• Skip to main content

Life & Letters Magazine

  • Features
  • Books
  • Commentary
  • Blog
  • Archive
  • About
  • Give
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
Show Menu

Population Research Center

Kaleidoscope pattern with symbols representing gender, health and relationships.

Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievement

December 16, 2020 by Caroline Barta

The American Sociological Association honors Jennifer Glass, Debra Umberson and Gloria González-López for their contributions to the field.

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.

Political themed collage with Statue of Liberty, U.S. Capitol Building, mail-in ballots, unemployment chart, coronavirus, and protest viewed through magnifying glass with American flag background.

2020 Vision: Examining Some of the Country’s Big Issues

October 30, 2020 by Rachel White

Experts from UT Austin’s College of Liberal Arts weigh in on some of the major issues facing our country and the president-elect over the next four years.

Young woman pulling suitcase in the shape of a book with pink background.

Ticket to Read

October 20, 2020 by Michelle Bryant

Fall 2020 books from our college community.

Maui sunset.

Why Do People in Hawaii Live 7 Years Longer than People in Mississippi?

August 4, 2020 by Mark Hayward

Add living a longer life to the list of reasons to move to Hawaii, which tops the list in a national study on average life expectancy. The study showed that living somewhere with more economic regulations and policy protections for marginalized groups may be the key for a clean bill of health. “We run the […]

illustration of brain in pink, red and blue.

Grading Brain Health: How Educational Experiences Impact Cognitive Functioning Later in Life

May 13, 2019 by Rachel White

High school experiences follow you long after you’ve graduated, shaping your professional success and even your health. Now, researchers are investigating how it could contribute to your future brain health and maybe even impact your likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s Disease. University of Texas at Austin sociologist Chandra Muller researches how educational experiences shape life course […]

Karen Fingerman and Deb Umberson at the Texas Aging & Longevity Center launch

UT Austin Launches Texas Aging & Longevity Center

January 31, 2019 by Alex Reshanov

Not all people experience their twilight years in the same way. Some will be hearty triathletes traveling the world and writing novels, while others will be hobbled by chronic illness and dementia. Fifteen percent of Texans — nearly four million people — are aged 65 and older, and that number is growing. By 2040, older […]

graphic of smiley face with camera in one eye

Smile, You’re on Camera: Behind the Lens of 24/7 Surveillance

January 18, 2018 by Michelle Bryant

“Even a strutting exhibitionist has something to hide: certain diary entries, genetic predispositions, financial mistakes, medical crises, teenage embarrassments, antisocial compulsions, sexual fantasies, radical dreams,” writes Randolph Lewis. “We all have something that we want to shield from public view. The real question is: Who gets to pull the curtains? And increasingly: How will we […]

Stylized illustration of a hand placing a vote into a ballot box. There are numbers and math symbols illustrated over the image.

An Educated Decision

January 11, 2018 by Rachel White

Voter turnout in the U.S. is below turnout in most other advanced democracies, with only about 60 percent of eligible voters participating in the past four presidential elections and about 40 percent participating in midterm elections. While prior research indicates that those with higher levels of education are more likely to vote, new research shows […]

Illustration of hands holding a stack of white dishes.

Your Turn to Do the Dishes

April 30, 2015 by David Ochsner

Most young women – and men – prefer shared household responsibilities There’s no shortage of advice for women these days about how to balance work and family — everything from becoming a supermom who can “lean in” at the workplace and do it all, to embracing the role of a full-time homemaker. But when given […]

Illustration of Russian nesting dolls.

Depression: Making Treatment Personal

April 30, 2015 by Michelle Bryant

For the estimated 350 million people worldwide who suffer from depression, the health consequences go far beyond “feeling down.” In fact, it is a leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people with symptoms of depression will never receive treatment, and for those diagnosed with major […]

Photo of two outstretched hands in front of a large, imposing border fence.

Borderline: The Politics, Law and Identity of Immigration

April 23, 2015 by Michelle Garcia

Temperatures hovered around the triple digits in deep South Texas when the children arrived on the U.S.-Mexico border. They traveled alone, without parents. They traveled from the faraway mountains of Guatemala and El Salvador and the depths of the world’s most violent city — San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Their numbers grew over months until […]

Pedulla

The Benefits to Paid Family Leave That Nobody is Talking About

March 12, 2015 by David Pedulla

This month marks 22 years since the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act. The FMLA was an important first step toward improving the lives of American workers by helping them secure unpaid leave from their jobs for a variety of family issues, while protecting their employment security. But the FMLA left much to […]

Tetyana Pudrovska.

