More than 30 College of Liberal Arts professors from more than a dozen departments have retired over the past year, after spending decades serving their students and the university community. Retirees include Linguistics Professor Robert King, who was the founding dean of the College of Liberal Arts and served in that post from 1979–1989 and […]
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In Memoriam: Spring 2011
Norval Glenn, professor emeritus of sociology, who taught for 47 years at the university, died Feb. 15. He was 77 years old. A prominent scholar of family sociology, Glenn wrote extensively on marriage and divorce, aging and the life course, and methods and survey data analysis. In 2008, he co-directed the first nationally representative sample […]
Research Briefs: Spring 2011
Being Poor Can Suppress Children’s Genetic Potentials Growing up poor can suppress a child’s genetic potential to excel cognitively even before the age of 2. A study of 750 sets of twins by Assistant Professor Elliot Tucker-Drob does not suggest that children from wealthier families are genetically superior or smarter. They simply have more opportuni- […]
Construction Begins on Liberal Arts Building
On Feb. 3, University of Texas Regent Steve Hicks and University of Texas at Austin President William Powers joined College of Liberal Arts faculty, students and alumni to ceremonially break ground on the new Liberal Arts Building on the East Mall. The building will be finished in late 2012 and will give the college a […]
All Against One
Egyptian Student Rejoices from Afar I awoke that Friday morning to the sound of my phone ringing, indicating my mother was calling. Lazily, I reached over to my bedside table, knowing she was waking me up so I would get out of bed, pack and head over to see her in Houston. Casually answering and […]
A Gift to Honor a Life-Changing Education
Stuart Stedman repays “debt” to Plan II Stuart W. Stedman remembers that his grades weren’t all that great when he transferred from Claremont Men’s College in California into The University of Texas at Austin 25 years ago. But Donette Moss, the administrator of the Plan II Honors program, saw something special in him, he says, […]
Jewish Studies Center Meets $6 Million Challenge Grant
The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies has matched a $6 million grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, ensuring the continued growth of Jewish studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Over the past five years, the center has emerged as a nexus for the study of Jewish thought, culture and history, with […]
Two MacArthur Fellows, One Maya Signature Class
Professors draw from experiences to teach To put things in perspective, a college student has a higher probability of being struck by lightning than of being taught by one MacArthur Fellow, much less two. So when MacArthur Fellows Nora England, a linguistics and anthropology professor in the College of Liberal Arts; and David Stuart, an […]
Learning Hebrew Gothic
Middle Eastern Studies professor wins award to study literary genre No one has ever studied it before. In fact, most scholars didn’t even recognize its existence. But thanks to the newly created Humanities Research Award, Karen Grumberg will be the first scholar to investigate the literary genre of Hebrew Gothic. Grumberg, an assistant professor in […]
Spotless Mind?
Psychologist discovers drug-free therapy could alter fear-filled memories For a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder the sound of a helicopter or airplane could trigger a flashback of bombing raids. A car backfire or any sudden noise could bring back images of a roadside bomb explosion. Even a calm walk in the woods could conjure […]
History Department Launches Site Aimed at the Masses
“The past is never dead, it’s not even past,” wrote William Faulkner in his 1951 novel, “Requiem for a Nun.” The University of Texas’ History Department is counting on many people sharing his sentiment that history lives on and affects the present. It has launched a new Web site, Not Even Past, to bring short, […]
Turning It Around for Struggling Students
UTurn gives participants one more shot Alfonso Vasquez came to The University of Texas at Austin like any other freshman, thrilled at the opportunities that lay before him. Originally from Karnes City, a small town in South Texas, the excitement of the city soon began to coax him away from the library. He made new […]
Learning from Lemurs
Anthropologist studies primates, boosts local economy in Madagascar Ten thousand miles away on the island of Madagascar, University of Texas at Austin anthropologist Rebecca Lewis delves into the unusual world of a long-legged, white lemur. But before she can observe the animal’s behavior and collect data, Lewis must often put her business acumen and a […]
Student News: Fall 2010
