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The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the heart of the University, dedicated to spurring intellectual curiosity, creativity, and transformative education. Encompassing humanities, social sciences, and health sciences, CLASS is truly a mosaic of disciplines that broaden perspectives, inspire potential, and advance possibilities yet unimagined.

CLASS Announces the New Special Committee on Race and Social Justice

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News Archives

CLASS Mourns the Loss of UH Professor Emeritus of Health and Human Performance, Dale Gordon Pease
"I am saddened to announce that Dr. Dale Gordan Pease, professor emeritus of Health and Human Performance (HHP), has passed away,” said Dr. Daniel P. O’Connor, interim dean of the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS). “Dr. Pease was genuinely and selflessly engaged in ensuring the success of students, particularly graduate students.”
History Professor’s Book on Outspoken Congresswoman Garners National Reviews
Associate Professor of History Leandra Zarnow wrote “Battling Bella: The Protest Politics of Bella Abzug” to preserve the legacy of outspoken and pioneering civil rights advocate Bella Abzug. Abzug, who in 1971 was one of 15 women to serve in the United States House of Representatives, lent her voice to the debate on issues like gay rights, women’s rights and foreign policy.
New African American Studies Scholarship Honors Houston-Area Social Justice Leader
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is proud to announce that Director of African American Studies James L. Conyers, Jr., Ph.D., has established the William Alexander Lawson Social Justice Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship honors the remarkable legacy of civil rights advocacy and social justice activism that Rev. Lawson has built over seven decades as one of Houston’s most influential civic and religious leaders.
Cristina Rivera Garza Named 2020 MacArthur Fellow
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is proud to announce that Cristina Rivera Garza, Ph.D., founder and director of the UH doctoral program in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in creative writing in Spanish, has received a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship.
Read UH News Release
History Professor Takes Tough Stance Against Waste and Environmental Racism
As wildfires rage through West Coast communities and Houstonians keep watch on another severe hurricane season, History Professor Emeritus Martin Melosi, Ph.D., is once again in the spotlight for his writing and research on urban waste, pollution, and climate change. His work on environmental racism—the ways in which ecological hardships disproportionately affect communities of color—feels especially timely in light of ongoing conversations around racial justice in the United States.
Biden Leads President Trump by 41 Points Among Texas Latino Voters
Just hours ahead of the first Presidential debate, a new poll reports that Latino voters in Texas overwhelmingly prefer Democratic nominee Joe Biden to President Donald Trump.

The poll released this week by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston (CMAS) and Univision found Biden leading with 66% of the Latino vote, compared with 25% for Trump.
Pandemic Sets Off Future Wave of Worsening Mental Health Issues
Long after a COVID-19 vaccination is developed and years after the coronavirus death toll is tallied, the impact on mental health will linger, continuing to inflict damage if not addressed, according to new research. Michael Zvolensky, University of Houston Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and director of the Anxiety and Health Research Laboratory/Substance Use Treatment Clinic, has published two papers discussing the psychological, addictive and health behavior issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic from a behavioral science perspective.
UH Center for Mexican American Studies Wins Prestigious Grant
Out of a highly competitive group of global applicants, the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) has won a prestigious COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant awarded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).
Examining the History of Policing and Race Relations in Houston
Amid the ongoing national conversation on policing in America, the University of Houston Center for Public History is hosting a virtual panel discussion to examine how past events could lead to effective change in the present. "Black, Brown, and Blue: A Historical Discussion of Policing in Houston," will take place Thursday, Sept. 24, at 3:30 p.m. via livestream.
Older Women with Type 2 Diabetes Have Different Patterns of Blood Use in their Brains
A University of Houston researcher is reporting that the brains of older women with Type 2 diabetes do not use as much oxygenated blood as those who don’t have the disease. The research is the first to point to changes in blood use in the brain as the primary reason for diabetes-related deficits in motor function.
Ruha Benjamin Headlines the McGovern Lecture and Kicks Off the first CLASS 2020-21 Lecture Series on Race and Social Justice
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that noted scholar, author, and Associate Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, Ruha Benjamin, Ph.D., will deliver the 2020 John P. McGovern Award Lecture in Family, Health, and Human Values. Benjamin’s address will serve as the kickoff to the CLASS 2020-21 Lecture Series on Race and Social Justice, a series of seven lectures on race and social justice topics, beginning September 17, 2020.