Issues: Fall 2019

  • Ancient Alteration

    Ancient Alteration

    Evidence showed that the Maya faced environmental pressures and responded to by converting forests to wetland field complexes and digging canals to manage water quality and quantity.

  • It’s More Than a Movie

    It’s More Than a Movie

    There is so much to be learned from film studies — about ourselves and the world around us — if we view it through a liberal arts lens.

  • Attitude Adjustment

    Attitude Adjustment

    Boosting academic success does not have to derive from new teachers or curriculum; it can also come from changing students’ attitudes about their abilities, according to the latest findings from…

  • The Taco Truck: Author Takes His Research to the Streets

    The Taco Truck: Author Takes His Research to the Streets

    Robert Lemon examines the evolution of taco trucks and how it transforms U.S. cities.

  • Moral Fuel: Energizing a New Internship Program

    Moral Fuel: Energizing a New Internship Program

    Students explore work and social justice through Jewish teachings.

  • Truman #22

    Truman #22

    Government and humanities senior Alyssa Ashcraft received one of the country’s premier graduate awards, which she will use to pursue a dual degree in law and public policy. As a…

  • A Matter of Life and Death

    A Matter of Life and Death

    In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in August, sociologists Mark Hayward of UT Austin and Isaac Sasson of Tel Aviv University examined the intersection…

  • Let’s Talk About the Liberal Arts

    Let’s Talk About the Liberal Arts

    Dean Ann Huff Stevens discusses the strengths and benefits that come with a degree in Liberal Arts.

  • Getting Ahead with World Languages

    Getting Ahead with World Languages

    From Akkadian and Arabic to Yiddish and Yoruba: The University of Texas at Austin offers courses in dozens of world languages. But why does language learning matter? In today’s world…

  • Solving the World’s Most Pressing Issues

    Solving the World’s Most Pressing Issues

    J. Thomas “Tom” Ward Photography by Brian Birzer  Education: B.A. Government ’54, The University of Texas at Austin; and M.S. Educational Administration, University of Southern California Hometown: Austin, Texas Tom…

  • History Not on Repeat

    History Not on Repeat

    Brian P. Levack Photography by Brian Birzer  Education: B.A. History ’65, Fordham University; and Ph.D. History ’70, Yale University  Hometown: New York, New York  Brian P. Levack is the John…

  • Building for the People

    Building for the People

    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…

  • The Protection of Being Known

    The Protection of Being Known

    Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Allison McNamara studies lesser known primate species that face risks of extinction.

  • Three Questions to Ask When You’re Stressed Out

    Three Questions to Ask When You’re Stressed Out

    From big class presentations and midterms to navigating the social scene and balancing a large workload, the school year — and life in general — brings on stress, but asking…

  • The Color Complex: Student Research Abroad in Ghana

    The Color Complex: Student Research Abroad in Ghana

    This summer, an International Relations and Global Studies senior was awarded the experience of a lifetime when her student research team received the UT President’s Award for Global Learning.  Christina…

  • Drawing Inspiration

    Drawing Inspiration

    Edward Carey’s office is filled with fanciful artwork, including several large drawings of the gloomy-eyed characters who inhabit his books.

  • Foreword Found: Newly Discovered Langston Hughes Essay on Race in America

    Foreword Found: Newly Discovered Langston Hughes Essay on Race in America

    Historical research can be exhausting work. Hours spent sifting through archives in search of elusive details from the past may yield nothing, but it may lead to an extraordinary discovery.…