UConn in the Media – Spring ’23
Faculty speak on religious fervor, algae as the new kale, white Christian nationalism, why they call it weed, and more.
Category: Humanities & Social Sciences
Who Betrayed Anne Frank?
“I love the hunt,” says Rosemary Sullivan ’69 MA, a queen of compelling biography. Her latest tome tackles one of World War II’s most persistent and villainous mysteries.
Bright Lights, Music City
“I’m with the band” doesn’t just work for groupies and roadies — it gets you past the bouncer if you’re the band’s lawyer, too.
When the White House Calls
For Karen Dahl ’99 (CLAS), lead architect of the Biden administration’s ambitious Public Health AmeriCorps job-training initiative, the path to a presidential appointment began with a chance encounter.
Back to Bethlehem
Revisiting Sisters Augusta and Telchilde — still plying their doctorates raising Belted Galloways and making Gouda cheese.
Engineering Her Best Self
It’s no surprise that Courtney Luker ’22 (ENG) enjoyed Playmobil when she was a kid. Lots of children do. But not too many mention their devotion to this iconic, people-centric, role-playing, let’s-build-something-fun collection on their college applications. She did.
3 Books with Stephen Slota
A triple alum and double professor Stephen Slota ’07 (CLAS), ’08 MA, ’14 Ph.D. specializes in educational game development and says his voracious childhood reading of science fiction and comics molded him into “the kind of adult who proudly displays Legos as art.”
HDFS 1060 Close Relationships Across The Lifespan
Students who take “Close Relationships” learn the reasons why some relationships work out and others don’t. After taking the class we still might not always do the right thing. But at least we’ll know what went wrong.
Speaking the Language
Adrienne Bruce is putting her pastime to the test this semester at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, on a Gilman Scholarship for undergraduate studies abroad from the U.S. State Department.
Who Is the Public in “Public Opinion”?
Former UConn President and current political science professor Susan Herbst’s latest book asks why public opinion pollsters seem to get so much so wrong these days.
All Dolled Up
“To me, American Girl dolls have always been about the historical backstory, not just the doll.”
Ready to Lead — And Serve
Caesar Valentin ’20 (CLAS) can say he opened for President Barack Obama.
Bobbie Ann Mason — Then and Now
Mason ’72 Ph.D., ’02 H says she thought often about UConn while writing her latest novel, “Dear Ann.”
Is the American Dream for Everyone?
Malachi Bridges ’21 (CLAS) wants the dream of home ownership to be a lot more equitable.
Helping Dolly Fight Illiteracy
As CEO of the Dollywood Foundation, Dotson has helped legend Dolly Parton realize and expand her vision of improving childhood literacy.
Redefining “Wealth”
For Richie Mutts ’06 (CLAS) the impulse to do good is as irresistible as an infectious melody.
It’s All Good!
The secret to happiness is revealed in the good works of these very good Huskies.
Cardona Tapped as U.S. Education Secretary
Multiple Neag School degree holder Miguel Cardona is the second UConn alum to hold a Cabinet-level position in the White House.
Elevating English Majors
English professor Gina Barreca, dubbed the “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine has kept us laughing through 10 books from “I Used to Be Snow White But I Drifted” to “If You Lean In, Will Men just Look Down Your Blouse?” Her latest, though, invites others to the party.
For Scott Wallace, Remote Learning Means Getting off the Beaten Path
The photographer and National Geographic contributor shares with us some of the hard-won wisdom he imparts to UConn’s lucky journalism students.
Let Freedom Ring
Lesedi Graveline ’17 (CLAS) says it was her UConn education that fostered her affinity for social justice.
Coveted Class: American Sign Language
Doreen Simons has one rule: No talking. Ever.
Just Folk
“Every single light bulb in my heart and soul went off,” says Lara Herscovitch ’95 MSW. “It wasn’t even a choice. I knew I had to do this.”
#BlackintheIvory: A Viral Reckoning
How communications professor Shardé Davis’ tweets turned into a movement for Black people in academia.