Early Poverty Linked to Obesity in Women

December 4, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

Adolescent girls who grow up in poor households are more likely than their male counterparts to become overweight or obese, according to a new study by Tetyana Pudrovska, assistant professor of sociology. The study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, shows long-lasting consequences of economic hardship in childhood for the risk of […]

A simple drawing of the Austin skyline. A large doctor's stethoscope looms in front of the skyline bracketing the words, "Keeping A Pulse on Population Health."

Keeping A Pulse On Population Health

November 21, 2014 by Sarah Muthler

A few years ago, a Plan II Honors student in Marc Musick’s sociology lecture came to him with a question. Musick had been talking about the shortage of doctors in rural and inner city areas. The student had grown up in the Rio Grande Valley and hoped to go on to medical school. Why, he […]

Illustration of school children in search of a letter "A" on the horizon.

Making the Grade

April 17, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

Strategies for Improving Education in America Few dispute the value of education, but discussions about how our nation should improve it are becoming more intense and polarized. Of all the competing arguments—more technology, smaller classrooms, improved teacher training, universal pre-kindergarten—most people would agree that America’s education system needs to improve, and soon. According to recent […]

Regents honor outstanding teaching awarded to five professors from the College of Liberal Arts.

Regents Honor Outstanding Teaching

November 1, 2013 by Michelle Bryant

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 […]

highschool hallway with blue lockers

High School and Beyond

April 11, 2013 by Michelle Bryant Leave a Comment

University of Texas at Austin sociologist and Population Research Center affiliate Chandra Muller and economist Sandra Black have received a $3.2 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study the effects of cognition on health, mortality, education and employment from high school and beyond. The three-year grant will support a Muller-led study that […]

Prof. David Kirk

Restore Rundberg

April 10, 2013 by Kelley Shannon Leave a Comment

Sociologist Works to Reduce Crime in Austin Neighborhood Struggles in the Rundberg neighborhood of Austin are evident at deteriorating apartments and trash-strewn vacant lots. But pride and hope are plentiful too, as many residents spruce up their homes, pitch in at community parks and enjoy new recreation centers. Alarming police statistics reveal another layer of […]

Image of sky bridge connecting the new building to the Student Activity Center makes an ideal study spot.

A Space to Call Home

April 1, 2013 by Molly Wahlberg Leave a Comment

Take a walk through the new College of Liberal Arts Building, and the building feels as fresh and modern as it feels warm and lived-in—an impressive feat for a place that just opened in January. “This is our shot at greatness,” says Randy Diehl, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “This building ensures that […]

UT football stands filled with white and burnt orange

How Long Will You Live? Chances Are…

May 1, 2012 by Jessica Sinn Leave a Comment

How long will you live? And how does that compare to your fellow longhorns based on your race and gender? Graduate researchers are striving to eliminate health barriers and extend life expectancy for one and all. Life expectancy in the United States is on the rise – but not for everyone. Although many older Americans […]

Early Earners

May 1, 2012 by Michelle Bryant Leave a Comment

Economist looks at the long-term effects of school starting age and family background “Redshirting” is a popular term among parents of the pre-K set, and it has a lot of parents asking a familiar question: Is my child ready to start kindergarten, or would she or he benefit from delaying this debut into the world […]

Researchers eye a better camera

Research Briefs: Spring 2012

April 29, 2012 by Molly Wahlberg Leave a Comment

College of Liberal Arts: Not Even Past Brings History to the Public The Web has many sites devoted to history, but only one brings together such a diverse group of historians with expertise in every major field and time period. For the past year, Not Even Past has drawn on the expertise of faculty and […]

Researchers investigate the science of generosity

What Makes People Give?

April 1, 2012 by Jessica Sinn

Researchers investigate the science of generosity AMERICANS DONATED NEARLY $300 billion in 2011, surpassing the gross domestic product of all but 33 countries in the world, according to a 2010 report by the Giving USA Foundation. And in 2010, 62.8 million people volunteered almost 8.1 billion hours in the United States, according to the Corporation […]

flight attendant woman flying on top of a paper airplane

Riding High on Good Looks

November 28, 2011 by Gary Susswein Leave a Comment

Beauty impacts hiring, salaries and profits, economist finds The best looking people earn an extra $250,000, on average, during their careers than the least attractive people and are more likely to remain employed, get promoted and even secure loans, according to a new book by University of Texas at Austin economist Daniel Hamermesh. The most […]

Next Page »
The College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin
  • About
  • Give
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin

© 2021, The University of Texas at Austin. All rights reserved. Web Policies Web Accessibility Policy. 110 Inner Campus Drive Austin, TX 78705