Fall 2020 books from our college community.
Department of Government
Rebooting Our Lives After COVID-19
The world’s new reality amid the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to confront issues and critically think about how to revive communities slowly, safely and sustainably.
Intern Supreme
Bahar Sahami is a Dedman Distinguished scholar from Plano, Texas. She is a senior double majoring in government and international relations and global studies, while minoring in Middle Eastern studies and completing a certificate in global management from the McCombs School of Business. She is a 2018 Bill Archer fellow, an Intellectual Entrepreneurship Citizen scholar, […]
The “C” that Changed the Constitution
It took two centuries and one mediocre grade to ratify the 27th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In 1982, Gregory Watson stumbled upon a 200-year-old proposed amendment, written by James Madison, while researching a paper for his sophomore government class. It read: “No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives […]
School Rules
Texas Lawmakers Need to Rethink the Program that Gives Property Tax Breaks to Corporations Since the 2002 creation of the economic program known as Chapter 313, Texas has awarded more than $7 billion in tax credits to companies. The program is intended to attract investors by providing abatements to offset some of the property taxes […]
The Campaign for Your Vote: Just Add Brand Power
After months of being bombarded by pollsters, campaign ads and the most outlandish sound bites on repeat, the moment will come for you to finally cast your ballot. Whom will you choose? “The presidency is the one office that represents the American people: all their wishes, dreams, desires, hopes, fears and everything else,” says history […]
Spark Your Interests: Five Liberal Arts Classes That Ignite Critical Thinking
It’s not uncommon for the College of Liberal Arts to break the Registrar’s website. Not on purpose — the interdisciplinary nature of the courses offered in liberal arts do not always mesh well with a system that was designed around rigid department codes. The level of collaboration among faculty members across departments to create in-depth, fascinating […]
Can you Fit a Constitution on an Index Card?
The answer, apparently, is yes. As of today (Constitution Day), a Google search on “constitution” squeezes the 4,500 word U.S. Constitution on a card at the top of the results (and a 3×5 card at that, at least on my screen). A drop-down menu allows the reader to jump through sections. A number of other […]
Judy Perkins on Finding Joy in Life and Learning
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 […]
Regents Honor Outstanding Teaching
Four liberal arts professors received the 2014 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards. They were among the 27 faculty award winners of the UT System Board of Regents’ highest teaching honor, which recognizes extraordinary educators from system institutions. The awards program is one of the nation’s largest monetary teaching recognition programs in higher education, honoring outstanding performance in the […]
New Department Focuses on Latino, Mexican American Experience
Building Upon a 44-Year History of Mexican American Studies at UT A new academic department that takes a comprehensive look at the lives, cultures and histories of Mexican American and Latino populations has been established at The University of Texas at Austin. The Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies (MALS) will ultimately offer undergraduate […]
The Road to Gender Equity: Still Under Construction
Christine Williams has heard her share of conflicting arguments about gender equality in the sociology course she’s taught for more than two decades at The University of Texas at Austin. But there is always one question that gives her pause: “Women have achieved equality, so why is feminism relevant?” “I’m always taken aback when students […]
Food for Thought
Government Professor Bartholomew “Bat” Sparrow first got the idea to teach a class about food from his wife, who had worked at Whole Foods for eight years. The result was an undergraduate course—“The Politics of Food in America”—that uses food as a lens through which to view the entire U.S. political system. “The idea was […]
Government Alumna Gives Back During 40 for Forty
On April 3 and 4, 2014 Longhorns everywhere had exactly 40 hours to raise $40,000 through a new effort that included email, phone, social media and a student fundraising event. 40 Hours for the Forty Acres offered a challenge to encourage alumni and students to join in and give back. The culmination of the fundraising […]
Millennial Nation
A Generational Look at Education, Money and Work Empathetic. Impatient. Innovative. Unfocused. Rational. Naive. Excited. These are the words millennials in the College of Liberal Arts use when they’re asked to describe themselves. However, it’s a question they’re not often asked. Plenty of people, from journalists to researchers to employers, are looking to define who […]
Q&A with Christina Melton Crain
Reducing Recidivism Christina Melton Crain, Government ’88, is president and CEO of DOORS, a reentry advocacy nonprofit based in Dallas that focuses on reducing recidivism (repeat offending). She is the only woman ever to have served as the chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Crain has practiced law for more than 20 years, […]
Regents Honor Outstanding Teaching
Five faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts received the 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the UT System Board of Regents’ highest teaching honor. The awards program is one of the nation’s largest monetary teaching recognition programs in higher education, honoring outstanding performance in the classroom and dedication to innovation in undergraduate instruction. The […]
Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders
At a recent meeting of our college Advisory Council, an alumnus participating in a discussion on communications suggested that our college has one simple message to convey: “A liberal arts education is the best education for anyone aspiring to be a leader.” He was paraphrasing our global affairs expert Jeremi Suri, who at a previous […]
UT Austin Mourns Loss of Bill Livingston
The University of Texas at Austin community mourns the loss of former acting university president William S. Livingston, who died Aug. 15 at the age of 93. “Bill Livingston embodied all the best qualities of a university leader: erudition, eloquence, sweeping vision, warmth and good humor,” says President Bill Powers. “The University of Texas is […]
Retiring Faculty 2013
Henry Dietz Government Dietz, the Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Government, taught at the university for 41 years. A specialist in Latin American politics, he studied urban poverty and politics, civil-military relations, and parties and party systems. Among his many teaching awards, he was inducted into the university’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers in […]
Life Lessons from the Great Books
Students explore themes that have shaped modern civilization For any of life’s challenges, there is a Great Book to offer valuable insight. From Homer’s “Odyssey” to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” the world’s greatest tomes have touched on themes that are as relevant today as when they were written. Tracing the ideas, stories […]
Hope for Peace in the Middle East
Jason Brownlee, associate professor in the Departments of Government and Middle Eastern Studies, has received a $109,484 grant to examine peace-building efforts in Egypt. The funding, provided by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), will enable Brownlee to determine whether the rise in Egypt’s anti-Coptic violence comes from underlying social tensions or from lack […]
Books: Fall 2012
Fall 2012 titles from our college community.
The Word on Texas
Project gets Texans in the game with free online textbooks, political polling and more It launched with a modest mission: Providing students at The University of Texas at Austin a free online textbook for a state-required government class. It didn’t take long for the Texas Politics project to make its mark far beyond the university. […]
In Memoriam: Fall 2012
James “Jim” R. Soukup, former professor of government, died May 26 at age 83. Soukup began his teaching career at the university in 1956, where he was a threetime Fulbright scholar to Japan for the study of labor politics and later served on the Fulbright National Selection Committee. He was instrumental in the development of […]