The Cost of Political Speech With a record $2.4 bill ion spent by candidates in the last U.S. presidential election, the “Free Speech Dialogue” held Feb. 10 delved into the controversial topics of how money complicates political speech and who is entitled to First Amendment rights. “I would like students to walk away with a […]
Spring 2011
Retired Faculty: Spring 2011
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 […]
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 […]
Books: Spring 2011
Spring 2011 titles from our college community.
Representing the Barrio and Beyond
Political Scholar Breaks New Ground in the Study of Latinos in Congress When Jason Casellas began research for his undergraduate senior dissertation on Latino political participation, he was surprised by the scant amount of academic writings on the topic. Undaunted by the painstaking hours of research, the experience of writing that dissertation spurred his interest […]
Q&A: Premarital Sex in America
Sociologists explore changing sexual landscape among college students While young women’s educational and career opportunities have skyrocketed over the past two decades, their opportunities for stable, long-term relationships have declined, according to the new book “Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think About Marrying,” by University of Texas at Austin sociologists […]
No Pain No Gain
Training professors to write grant proposals, win research dollars Like many young faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin, psychologist Paige Harden has big, cutting-edge research ideas. Also like many young faculty, Harden needs federal grants to get started. But she realizes that the average age of scholars who receive certain National Institutes […]
Meet the Parents
Evolutionary psychologists reveal why parents want their children’s mates to have certain traits Psychologist Carin Perilloux is looking into a crazy little thing called love—and finding out why it’s so complicated when that special someone meets the parents. Good looks, personality, religion and earning potential may all come into play when choosing a serious sweetheart. […]
Conversation Stoppers
Professors examine how we don’t — but should — talk openly about race in the United States First came the fiery attacks last summer as the NAACP approved a resolution condemning perceived racist elements within the Tea Party movement. A few days later, United States Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign […]
The Burden of the Bullied
High school’s over, but the effects may be long term High school is long past for Kelly, now 38, but she still recalls when her family relocated to a small West Texas town at the beginning of her freshman year. The bullying started from day one with a new rumor circulating about her every Monday […]
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 […]
Meeting Today’s Budget Realities While Building for the Future
As you read this issue of Life & Letters, state lawmakers here in Austin continue to debate how to close an estimated $27 billion budget gap. The final spending plan they send to Gov. Rick Perry in the coming weeks will include cuts to almost every area of stategovernment, including higher education and TheUniversity of Texas at Austin. These are obviously difficult […]