Liberalis Articles

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Sam Reeder, a data analyst focused on opinion polling for political campaigns. Sam holds degrees in political science from Utah State University and teaches at the Col...

Maria Luisa Spicer-Escalante, a professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Utah State University, is a recipient of a Fulbright Specialist Program Award for 2024-2027.

After an intense day of competition, the Utah State University Speech & Debate Team won the College Public Forum League National Championship. The championship took place virtually on May 4 and featured the country’s best novice college debate programs.

Social workers in the state may soon have access to a new certificationto provide legal guidance to underserved individuals facing debt collection.

Tammy M. Proctor, distinguished professor of history at Utah State University, is an inaugural recipient of the Hillcourt Silver Medal.

USU researchers and students led a project to better understand the impacts of increased tourism on Bear Lake ecosystems and communities.

Utah State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess L. Anderson recently spent a day visiting with students and faculty at Utah State University while discussing careers in law enforcement.

Seven Utah State University student-athlete alumni returned to the Logan campus as honored guests for Beyond Sport, an event that aimed to inspire student-athletes for life after graduation. It was hosted by CHaSS, BSAA, and USU Athletics.

USU’s Community and Natural Resources Institute (CANRI) is taking a more sustainable approach to this year’s ceremonies — and helping students in need — by recycling graduation gowns.

Amber Caron and Jennifer Sinor are among this year’s authors selected for inclusion in 2024 “best of” collections, placing them alongside some of America’s most notable storytellers and essayists.

15 undergraduate English students from Logan, Vernal, and Ephraim campuses presented at the 100th Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society Convention and won awards in three categories.

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Kat Webb, content director for the Aspire NSF Engineering Research Center on USU’s Innovation campus. When not working, Kat can be found playing soccer with her son, u...

On Friday, April 5, 2024, the USU Board of Trustees approved promotions for 15 faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The newly promoted faculty represent six departments in the college.

Susan Grayzel, history professor at Utah State University, has been selected as the 2024 Norm Jones Faculty Fellow. The 2024 Norm Jones Graduate Student Fellow has been awarded to Deven Salisbury.

The Bringing War Home project welcomes community members with an object and a story to share to preserve them in a digital archive.

Meet Mayu Mecham, a student pursuing a dual major in international studies and sociology, complemented by minors in French and anticipatory intelligence. Mayu is a recipient of the CHaSS Experiential Learning Fund.

Utah State University has been chosen to receive a $30,000 Advancing Religious Pluralism Grant from Interfaith America. This grant is a testament to USU's commitment to fostering interfaith cooperation and learning as reflected in the Interfaith Initiativ...

CHaSS sponsored Utah State University’s first-ever nonprofit career fair on March 21, 2024, which drew more than 225 students who had the opportunity to network with 29 organizations.

A new exhibition at Utah State University will spotlight Iranian international students who attended USU.

Daniel Wray ’14 is paying it forward by establishing a scholarship in the Department of English, aiming to help make the humanities and social sciences more accessible for future Aggies.

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Emilee Harmon '22, a political science graduate currently working for Congressman Steny Hoyer in Washington, DC, where she enjoys creative hobbies in fashion, plant-ba...

Meet Hannah Castro, the student behind USU's first-ever presidential podcast, “Future Casting With Utah State.” President Elizabeth Cantwell will discuss higher education, and Castro, the podcast's producer, will ensure each episode is ready for listeners...

The Tanner Symposium aims to shed light on the experiences of these women by inviting students, scholars, creative artists, and community members to learn from those sharing diverse perspectives about the Vietnam War.

To help elevate the faculty who have authored books, Julia M. Gossard, associate dean of research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS), created CHaSS Book Talks. This series invites faculty with recent publications to share their resea...

During the fall 2023 semester, USU Blanding administrators saw impressive results in the pass rates of students who were taught by Danielle Ross. The campus will now see the associate professor in history extend her stay at the campus for a second academi...

Professor Joshua Thoms’ recent publication was selected for this year’s Kenneth W. Mildenberger honorable mention by the Modern Language Association (MLA).

Three students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences came prepared to engage with legislators and share the results of their research with attendees at this year’s ROCH in the Utah State Capitol rotunda on Jan.18, 2024.

Department of English faculty and several CHaSS co-sponsors are hosting an African American Read-In during February 2024, and students, faculty, and staff are invited to collectively read "Sing, Unburied, Sing."

Utah State University Master of Second Language Teaching student Aminata Sylla is the latest recipient of a Future Immersion Teacher (FIT) Fellowship through the Albertine Foundation.

