege of Liberal Arts. We spoke to Kaley Aguero, Richelle King, and Kacie Vanecek about their past, present, and future.
In Memoriam: Nora C. England, Visionary Linguist and Mentor
Nora England’s passion for linguistics was sparked during her undergraduate years at Bryn Mawr College. Almost on a whim, she enrolled in a linguistics field methods course. “That really got me going—actually hearing data from another language and paying attention to it,” she recalled in an interview. “It was the first course that I ever […]
¿Cómo te sientes hoy? Department of Spanish and Portuguese Launches Course on Spanish Language in Mental Health Contexts
When Wilfredo José Burgos Matos designed and taught Spanish in Mental Health Contexts this spring, through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, it was the culmination of a long journey. Burgos, a doctoral candidate in the department, first became aware of the need for such a course when he was struggling to find bilingual mental […]
Program in British Studies is now the Program in British, Irish and Empire Studies: Broadening the Range of Voices and Histories in the Field and Beyond
The program formerly known as British Studies is now the Program in British, Irish and Empire Studies (BIES). The change comes as Professor Philippa Levine, former Guggenheim Fellow and 2020–21 Eastman Professor at Oxford University, assumes sole directorial duties after serving as co-Director for several years. The four-decade-old program has been remodeled to better encompass […]
Teaching & Learning: #studentsofislamicart is Improving Wikipedia One Article at a Time
In fall 2018, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Art & Art History Stephennie Mulder announced to her Arts of Islam students that she was switching things up and scrapping their final research paper. Instead, she said, they would all participate in a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, with the goal of better capturing and presenting the […]
Department of Psychology is Planning a New Major and Minor in Behavioral Data Science: Program Rethinks Pedagogical Model Toward Real-World Work Experiences
In the fall of 2024, the Department of Psychology hopes to launch a new, innovative undergraduate major and minor in Behavioral Data Science. It would be one of the first such programs in the nation. “It’s really a reenvisioning of what an education in psychology can be and how we assess it,” says Professor David […]
A Love Letter to Black Austin
Interview with Lisa B. Thompson and Richard Reddick on Their New Black Austin Matters Podcast Black Austin Matters, a new podcast from KUT and KUTX Studios, aims to give voice to the daily experiences of Black Austinites, while deepening mutual understanding throughout the broader Austin community. We spoke to its hosts and co-producers, College of […]
Podcast Roundup: Fall 2021
This is a collection of some of our favorite podcasts from liberal arts faculty members. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe.
Commentary Roundup: Fall 2021
A collection of commentary pieces from faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts that were published this semester. Topics include work, science, politics and more.
Book Excerpt Roundup: Fall 2021
The following are a selection of book excerpts from recently published faculty in the College of Liberal Arts. Read about food and politics in Chile, women in the oil and gas industry, and more.
Book Excerpt: Shakespeare’s Returning Warriors – and Ours by Alan Warren Friedman
Most Shakespearean tragedies begin with their titular protagonists returning, immediately or imminently, from highly successful martial combat.
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 […]