News

• 

  Center for Arab Studies Director Receives National Education Award

  The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) congratulates Center for Arab Studies Director and AAEF Chair in Modern Arab History Abdel Razzaq Takriti, who received the 2019 Undergraduate Education Award from the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA). Along with his co-author, University of Oxford professor Karma Nabulsi, Takriti was recognized for his outstanding work in helping fellow Middle East scholars and educators master the craft of teaching undergraduate students.

• 

  Swept Up in Emotion: Italian Researcher Reflects on the Flooding in Venice

  The images of extreme flooding in St. Mark's Basilica and other historic Venice landmarks have appalled many around the world. The damage hits particularly close to home for Alessandro Carrera, Ph.D., University of Houston Moores Professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and director of Italian Studies. A native of Italy, Carrera has conducted research in Venice and knows the city intimately.

• 

  Debunking Common Misperceptions of Asian Community Health

  Asian Americans have higher or faster-growing rates of cancer of various kinds than any other ethnic group, yet often don’t receive the necessary medical treatment. Common misperceptions about Asian health issues contribute to a lack of health awareness and a reluctance to seek care, according to research published in Public Relations Review.
• 

  Childhood Chores Not Related to Self-Control Development

  Although assigning household chores is considered an essential component of child-rearing, it turns out they might not help improve children’s self-control, a coveted personality trait that allows people to suppress inappropriate impulses, focus their attention and perform an action when there is strong tendency to avoid it. That’s the finding of a new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality by University of Houston assistant professor of psychology, Rodica Damian in collaboration with Olivia Atherton, Katherine Lawson and Richard Robins from the University of California, Davis.

• 

  Daylight Saving Time: A Bright Idea or Not?

  If you are feeling a little more rested today, you may think Daylight Saving Time had something to do with it. The practice of advancing clocks by one hour in the spring and “falling back” during autumn may have given us an additional hour of sleep; but Candice A. Alfano, professor of psychology and director of the UH Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, says our circadian rhythms – also known as our sleep/wake cycle – aren’t fooled by the change of time.

• 

  McGovern Lecture to Feature Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Historian, and Public Health expert David M. Oshinsky

  The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Pulitzer Prize-winning author, historian, and public health expert David M. Oshinsky, Ph.D., will deliver the 2019 John P. McGovern Award Lecture in Family, Health and Human Values. Oshinsky is the director of the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone Health and a professor in NYU’s Department of History. The lecture will take place Thursday, November 7 at 6:30 PM at the University Center South Theater.
• 

  Professor Named Fellow in American Academy of Health Behavior

  The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Associate Professor of Health and Human Performance Daphne Hernandez has been accepted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB). Hernandez received a unanimous endorsement from the AAHB Board of Directors on the strength of her publications, grants, and presentations, which demonstrate a sustained commitment to excellence in research and improving public health.

• 

  UH Obesity and Diabetes Program Reports Success in Houston’s East End

  One year after launching in Houston’s East End, the University of Houston’s Project TOUCH (Treating Obesity in Underserved Communities) has new and meaningful numbers to report. The effort to prevent and treat obesity, type 2 diabetes and other ailments, opened in the East End after success in Houston’s Third Ward.

• 

  UH Launches New Doctoral Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders

  The University of Houston is addressing a local and national need for more experts in speech-language pathology and audiology with the launch of a doctoral program in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD). The credential places UH among a select group of Texas universities that offer a Ph.D. in the field. The COMD department’s first class of doctoral students will begin in fall 2020.

• 

  Hope is a Key Factor in Recovering from Anxiety Disorders

  University of Houston associate professor of clinical psychology, Matthew Gallagher, has added his voice to a debate that spans the ages — the importance of hope. Gallagher reports in Behavior Therapy that hope is a trait that predicts resilience and recovery from anxiety disorders.

• 

  CLASS Mourns the Loss of One of its Own—UH Professor of Political Science Gregory R. Weiher, scholar and author, passes away

  "I am deeply saddened to announce that Professor of Political Science Gregory R. Weiher has transitioned,” said Antonio D. Tillis, dean of the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) and M.D. Anderson Professor in Hispanic Studies. “A valued member of the UH community for over three decades, Professor Weiher will be deeply missed by his students and colleagues.”