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Celina Sevilla Johnson ’21. A former English major with a technical communications emphasis, who currently enjoys living in Logan and working remotely as an editorial ...

Utah State University’s Digital Folklore Project has announced that two forms of digital folklore tied for Digital Lore of the Year 2023: “Barbie” memes and OceanGate memes.

Utah State University’s Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) announces the launch of two new initiatives: the “Transforming Communities” open-access journal and the Community-Engaged Scholar Network.

Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed is a graduate student in his second year, pursuing a doctorate in sociology at USU. He recently helped survey Utahns to see if environmental concerns affect the decision to have children.

Utah State University President’s Office recently held receptions for this year’s round of inaugural lectures. Three recently promoted faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences presented thoughtful reflections on their research and the even...

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Lakesia Lopez ‘20. After majoring in sociology-criminal justice at USU Blanding, Lakesia now finds herself the sole full-time clerk for the Blanding Justice Court.

USU’s Philosophy Club, Effective Altruism Club, and ethics classes joined forces to organize a walk-a-thon in support of the Malaria Consortium, garnering $2,085 in donations.

Earlier this semester, the Utah State University Political Science Department hosted Utah Court of Appeals proceedings on the Logan campus. Three judges including John D. Luthy, a College of Humanities and Social Sciences alumnus, heard two property dispu...

USU Associate Professor of History Danielle Ross is the recent recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) stipend to conduct research in Kazakhstan.

A dozen students were the first to complete a free eight-week course offered to community members through USU’s new “Bridging the Gap” interpreter training program.

Beau Jenson is a double major in history and political science who interned at the Utah State Capitol this summer. Jenson was awarded support from the Experiential Learning Fund to facilitate the internship.

On Sept. 21, Utah State University’s Department of English held its annual Brewer Festival of Writing. The 2023 event featured readings from visiting writer Bojan Louis and English alum Stacie Denetsosie.

Every student in Utah State University’s Japanese Language and Culture program has been paired with a Japanese-speaking tutor for weekly conversations as a part of regular coursework.

Professor Patrick Mason interviewed Father James Martin, Jesuit Catholic priest, New York Times best-selling author, and former “chaplain” of The Colbert Report. Catch up with their conversation to learn more about the Jesuits and the practice of finding ...

5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Sydney Dahle ’21. A double major in history and political science, Sydney is a public relations specialist for the College of Engineering.

We spoke with Assistant Professor of Political Science Austin Knuppe about the war in Israel and Gaza to provide context and understanding to the university community.

Aspiring writers and storytelling enthusiasts are invited to attend the 2023 Evans Writers' Workshop for Auto/Biography, Memoir and Family History. Utah State University’s Mountain West Center for Regional Studies will host its biennial writing event on O...

USU student Collin Carter spent his summer in a German chocolate factory. The Halloren Chocolate Factory’s internship is selective, but Carter made the cut and spent the summer working and living on the factory premises.

Utah State University professors in the Department of Social Work have been researching how to adapt university-level instruction for Indigenous students.

The Utah State University history club, Phi Alpha Theta, gathered students from across USU Statewide Campuses for a weekend of history. Students traveled to the Uintah Basin to learn local history from USU faculty and experience the region’s natural wonde...

The Utah Historical Society and the Bringing War Home project are collaborating to preserve and share historical materials that represent one’s past, family, and community.

Catch up with one of our esteemed College of Humanities and Social Sciences graduates. Introducing 5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad — a series highlighting the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Darcy Ritchie ’23.

The Utah Court of Appeals will hear cases on the Logan campus of Utah State University. The special oral argument session, which is open to the USU community and general public, will be held on Sept. 20, 2023.

USU’s Department of English is partnering with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to celebrate Utah’s local folklore through the Legends & Lore Marker Grant Program, which helps communities promote cultural tourism through roadside markers.

Introducing 5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad — a new series highlighting the awesome things our graduates go on to do. Meet Davis Cragun ’18 an associate at Goldman Sachs who flies airplanes in his spare time.

Utah State University’s Community and Natural Resources Institute (CANRI) recently released the findings of its 2023 Utah People and the Environment Poll (UPEP).

Introducing 5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad — a new series highlighting the awesome things our graduates go on to do. Meet Brontë Forsgren ’19, a graduate student at Princeton who is interning in Africa this summer.

Sociology's Christy Glass and Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde belong to a team of researchers taking a closer look at race in the NFL.

