Welcome to CLASS

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.

University of Houston Commencement
Spring 2021

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Time: 10:00 a.m.
(Commencement ceremony dates, times, formats are subject to change.)
Location: TDECU Stadium, UH Campus

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Latest News

News Archives

Grigorenko Earns Prestigious Fulbright Award
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is pleased to announce that Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology Elena Grigorenko, has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Saudi Arabia during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Astronauts’ Mental Health Risks Tested in the Antarctic
University of Houston professor of psychology Candice Alfano developed the Mental Health Checklist, a self-reporting instrument for detecting mental health changes in isolated, confined, extreme environments.
Nine CLASS Students Awarded Critical Language Scholarships
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that nine CLASS students in various fields of study have received the prestigious Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), setting a new record for the University of Houston. Queen Epomba, Omar Harb, Tia Hufstetler, André Mikhail, and Kareem Soussan were selected to study Arabic through the CLS, while Kainat Aziz, Hamad Khan, David Paul Hilton and Nimra Zubair were chosen to pursue Russian, Urdu and Mandarin.
UH Researcher Joins Team Developing Opioid Vaccine
Therese Kosten, University of Houston professor of psychology, has joined a team of vaccine scientists developing an opioid vaccine targeting fentanyl.
UH Receives Mellon Foundation Grant to Establish Puerto Rican Literature Database
Gabriela Baeza Ventura, executive editor of Arte Público Press (APP) and co-founder of the U.S. Latino Digital Humanities program at UH, will lead the project in collaboration with a collective, or Colectivo, of prominent scholars, writers and translators from Puerto Rico and the U.S. diaspora.
Guggenheim Fellow
As an award-winning literary artist, Roberto Tejada has penned more than a dozen books throughout his illustrious career, but it’s his most recent collection of poems, started in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, that has earned him a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
English Professor Wins Outstanding Fellowship Mentor Award
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Sally Connolly, associate dean for student and faculty success and associate professor of contemporary poetry, has been awarded the Outstanding Fellowship Mentor Award by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards (OURMA).
Six CLASS Professors Earn Office of the Provost Faculty Excellence Awards
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) wishes to recognize and congratulate the six CLASS professors who have received the 2021 Office of the Provost Faculty Excellence Awards. These awards rank among the most prestigious in the entire University of Houston System, carrying cash prizes across various categories that highlight the unique skill sets and contributions of the recipients.
Political Science Graduate Program Enters National Top 50
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) Department of Political Science celebrated an exciting milestone last week, breaking into the top 50 of U.S. News and World Report’s 2021 rankings of the best graduate programs in the discipline. The publication's prestigious and influential rankings, which rely on peer institutions' survey data, reflect the growing impact of the research and scholarship from the department's graduate students and faculty.
Pair of Psychology Professors Win Prestigious UH Awards
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) congratulates Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology Elena L. Grigorenko, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Psychology Anka A. Vujanovic, Ph.D., for receiving 2020-21 Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity. These awards recognize UH faculty at the associate professor, assistant professor, and professor levels for their outstanding research, scholarship, or creative endeavors.
The Importance of Family Time During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of millions of Americans, but a study by the University of Houston finds that Hispanic/Latinx adolescents who had elevated levels of mental health problems prior to the pandemic actually experienced a reduction in symptoms during the early stages of the public health crisis.
Francine J. Harris Receives 2020 National Book Critics Circle Poetry Award
The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) and the Department of English are pleased to announce that Associate Professor of English Francine J. Harris is the winner of the 2020 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award for poetry. She received this honor for her most recent work, “Here is the Sweet Hand” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2020).
$4.5M Gift Supports Student, Faculty Success and New Lecture Series on Equity and Social Justice
The University of Houston has received a $4.5 million gift from the Thomas Michael Panos Family Estate to establish an endowed chair in the Cullen College of Engineering; a scholarship endowment available to students throughout the University; and an endowed lecture series focused on equity and social justice.