Graduate Student News Chiyuma Elliott (American Studies) received a 2010-11 John Hope Franklin Dissertation Fellowship from the American Philosophical Society. Tracy Wuster (American Studies) received a 2010-11 Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship. Jenny Kelly (American Studies) received a 2010-11 Ellen Clarke Temple Award from the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. Carly Kocurek and Rebecca […]
Awards & Honors: Fall 2010
Top Teachers Recognized Six College of Liberal Arts professors have received 2010 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards from The University of Texas System. They are among 72 recipients from across the system’s 15 academic institutions. They will share $2 million in awards. This year’s recipients are: Mia Carter, associate professor, University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor, Department […]
Notable Alumni
A sampling of government graduates who have entered politics: • The Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison, B.A. 1962, has been U.S. Senator from Texas since 1993 — the first and only woman elected by Texas to represent the state in the U.S. Senate. • The Hon. Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. 1998, is a three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives currently representing the state’s 28th district in South Texas. Cuellar’s political career began as a member of the […]
Inside the Beltway
Professor immerses students into the real world of politics For the past nine years, Associate Professor Sean Theriault has taken a group of undergraduate students to the nation’s capital to learn, behind the scenes, how the legislative process works and to test their research against the reality of Beltway politics. This year’s group of 10 […]
Teaching Awards
A Job Well Done The Department of Government is especially proud to be home to some of the university’s most distinguished teachers. Among others, these include: Henry Dietz, Latin American Politics – 2008 Raymond Dickson Centennial Endowed Teaching Fellowship; 2006-07 FRIAR Centennial Teaching Fellowship; 1999 Selection to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers; 1992-93 President’s Associates Teaching Excellence […]
Professor Advises Drafters of New Kenyan Constitution
Zachary Elkins helps East African nation Assistant Professor Zachary Elkins joined several other constitutional scholars to advise the Kenyan leaders on a new national constitution that voters there approved in August. Elkins and his colleagues counseled officials on everything from establishing an effective balance of power to eliminating redundancies or ambiguities in the proposed constitution. Kenya’s […]
Capitalism Promotes Peace
And other provocative findings from our faculty’s honored research and publications Associate Professor Patrick McDonalD’s “the Invisible Hand of Peace: Capitalism, The War Machine, and International Relations Theory” won the 2010 Jervis-Schroeder Best Book Award from the International History and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. The book examines how competitive market structures and private property affect the […]
Political Theory on the Rise
Government scholars help answer the great “so what” question of political science When the Department of Government recruited Thomas Pangle in 2004 to become the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies, the goal was not simply to become a powerhouse in the study of political theory, but to help the department rise to elite status […]
Department of Government Timeline
100 years of excellence 1910 – Board of Regents divides School of Political Science into three units: government, economics and institutional history 1915 – Frank Mann Stewart receives first B.A. in government 1919 – Southwestern Political Science Association founded by Government faculty 1920 – Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honors society, founded by […]
In Memoriam
James Roach, Professor Emeritus The Department of Government is sorry to report the passing of James Roach, government professor emeritus. Roach had a long and distinguished career that included prizewinning teaching in international relations, South Asian politics and U.S. foreign policy. A veteran of World War II, in which he accompanied General MacArthur on his return to the Philippines and personally strode to shore to plant […]
A Latin American Boom in Austin
A presidential initiative takes Texas to new heights “We should become the nation’s most important source of expertise about Latin America,” former University of Texas President Larry Faulkner declared in his first State of the University address on Oct. 6, 1998. By prioritizing Latin America, Faulkner was harnessing one of the university’s assets — physical […]
Terrorists, Insurgents and Guerillas
Professor provides data to help fight terrorism As global terrorism has become a greater danger over the past decade, Professor Ami Pedahzur has been at the forefront of studying that danger and developing the data governments need to respond. Central to Pedahzur’s efforts is the T.I.G.E.R. Lab — Terrorists, Insurgents, and Guerrillas in Education and Research. […]