Research co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde and her students to was recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Associate Professor of English Jared Colton has been selected as the new associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS). Colton’s new appointment is effective on July 1, 2023.

Joseph Myers is the CEO of a nonprofit serving displaced communities in Afghanistan and Syria while pursuing a degree in international studies at Utah State University. Learn more about Allies2Refugees and hear how Myers is already applying what he’s lear...

Effective this fall, Utah State University will offer a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in criminal justice alongside its existing associate degree.

MSW student Nicole Burnard started the Willam A. Burnard Warming Center to provide temporary overnight accommodations during Cache Valley’s freezing winter months.

Assistant Professor Sydney O’Shay is studying the way communication impacts substance addiction and, more specifically, how family members are affected by the social stigmas associated with substance abuse.

Following several years of coordination and support from donors, faculty, and staff, Utah State University’s Swenson Park will open during an official celebration event hosted by the Department of English on April 26.

Two faculty members in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Utah State University, Principal Lecturer Karin deJonge-Kannan and Professor Maria Luisa Spicer-Escalante, are recipients of Fulbright Awards for the 2023-2024 season.

14 faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences were promoted in 2023. They received notice of their promotions on April 7 and represent six departments and a variety of positions with emphases in teaching, research, and professional practice....

Utah State University will hold multiple events in celebration of Ramadan from April 12-14, 2023. On the initiative of Muslim students, there are numerous departments, centers, and colleges working together with student volunteers to offer events honoring...

Susan Stryker and Taylor Petrey will visit Utah State University as part of the LGBTQIA+ Health and History Series. Coordinated by USU History faculty, the series was created to augment awareness of LGBTQ issues through visiting speakers.

Utah State University Assistant Professor of Social Work Brian Droubay was recently awarded $40,000 for a project focused on developing religious and spiritual competency among students pursuing advanced degrees in mental health.

A group of USU researchers from CHaSS is one of two teams in the state selected to participate in the 2022-23 Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Program.

The Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research (Intersections) at Utah State University will host renowned feminist scholar Sara Ahmed for a virtual event on Feb. 22, 2023.

USU’s Institute of Government and Politics helped 20 students from across the university secure internships in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. this spring, and all but four of them have connections to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) is helping to host and organize a series of events in honor of Black History Month at Utah State University. These began on February 3 and will continue throughout the month of February.

Rebecca Walton has recently been honored with two Conference on College Composition and Communication awards, winning the 2023 awards for Best Article on Philosophy or Theory and Best Original Collection of Essays in the technical or scientific communicat...

USU’s MSLT is an interdisciplinary program requiring coursework focused on language, literacy, and culture, emphasizing methodology, curriculum development, and assessment. Many enrolled students are already in-service language teachers who desire access ...

Claudia Wright is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology working on a dissertation project about migrant motherhood, specifically, the experience of Colombian mothers.

USU's Digital Folklore Project has named the hashtag #MahsaAmini, which launched a significant grassroots protest of the Iranian government’s treatment of women, the #DigitalLoreoftheYear for 2022. The Corn Kid video was a contender for the serious fun ca...

Julia Gossard, associate professor in the Department of History at Utah State University and associate dean for research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been named the 2023 Norm Jones Faculty Fellow.

After researching current shortcomings and evaluating systems in other countries, students in POLS 4800/4990: Constitutional Design/Senior Research Seminar drafted and debated a new document intended to address issues at the forefront of American politics...

The Ancient Language Working Group or “Latin Lab”, part of the Ancient Languages and Cultures graduate program in History at Utah State University, just completed a yearslong project translating a unique, untranslated manuscript called “Heroica Eulogia” w...

Utah State University students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences recently traveled off campus to meet alumni working for the Space Dynamics Laboratory. A dozen CHaSS students and staff visited the SDL facility with five current employees wh...

A new series was recently introduced to promote the creative work and research conducted in the college. The CHaSS Book Talk series was designed to help facilitate a more robust intellectual community among faculty, staff, and graduate students, centering...

A list of the books recently published by faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

The 2022 Inaugural Lecture Series saw four faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences recognized as full professors: Christopher Conte (History), Patrick Mason (Religious Studies), Brian McCuskey (English), and Rebecca Walton (Technical Comm...

Polster currently serves as the department head for USU’s journalism and communication department. Uniquely, Polster is USU’s first department head not based at the Logan campus.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences Peace Initiative will now be known as the Heravi Peace Institute. The President’s Office hosted a reception to honor Heravi’s gift to CHaSS and to formally recognize the launch of the Institute, which will be ...

