Uncategorized
-
Crime on the Rise?
Public perception of crime remains out of sync with reality, criminologist contends A jarring statistic you’re not likely to hear on the evening news: the homicide rate has been declining since the 1300s. Sociology professor Mark Warr, who has studied social reaction to crime for three decades, offers that up as a reality that doesn’t…
-
Lessons of the Immigrant Experience in Texas
Museum exhibit highlights Galveston as America’s Forgotten Gateway While riding a ferry to America’s most famous port of entry, Ellis Island, with a group of Texas high school students on a Jewish heritage tour, Suzanne Seriff began to wonder about the lesser-known gateways to America. Her curiosity about Galveston’s largely forgotten history as a major…
-
Teaching the Bible in Public School
Professors guide high school instructors on approaching Scripture as an academic subject What is the latest event in Second Kings?” No response. Professor L. Michael White, the Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins, had momentarily stumped 21 Texas high school teachers gathered in a second floor Waggener Hall classroom. “You’re becoming biblical…
-
The Many Voices of Feminism
Scholars discuss the most important challenges facing women in the 21st century In the post-feminist era of the 21st century, are the aims and goals of feminism still relevant? Will feminism survive the rush to globalization? What universal lessons can we learn from the unique ways women around the world have advanced their concerns? These…
-
Gateway to the Americas
Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies With its geographic, historical and cultural connections, Texas is uniquely poised to serve as the world’s gateway to Latin America. And with long–standing academic and personal connections throughout the hemisphere, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are uniquely qualified to serve as ambassadors to the…
-
In Memoriam: Spring 2009
Graduate Coordinator Kathy Ross died Jan. 3, after a battle with ovarian cancer. Ross joined the Department of Linguistics as a senior office assistant in 1990. In 1991, she was promoted to graduate coordinator, a position she held until her death. For 18 years, she guided hundreds of students through the graduate program. Emerita Professor…
-
Alumni News: Spring 2009
Texas Exes: 2008 Distinguished Alumna Linnet Frazier Deily (B.A. Government, ‘67) has served as the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, vice chair of Charles Schwab Corp., and as a member of the university’s Board of Regents. She has pursued a career in international banking and investments, rising to become president…
-
News & Notes: Spring 2009
Anthropologist Brings Lucy the Famous Fossil to University Non-Invasive Scan Offers new Insights into Ancient Human Ancestor Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with the Ethiopian government, have completed the first high-resolution CT scan of the world’s most famous fossil, Lucy, an ancient human ancestor who lived 3.2 million years ago.…
-
Head of the Class
UTeach bolsters nation’s schools one at a time Picture a new high-school teacher on her first day, fresh out of college, with an idealized image of what’s in store for her: deferential students, coherent lesson plans, a supportive administration. One or two months later, too often, that optimism has been replaced by dismay, frustration and…
-
Global Safeguards: Practical Solutions
Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law brings together the best minds in academia, government and the private sector to develop practical solutions to the pressing problems of an increasingly globalized world. Randy Diehl, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, serves on…
-
Assignment Abroad
From Argentina to Vietnam, students explore the world in quest for global citizenship Life-changing. Transformative. Inspiring. These are the dramatic descriptions that often excitedly tumble forth when students return from study abroad, says Terri Givens, vice provost and associate professor of government, who oversees the university’s International Office. And for most students, the hyperbole matches…
-
Translating the Arab World
Language, religion and culture are keys to understanding diverse region The Arab world comprises more than 300 million people in 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It is a rich and diverse culture, but one few Americans are familiar with. While more than one million Arabs live in the United States, the…
-
Citizen Jane
Constitution helps define women’s civic membership and creates social roles Chile, Germany, the Philippines and Liberia. What do these countries have in common? A woman holds the top political office in each country. Now, name five female politicians in the United States government—other than Hillary Rodham Clinton or Condoleezza Rice. Having trouble? Americans take pride…
-
Politics in the Pews
Researchers explore the role of religion in mobilizing African-American voters The Sunday morning worship at Red Memorial* progresses like many services in African-American churches. Parishioners sing classic hymns, clapping and swaying along to the music. The pastor, the Rev. Red, greets the congregation the same way she does each week. However, there’s something different about…
-
A Red and Blue Nation?
Political scientist debunks two common myths about American voters High voter turnout helps the Democrats. Late-deciders vote for the challenger. Political polarization has left the American electorate deeply divided between “red” and “blue” states. Right? Wrong. Turn on any cable news channel during an election year and you will find these and many other popular…
-
Party Polarization
Government scholar examines changes in constituencies and Congress to reveal what’s behind the political divide Article I All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress. —Mark Twain The…
-
Mr. President
Keeping an Eye on the Oval Office Every day, Bruce Buchanan brings people closer to the President of the United States. Reporters, policy analysts and students regularly call upon the government scholar for his insights into the American presidency—and for his unique ability to make sense of the ever-changing political landscape. The nationally recognized expert…
-
Books That Changed America
Scholars explore seminal works that shaped our nation’s history Have you ever stayed up all night reading a book you just couldn’t put down? Felt unreasonably annoyed when a well-meaning friend interrupts your reading time? Found that a book that you’ve read changed your mind and challenged you to change the world you live in?…
-
We the People
Meet the Historians who Present and Preserve America’s Stories From the American colonial heritage to World Wars I and II to modern business, the Department of History brings together some of the nation’s most recognized scholars to examine the grand narrative—and individual stories—of the United States. The scholars have built a top-ranked history department and,…
-
FDR: Traitor to His Class?
Historian H.W. Brands reviews president’s command performance, popular appeal and Depression-era policies In 1932, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt campaigned for the United States presidency, the country was in the darkest days of its deepest depression. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. workforce was unemployed. Across the country, millions were homeless, farms were failing, industrial production was…
-
Jewish Life in the Americas
The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies More than 400,000 Jews reside in Latin America, comprising the fifth largest community of Jews after the United States, Israel, the former Soviet Union, and France. Their stories and experiences are a major focus of research and teaching at the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies, which encompasses the history,…
-
In Memoriam: Fall 2008
Charles Bonjean, emeritus professor of sociology, died Feb. 20 at the age of 72. The former executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health taught at the university for 40 years. Bonjean served as chair of the sociology department from 1972 to 1974 when he was appointed Hogg Professor of Sociology, a position he…
-
Event Spotlights: Fall 2008
Crisis in Darfur: Nigerian Nobelist Wole Soyinka Urges International Community to Remember the ‘Tree of Forgetfulness’ When Tola Mosadomi, assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies and affiliate of the Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, was an undergraduate student at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, she sometimes saw poet Wole Soyinka walking…
-
Research Briefs: Fall 2008
Why Pregnant Women Waddle The human spine evolved differently in males and females in order to alleviate back pressure from the weight of carrying a baby, according to anthropologist Liza Shapiro whose findings were first documented in Nature. The researcher believes the adaptation first appeared at least two million years ago, in the early human…
-
Pop Goes Philosophy
Professor draws upon popular culture to illutrate today’s moral issues In a popular episode of “The Simpsons,” Homer secures an illegal, free cable television hookup. Lisa is appalled by her father’s crime and faces an ethical crisis. She announces her moral objection to stealing and refuses to watch the stolen cable TV programming. Homer later…