Take Them Down
History professor Manisha Sinha, an Indian American who is one of the world’s leading experts on the Civil War and slavery in the U.S., on removing Confederate statues.
In the Driver’s Seat
What’s keeping us out of self-driving cars? Hint: The answer has nothing to do with technology.
On the March
Senior staff editor for The New York Times opinion section Alexandra March ’10 (CLAS) penned her first opinion piece for the paper about being pregnant in a pandemic.
The New Reparations Math
Professor of public policy Thomas Craemer realized that the typical calculations concerning slavery reparations in this country simply did not add up. So he did some new math.
Dancing on a Sunday? Don’t Do That!
Mike Chase ’11 JD, author of the wildly popular @CrimeADay Twitter account, treats UConn Nation to exclusive diabolical drawings and criminally funny ruminatings.
Prized
Bryan Stevenson, the civil rights lawyer and author of “Just Mercy,” was on campus to receive the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights.
I. Am. Outraged.
Why fake news catches fire and spreads so quickly on social media.
Towering
A look at some of the 65-plus books published last year by faculty and students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
UNIV 1784: Mathematics, Political Representation, and Gerrymandering
Myron Minn-Thu-Aye wonders if math can fix gerrymandering
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar ’08 (CLAS)
Joukhadar’s The Map of Salt and Stars is being compared to The Kite Runner
Hail to the Chief
Richard Robinson ’79 (CLAS) is the Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice
Politics of Crime and Justice (POLS 3827)
This politics professor teaches crime and justice by giving students the opportunity to see how law works in real life
Akshayaa Chittibabu ’19 (CLAS)
UConn’s own Truman scholar is dedicated to health care both at UConn and globally
On The Hill
The spokesperson for the House Majority Leader says that dealing with the press corps is “her favorite thing”
No, Kanye, That’s Not How It Happened.
Manisha Sinha’s history lessons tell the truth about slavery in the United States
Taking It To The Streets
This past summer, for the first time in more than 50 years, Japanese citizens poured onto the streets in regular protest. Alexis Dudden takes us there.
The First Draft of History
Glenn Smith’s belief in community journalism often drives him toward scenes of violence including, recently, the shootings at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston.
Rock On
Robert M. Thorson is crazy about stone walls. He spent years trying to dig up proof that former University president Homer Babbidge shared that love — and along the way found evidence of UConn’s first recorded student protests.
ENGL 321: Asian American Literature
The long lines for this class are all about the professor, Cathy Schlund-Vials.
Saving Civility
Michael Lynch believes we can resuscitate civil public discourse in this country
Mission to Mars
Imagine traveling for three years and 500 million miles with five strangers, no rest stops, and no chance to get away from one another — and just to keep you on your toes, you could die any minute.
Class Action
What with tweeting and twerking, guns and gender wars, it’s as if you need a law degree to be a principal these days.
3 Books with Eva Lefkowitz
What has Professor Eva Lefkowitz been reading lately?
A Higher Minimum Wage Could Mean a Lower Rate of Child Neglect
Story from UConn Today This Just in A Higher Minimum Wage Could Mean a Lower Rate of Child Neglect Peter Morenus Kerri M. Raissian, an assistant professor of public policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, conducts research focused on child and family policy, with an emphasis on understanding how polices affect fertility, […]
HDFS 3042: Baseball and Society
This human development and family studies professor teaches history by exploring its connections to baseball.
Britney Reynolds ’19 (BUS, CLAS)
A new U.S. citizen, this psychology and business major still has a scholarship in her name in Jamaica.
Are Charter Schools the Second Coming of Enron?
Story from UConn Today The Whole Truth Are Charter Schools the Second Coming of Enron? In a research paper that’s spurring a national conversation, Preston Green III and co-authors outline the many parallels they see between today’s charter school systems and the early days of the subprime mortgage crisis, when aggressive business practices and unchecked […]
“In Russia, you simply couldn’t be a writer if you were Jewish”
Assistant professor and acclaimed novelist Ellen Litman talks about her childhood in Russia and her life in Connecticut.