Assistant Professor of Sociology Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde is a health disparities researcher and argues that if we shifted attitudes around health from the individual to the community, the chronic issues that lead to health inequities might be improved....

Utah State University’s Bringing War Home project recently held a roadshow at the USU Moab Center on Oct. 22. The event resulted in the chance to archive an additional 49 objects and five oral histories.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Rocky Mountain Chapter, hosted the 2022 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards in Phoenix, Arizona, recently and honored students and a broadcast professor from USU’s JCOM.

CHaSS alumnus Michael Harmon ‘63 has recently published “INVINCIBILIS: A William Occam Mystery."

Alex Lambert is currently a Boren scholar studying Turkish and Azerbaijani in Baku

USU Professor of Hispanic Studies JP Spicer-Escalante's artwork is now on view during the West Valley Arts' Day of the Dead events taking place Oct. 17 through Nov. 3, 2022.

CHaSS Lecturer Cree Taylor will serve as the first special assistant to the dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

USU’s Transforming Communities Institute recently hosted a special launch event to reflect on their achievements to date, honor community advocates, and share their plans for the year ahead.

Social Work student, Porscha Doucette hopes to diversify the social work curriculum. 

CHaSS has created a new fund to help Utah State University students take advantage of learning outside of the classroom.

Julia Gossard is the new associate dean for research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Chris Babits and graduate student Jace Jones set out to create a master course for HIST 1700 concurrent enrollment.

The NSF has funded a study to understand how behavioral changes affect health outcomes. Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology, François Dengah, will conduct a three-year project looking at the impact of gender roles and family life on an individual...

Pi Sigma Alpha, USU’s political science honors society, has been named the best chapter in the nation, the fifth time since 2013 that USU’s chapter has been recognized with this award.

Administered by the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State University, the 2022 Evans Biography Award went to Terryl L. Givens, and Judy Y. Kawamoto won the 2022 Evans Handcart Award.

Rails East to Ogden: Utah’s Transcontinental Railroad Story,” a publication in the Bureau of Land Management’s cultural resources series, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Dozens of Utah State University students, alumni and faculty members have been honored by the state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

USU Moab faculty member honored with distinguished Teacher of the Year awards

A senior graduating in global communication with five additional minors receives two prestigious college awards.

A long-running tradition in the classics program makes a triumphant return after a 2-year long break.

CHaSS and the Department of World Languages and Cultures are excited to announce the Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center coming to USU's campus.

Donated by longtime faculty members Lawrence "Larry" O. and Helen B. Cannon, this award is representative of Larry's desire for excellent teachers to be recognized

CHaSS faculty members are partnering with USU's Merrill-Cazier Library to develop Open Educational Resources (OER) and drive down the cost of course materials.

USU history student Rachel Walker’s undergraduate research project examines the narrative surrounding corsets and their effects on women’s bodies.

International experiences bridge generational gaps as a current USU student and a USU alum find value in their pilgrimages across the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

This USU history grad student seeks to illuminate women’s contribution in past national conflicts. In recent years, the number of women enlisted in the United States military has increased dramatically.

Following Mehdi Heravi's legacy, CHaSS has created a campaign, called “Friends of Languages,” where patrons can donate to fund a world languages and cultures student’s international study opportunities.

USU is hosting a private, virtual screening of the new documentary film Cured, a film covering the fight against the American Psychiatric Association to get them to remove homosexuality from their manual of mental illnesses.

USU’s Mountain West Center for Regional Studies hosted its annual Bennion Teachers’ Workshop for the Perpetuation of Democratic Principles on June 21-25. This workshop was held virtually and featured discussions about racial injustice in the classroom.

Rebecca Walton, USU English associate professor in the technical communication and rhetoric program and associate dean in CHaSS, recently co-edited a book titled Equipping Technical Communicators for Social Justice Work: Theories, Methodologies, and Pedag...

As the 2020-21 CHaSS sustainability intern, Madeleine Alder, then a junior in the Department of International Studies, created new resources to educate about methods of sustainable living and to promote what members of the CHaSS community were already doi...

Brian Champagne and Matthew LaPlante were recipients of multiple awards for television, radio and podcast reporting from the Utah Society of Professional Journalists.

Brian McCuskey, associate professor and associate department head of English at Utah State, recently published a book titled How Sherlock Pulled the Trick, which examines how a belief in spiritualism influenced the well-known Sherlock Holmes series.

