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College of Liberal Arts

Students talking in American Sign Language in the foreground with instructor in the background during an ASL class

Signs of Community

January 25, 2023 by Lauren Macknight

Deborah White and Michael Wynne see themselves and the ASL program they are building at UT Austin as about more than just language. They are a bridge between the Deaf and hearing communities. Their identity as part of the Deaf community is integral to the way that they teach American Sign Language, which is just as much about understanding Deaf culture as it is about vocabulary, syntax, and grammar.

Headshot of scholar and Professor Christen Smith

Black Women’s Academic Work is Not for the Taking

January 25, 2023 by Alaina Bookman

From its start at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference in 2018, Cite Black Women has developed into a movement. As founder and COLA professor Christen Smith has said, “I’m not fighting to be on someone’s bibliography. I’m fighting to have my intellectual self respected, and the intellectual work of my foremothers respected, the intellectual work of my sisters and friends respected.”

COLA’s Favorite Books of 2022

December 29, 2022 by Kaulie Watson

With 2023 just around the corner, we asked some of our COLA faculty what they most enjoyed reading in 2022. Below are their picks, which cover contemporary fiction and poetry as well as looks at long-haul trucking and Black women’s impact on pop culture. Whatever it is you like to read, we’re sure there’s a winning recommendation for you here.

‘Much more than a surgeon’: Remembering David Genecov, MD, 1963-2022

November 21, 2022 by Kaulie Watson

David Genecov, a COLA alum, longtime Advisory Council member, and dear friend of the College, tragically passed away this November. He possessed a combination of innovative drive, intellectual curiosity, and an unyielding willingness to collaborate with others, and he will be missed by all of us at COLA.

Main character of video game Ghosts over the Water produced by UT Austin JapanLab and Studio Unagi

A Video Game produced by UT Austin’s JapanLab and Studio Unagi Immerses Players in the Turbulent World of Nineteenth Century Japan

October 19, 2022 by Lauren Macknight

A fully functional, historical video game, Ghosts over the Water: Changing the Tides of Japan’s Future, features an accessible visual novel framework and 130,000 words of researched text.

Prada Marfa installation depicting realistic boutique in the middle of West Texas described within Randy Lewis short documentary of the same name

#PRADAMARFA

October 19, 2022 by Lauren Macknight

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.

White marble ancient Roman bust found at Goodwill and brought to UT Austin experts strapped into carseat

Antiquities Road Show Busts Its Way to UT

October 16, 2022 by Lauren Macknight

In October of 2018, Austin-based antiques dealer Laura Young purchased a marble bust at Goodwill for $34.99. Suspecting that the sculpture might be a much greater find, Young reached out to The University of Texas at Austin professors Rabun Taylor (Classics), Stephennie Mulder (Art & Art History), and Penelope Davies (Art & Art History), to understand more about the piece. As it turns out, the artifact was indeed a find dating to ancient Rome, approximately the late first century B.C. or early first century A.D.

Brazilian man in hoodie walks to the left in front of wall plastered with posters reading Mais Amor Sem Favor with superimposed green figures

Teaching Brazilian Portuguese to the World

October 14, 2022 by Lauren Macknight

It is not a stretch to say that Orlando Kelm, an associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Texas at Austin, is one of the most popular teachers of Brazilian Portuguese in the world. This is thanks to Brazilpod, a collection of podcasts, videos, transcripts, and blogs on Brazilian Portuguese that Kelm and his colleagues have been producing over the past two decades.

The Value of the Liberal Arts

September 20, 2022 by Hina Azam

Those of us who teach in liberal arts colleges are passionate about the value of a liberal arts education. But for those outside of academia – even for those who might have received a degree in UT’s College of Liberal Arts – the precise meaning of “liberal arts” can be murky.  What, exactly, is meant by […]

Celina de Sá

Q&A with Celina de Sá

September 7, 2022 by Kaulie Watson

Celina de Sá, an assistant professor of anthropology and an affiliated faculty member in African and African Diaspora Studies and the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at UT Austin, is one of the College of Liberal Arts’ newer faculty members. Her research focuses on performance and race through grassroots social networks in […]

Julieta Suárez Calderón

Talking to Julieta Suárez Calderón, 2022 Randy Diehl Prize Winner

July 1, 2022 by Johnny Holden

The $18,000 award, now in its seventh year, was established by donors to support a graduating liberal arts senior who is committing the year after graduation to effect positive change in the world by working for a nonprofit organization, working for a for-profit organization that benefits others, or creating a new nonprofit.

