May 2016

Congratulations to our Graduates!

Congratulations to the 1,600+ spring graduates from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences! We'd also like to acknowledge these exceptional seniors: China Newman (English)--Outstanding Senior Award; Jacquelyn Oesterblad (Political Science/Middle Eastern and North African Studies)--SBS Undergraduate Research Award; Zazil Davis-Vazquez (Latin American Studies/Geography)--SBS Excellence in Leadership and Community Engagement Award; Lucille Randazzo (Creative Writing/English)--SBS Student Success Award; and Cicely White-Lee (Communication)--SBS Perseverance Award. SBS's Convocation Recognition Ceremony is Saturday, May 14 in the McKale Center.

SBS Features


	*Maria Escalante, with Dean John Paul Jones III (left) and Ronald Trosper, an American Indian Studies professor.*

Several SBS Programs Ready to Graduate First Students

Jerry Antone and Maria Escalante are the first graduates of the UA's B.A. degree in American Indian Studies. They are among several students to be the first to graduate from their programs. More


	Kerri Lopez from House of Neighborly Service visited with students in Anthropology 200.

Documenting Arts and Culture in South Tucson

As part of a community development plan, undergraduates in Anthropology 200 canvassed South Tucson this semester to create an asset map of the city. "In the process of completing these inventories, students are learning skills of interviewing, documentation, planning and cross-cultural understanding," said Maribel Alvarez, an associate professor in the School of Anthropology and the Southwest Center. More


	*Lexie Sorrentino*

Engagement Course with Children's Museum Inspires UA Students

This semester, students in Linguistics 392/492 spent many hours at Children's Museum Tucson, collecting survey data and illustrating how children can learn about science through play.

"I learned so much in the class," said Noemi Rodriguez, a linguistics major. "I found my calling, which is that I want to work for a nonprofit and help address specific issues that are happening in neighborhoods that are at an economic disadvantage." More


	Tyina Steptoe

Investigating Transitions in Race and Gender

Tyina Steptoe, an assistant professor in the Department of History, uses culture--especially music--to unpack transitions in race and gender in the 20th century.

In her book Houston Bound: Culture and Color in a Jim Crow City, Steptoe examines how, despite Anglo attempts to fix racial categories through Jim Crow laws, the migration of Creoles and Mexican Americans into Houston in the 1920s introduced different understandings about race. Steptoe is at work on her next book project, investigating the relationship between popular musicians and notions of gender. More

Are You Jealous of Your Partner's Smartphone?

A recent study found that people who felt their partners were overly dependent on their smartphones were less satisfied in their relationships. "It's not use; it's the psychological relationship to that device," explains Matthew Lapierre, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, who authored the study with his former undergraduate student Meleah Lewis. More


	*UA journalism team*

Drone To Help Journalism Students Tell Border Story

Finding new ways to tell a story--from hundreds of feet in the air--students in the School of Journalism will use drone videography and 360-degree virtual reality in the fall to compare security in U.S. border regions along Mexico and Canada. More

City of Gastronomy News

BizTUCSON ran a story on Tucson's designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, which featured Gary Paul Nabhan, director of the UA Center for Regional Food Studies. More

Also, Maribel Alvarez, an associate professor in the School of Anthropology and the Southwest Center, was interviewed in the below Arizona Public Media video on Tucson's recognition.

SBS News Briefs


	*Laura Diakiw*

* Four SBS students received the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to study such topics as the gut microbiome of olive baboons, developmental plasticity in the knee joint, Unangam Tunuu language revitalization, and the Mayan language K'iche'. More

* Monica Casper, a professor of gender and women's studies and SBS associate dean for academic affairs and inclusion, wrote an essay titled "Why we need Mother's Day, all year long." More


	*Eleni Hasaki (left)*

* Anthropologist Eleni Hasaki was recognized as a Margaret M. Briehl and Dennis T. Ray Five Star Faculty Award finalist this spring. More

* Four School of Journalism alumni had a hand in the Los Angeles Times winning the Pulitzer Prize for its staff coverage of the San Bernardino mass shooting. More


	*Cover of the latest "SciView" magazine*

* A unique course and project with Arizona Public Media brought together science and journalism students to produce a magazine. The students also tell those stories in front of a camera. You can catch SciView on Arizona Illustrated this week! More

* Professor Maribel Alvarez discusses the importance of the ritual and tradition of graduation ceremonies here.


	*Fred Kiefer*

* It's not too late to hear two of our English professors speak about Shakespeare! Fred Kiefer discussed "What did playwrights do when Shakespearean theatres closed?" and Tom Willard spoke on "The Witches in Macbeth" as part of UA Libraries' "Early Books Lecture Series." The audio recordings are here and here.

* The UA is engaging children in science and art through programs such as the Community and School Garden Program. More


	*Susan Sryker*

* Susan Stryker, a professor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies, wrote the op-ed "No one should be stigmatized or criminalized when they answer nature's call." More

* Smithsonian.com covered the "Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press Collection," a collaboration between the Department of Mexican American Studies, the School of Journalism, and UA Libraries. More


	*Nancy Parezo*

* The story "The squaw dress: A patch of Tucson's fashion history" features the work of Nancy Parezo, professor of American Indian Studies and anthropology. More

* William Cotter, a joint Ph.D. student in anthropology and linguistics, was quoted in the op-ed "I'm afraid to speak Arabic on Southwest Airlines." More

* Celeste Gonz�lez de Bustamante, an associate professor in the School of Journalism, was quoted in the story "Cowed by cartels? Mexico journalists find new ways to get the word out." More

Dept News

American Indian Studies

Anthropology

Ctr. for Middle Eastern Studies

Communication

Economics
English

Freedom Center

Gender and Women's Studies

Geography and Development

Government and Public Policy

History
Information

Journalism

Judaic Studies

Late Medieval & Reformation

Latin American Studies

Linguistics

Mexican American Studies

Middle Eastern & N. African St

Upcoming Events

Tucson Poverty Project Community Forum

Presented by the School of Sociology
Thursday, May 12, 1 p.m.
Location: Habitat for Humanity, 3501 N. Mountain Ave.
More

"Prince: A Tribute to His Music and Legacy"

Presented by the College of SBS and The Loft Cinema
Monday, May 16, 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
Join us for a special tribute to the music and legacy of "His Royal Badness," featuring a curated collection of Prince music videos and movie clips, followed by a discussion of all-things Prince with Don Traut, associate professor of music, and Stephanie Troutman, associate professor of English.
Free admission!

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