• 

  Department of English Creative Writing Program Professor Honored Among Houston’s Finest Authors

  The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Professor Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni of the Department of English will be honored at the inaugural Houston Literary Awards.
• 

  UH Receives $2 Million Commitment to Support Study of Tamil Language and Culture

  A Texas nonprofit organization with a mission to promote Tamil language, culture and literature has made a $2 million commitment to the University of Houston to establish an endowment supporting the study of Tamil heritage. The Tamil language is considered the oldest in the world — spoken by more than 70 million people worldwide — primarily in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore.
• 

  Director of Italian Studies Honored for Two New Publications

  The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is proud to congratulate Alessandro Carrera, a Moores Professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, on receiving the 2019 Flaiano Prize for Italian Studies. 

• 

  Suicide Risk Factors Vary by Ethnic Group

  Approximately 8.3 million adults in the United States reported thinking about suicide last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While thoughts and deeds are clearly different, University of Houston professor of psychology Rheeda Walker has examined both and finds that current approaches to suicide prevention are troubling, because they usually consist of a “one-size-fits- all approach.”

   

• 

  CLASS announces winners of the 2019 Ross M. Lence Teaching Excellence Awards

  The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences gives out teaching excellence awards in two categories each year, Humanities and Social Sciences. The awards are named to honor the memory of one of the University of Houston’s most inspiring teachers, Ross M. Lence, a professor of political science from 1971 – 2006.

• 

  Sociology Professor Receives Three Prestigious Honors in Three-Month Span

  The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Professor of Sociology Pamela Anne Quiroz, Ph.D., has been recognized by several local and statewide organizations for her outstanding record of service and leadership.

• 

  Adults Who Mix Cannabis with Opioids for Pain Report Higher Anxiety, Depression

  A researcher from the University of Houston has found that adults who take prescription opioids for severe pain are more likely to have increased anxiety, depression and substance abuse issues if they also use marijuana.

• 

  Professor Receives NIH Grant to Leverage Smartphones in Fight Against Parkinson’s

  The UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce that Beom-Chan Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, has been awarded a $322,324, two-year exploratory/developmental research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• 

  ‘Fake News,’ Diminishing Media Trust and the Role of Social Media

  The term “fake news” has been popularized by President Donald Trump in recent years, and while its meaning has been hotly debated, the spreading of false information to fulfill a political agenda is far from a new concept around the world. Exploring the perception of the “fake news” phenomenon is critical to combating the ongoing global erosion of trust in the media according to a study co-authored by a University of Houston researcher.

• 

  U.S. Latino Digital Humanities Program to Launch at UH with Mellon Foundation Grant

  A $750,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has been awarded to the University of Houston to establish a first-of-its-kind U.S. Latino Digital Humanities Program in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

• 

  The Role of Racial Discrimination in Alcohol Abuse

  University of Houston associate professor of psychology Andres Viana has received a $900,000 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to examine the impact of racial discrimination in moderate-to-heavy drinking adult Latinxs. Viana prefers the gender-neutral term Latinx.

• 

  Professor Recognized by American Heart Association for Diabetes Research

  The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is  pleased to announce that Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) associate professor Stacey Gorniak has been named a fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA).

   

• 

  UH Hosts First International Women’s Wheelchair Rugby Tournament

  High-octane, full-contact wheelchair rugby action is coming to the University of Houston Campus Recreation and Wellness Center this week. The Women’s World Wheelchair Rugby Invitational Clinic, presented by the Halliburton Charitable Foundation, is the first international wheelchair rugby event exclusively for women ever to be held in the United States.

• 

  Dean’s Mayoral Internship Program Gives Students Hands-On Experience in Houston City Government

  This summer, five students in the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) will get the chance to work alongside some of the city’s decision-makers. This unique opportunity is made possible through a new partnership between CLASS Dean Antonio D. Tillis and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a graduate of CLASS.

• 

  Money Talks. UH Professor Frank Holt Decodes Ancient Coins to Reconstruct History

  University of Houston history professor Frank Holt hasn’t just studied ancient history, he’s reconstructed and rewritten it. Holt has discovered kings and queens of ancient civilizations by studying the heritage of ancient coins. It’s an area of study called numismatics.

CLASS MEDIA MENTIONS