Jason Lamin leans against the back of a chair in a 3-piece suit and smiles at the camera.

Investing in the Future

December 16, 2020 by Tori Miller

Jason Lamin, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, shares what he values in this moment and where he finds inspiration.

Animated illustration of a book and cityscape within a snow globe with letters falling like snow.

Shake Up Your Winter Reading

December 11, 2020 by Michelle Bryant

Winter 2020-21 books from our college community.

Stuart Stedman stands with one hand in his pocket and the other raised in a Hook Em sign. He is wearing a suit and tie.

Stepping into the Wild

December 10, 2020 by Tori Miller

Stuart Stedman, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, uses his liberal arts education to gain perspective.

Randy Diehl stands with his arm around Mary, they're both smiling and giving a Hook Em sign with one hand.

Teaching, Learning and Living

November 30, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Randy and Mary Diehl, 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipients, share a dedication for championing education and a joy for lifelong learning.

Randy Diehl greets Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Rebekah Rodriguez and her family at a luncheon on May 15, 2014.

The Real Diehl: A Dean Reflects on His Mission

April 15, 2019 by David Ochsner

Randy Diehl is a morning person. Rising at 4 a.m., he writes a few emails catches up on his reading and takes a brisk walk before heading to campus to lead a college with 22 academic departments, three branches of the ROTC and more than 500 faculty members. Despite long days and a demanding schedule, […]

Portrait of Bianna Golodryga.

Getting it Right

April 2, 2019 by Caroline Murray

The Pro Bene Meritis award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. Since 1984, the annual award has been given to alumni, faculty members and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits or have participated in service related to the college. […]

Dean Ann Huff Stevens sitting at a table.

Meet Ann Huff Stevens: Our Next College of Liberal Arts Dean

January 30, 2019 by David Ochsner

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 […]

A street in Baltimore, MD

America’s Ongoing Housing Crisis: Q&A with “Owned” Film Maker Giorgio Angelini

December 6, 2018 by Rachel White

Fifty years after the passing of the Fair Housing Act, people across the United States continue to face an uphill battle to homeownership. “Owned, a Tale of Two Americas,” directed by University of Texas at Austin history alumnus Giorgio Angelini attempts to get at the root of the U.S. housing crisis, which erupted in an […]

Glenn Towery

Beyond the Battlefield: The war rages on, but this time it’s personal

November 9, 2018 by Rachel White

The Thorazine haze was beginning to fade when Glenn Towery was discharged from Oakland Naval Hospital. For the last however-many days he had felt listless, “like a non-human being,” making him forget why he was even there in the first place. Before that, he occupied a hospital cot in the Philippines, next to an injured […]

Joan Neuberger

Joan Neuberger: A Pioneer in Digital History

October 23, 2018 by Rachel White

One of the most fundamental tasks for any university is to foster research that creates an impact beyond its campus. For historians, much of that work takes place in the growing fields of public and digital history. These scholars use innovative digital tools to make historical research relevant and accessible to a broader community. Now, […]

U.S. soldier practices donning his gas mask during a field exercise.

The Untold Stories of Modern Warriors

November 11, 2016 by Rachel White

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.   – Thucydides  Oftentimes, we are met with spectacular images of war, depicting valiance and vilifying enemies; but these stories, some say, lack an honest narrative. While soldiers […]

Portrait of Judy Perkins.

Judy Perkins on Finding Joy in Life and Learning

December 9, 2014 by Alicia Dietrich

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 in professional or philanthropic […]

Portrait of Robert Dedman Jr.

Creating Your Own Noble Purpose

December 9, 2014 by Alicia Dietrich

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 in professional or philanthropic […]

The Palace of Culture and Science, Poland's tallest building, was 10 blocks from Cantu's Warsaw office.

What I Did Last Summer

December 4, 2014 by Emily Nielsen

Famed Polish Economist Invites UT Student to Think Tank In November 2013, famed Polish economist Leszek Balcerowicz spoke on the UT Austin campus as part of International Education Week, which celebrates the enriching benefits of international education and exchange. Those “enriching benefits” were not lost on one audience member, economics senior Hector Cantu from Monterrey, […]

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