In partnership with Brigham Young University, Utah State University is offering a 7-week intensive course on the ancient Greek language.

Colin Flint defines geopolitics as “the struggle over the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension and the use of such geographical entities for political advantage.”

In honor of Top of Utah Museum Week, which will take place Sept. 13-18, all USU main campus and USU Eastern museums, as well as the Cache Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) Museum, will offer free admission and special programming to patrons.

Utah Public Radio (UPR) is hosting a fundraiser from July 26 through Aug. 6, 2021, to raise money for the new John W. Morris Scholarship. The scholarship will fund a paid student intern at UPR beginning fall 2021.

USU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) now offers eight academic departments. Four new departments became available July 1, 2021.

Susan Polster has taken over as head of the Department of Journalism in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Polster earned her master’s degree from Utah State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming.

Avery Edenfield, USU assistant professor of technical communication and rhetoric in the Department of English, recently received an award for his research paper Queering Tactical Technical Communication: DIY HRT

Avery Edenfield, an assistant professor of technical communications and Jared-Jamal Alexander, a USU CHaSS grad student, published a research paper which explores barriers to health care for individuals who are both African American and transgender.

Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, professor of sociology at Utah State, researches issues in intersectional population health and how structural systems of inequality affect the health outcomes of diverse social groups.

Eric Reither, a USU sociologist, has received a $2.1 million grant from the NIH to find links between sleep and weight gain

USU history professor Chris Babits’ forthcoming book, To Cure a Sinful Nation: A History of Conversion Therapy in the U.S., will explore the history and research behind conversion therapy in the LGBTQ+ community.

Mark Damen, a professor of history at USU, is hosting a book club in June to discuss The Swerve, a Pulitzer Prize winning book by Stephen Greenblatt.

Intersections will offer a minors in Intersectional Gender Studies and Sexuality Studies as well as a certificate of study in Inclusive Leadership.

This spring, Palfreyman conducted an undergrad research project analyzing the dissonance that USU undergrad students feel between their religious values and their personal beliefs about queer sexual identities.

Dr. Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, assistant professor of sociology at Utah State University, has recently been named a Career Enhancement Fellow by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars.

Recent demand for law enforcement officials who understand mental health has led USU administrators to create an interdisciplinary program that combines social work and criminal justice.

USU English Professor Edits Two Issues of Langston Hughes Review. I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.

The Intensive English Language Institute enables students from around the world to pursue their dreams.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded two Utah State University CHaSS faculty members $99,891 for a two-year, community-facing project.

The Utah State University history department has created a series of events in order to show off their impressive historic cookbook collection.

Jennifer Sinor’s Essays on Loving a Broken World - In these essays Sinor takes us through the mountains, deserts, and rivers of the West and along with her travels to India.

Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies at Utah State University dissolves into two new departments.

Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology at Utah State University makes way for two new departments.

USU Uintah Basin’s professor of English, Alan Blackstock, in collaboration with Roman & Littlefield, Willa Cather, and E.M. Forester published a book titled Transatlantic Transcendentalism.

USU researchers examine how interpersonal communication has changed due to the COVD-19 pandemic and what that means for CDC guidelines.

USU fiction writing instructor Amber Caron shares her writing process foundations and offers insight into how to grow as a writer.

The Kite Sisters book More Than a Body reached #1 on Amazon’s Eating Disorder and Self-Help new release section and aims to help readers understand truths about their bodies.

Tara Westover, author of Educated A Memoir gives insight to honors writing class.

Is the pandemic an urban or a rural problem? What about both? USU's Tom Mueller, Sociology, was part of a study to find out just that; What are the effects of the pandemic on rural areas of the United States.

2020 had a lot of material for good memes so which one won the award for meme of the year?

The essay, titled “Managing Gender Care in Precarity: Trans Communities Respond to COVID-19,” addresses the effects of the pandemic on health care precarity of trans people, especially those in gender transition.

Temporary Professor Michael Otteson has designed a new philosophy course that gives students the opportunity to make real-world decisions using skills developed in the class.

A study conducted concluded that there was a significant bias in Utah against women in the law career.

Don't miss your chance to catch this exhibit done by Hispanic Studies Prof. J.P. Spicer-Escalante.

The USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) is hosting its first Sustainability Intern for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Recently, service-learning projects have been becoming an important trend in higher education. Ekaterina Arshavskaya, PhD, associate professor, explains how it is used with exchange students.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't stopped students in the USU Native American Summer Mentorship Program (NASMP) from making the most of their summer.

The impacts of the group’s research have been many and varied. W4001’s researchers have shown that the rural population was shrinking for the first time on record, due to young adult outmigration, fewer births, and increased mortality.

Dr. Shane Graham, who was recently promoted to professor of English at USU, has just published Cultural Entanglements: Langston Hughes and the Rise of African and Caribbean Literature with the University of Virginia Press.

Every year CHaSS honors some of our best and brightest students, faculty, and staff. This year is no different.

Every year CHaSS honors some of our best and brightest students, faculty, and staff. This year is no different.

In 2016, Jacob Freeman, assistant professor of Anthropology, asked a simple question: Do communities flourish more when composed of very smart people — or a more emphatic people.

Dr. Jason Gilmore suggests that we react to today's chaos by looking outward and finding ways we can contribute to the global community of which we're all a part.

Learn about the I-Systems Institute a new center at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at USU.

Alum RonNell Andersen Jones gives advice on how to use your education to become a more productive professional and citizen.

With guidance from research mentors, Koralene Tapoof redefines ‘nontraditional’ in a culture known for tradition

New Arrington Chair of Mormon Scholars is a scholar of American religious history first.

Utah State University's longtime speech and debate coach turns in his stopwatch to retire

Alumni Sharee Haggan came back to give advice to students about making a meaningful network for a professional career.

Utah State University grad student links modern medicine and obscure 17th century autopsy

Vonda Jump Norman, an assistant professor of Social Work at USU's Brigham City campus, says uncertain and tense times of spring 2020 can be considered times to make memories for kids.

A reading from Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. The novella is set in 1918 during the influenza epidemic. Read by Evelyn Funda, Professor of History

Dean Joe Ward addresses how the college has been changing due to the recent pandemic and expresses concern for current students during these trouble times.

Broadcast students in USU's Department of Journalism and Communication earned awards in an annual contest of the Society for Professional Journalists. They were especially strong in television reporting.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences urges alumni to connect with students, who would love their input and encouragement.

Utah State University’s Speech and Debate Team was awarded third place overall at a January 2020 competition at the U of U.

Utah State University’s Speech and Debate Team was awarded second place a recent competition at Linfield College, Oregon, part of the Northwest region.

Cadets of Utah State University's AF ROTC have been ranked by the U.S. Air Force as having the third highest GPA of the 145 ROTC detachments across the country.

During a visit to the Utah State Capitol, 40 Army ROTC cadets from USU met with Utah Lt. Gen. Spencer Cox, as well as officers from the Utah National Guard

C-SPAN filmed a class on the Civil War taught by Asst. Professor Angela Diaz for a history series to be aired in spring.

Authors Matthew LaPlante, journalism professor at USU, and geneticist David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School, look at what can rejuvenate human cells in their new book, "Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To."

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers seven states and is based in Denver, visited the USU campus Oct. 22 and held two hearings open to students and the public

A group of students representing many CHaSS majors took part in a day-long visit to Lehi to visit Visa and HealthEquity, leaders in Utah's Silicon Slopes.

USU social work program was ranked by a national company that only looked at tuition and expected tuition after graduation. The statewide program actually has a lot more things that explain its excellence.

The new Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research will build upon the highly successful history of the university’s Center for Women and Gender. The new center will be directed by sociology professor Dr. Christy Glass.

Shanan Ballam, a senior lecturer in the USU Dept of English, will be named Logan City Poet Laureate Aug. 20, 20919, for a five-year term.

A USU philosophy prof, Dr. Charlie Huenemann, was asked by BBC4 radio to explain centuries-old 'thought experiment' about whether our true selves endure over time

New Center for Anticipatory Intelligence trains students in multiple disciplines to be able to spot possible security threats, mostly likely from emerging technologirs, and know how to respond.

Utah State University's office for Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) provides therapists and advocates for students who've encountered any type of sexual violence.

USU's Museum of Anthropology hosts "Women Speaking to Women: The Political Art of Nina Allender," an exhibit of the political cartoons Allender created for The Suffragist.

The Cache Valley's first-ever celebration of World Refugee Day included a picnic in the park, with USU faculty such as Jess Lucero of Social Work.

'Living historians' will portray two larger-than-life persons from the suffrage/abolitionist movement of the 1800s: Orator Frederick Douglass and suffragist Lucretia Mott.

Star Coulbrooke and Shanan Ballam, the current and incoming poet laureates for Logan City, will be among a dozen or so writing specialists from USU at a June 15 symposium hosted by the League of Utah Writers.

John Seiter of Communication Studies honored as a CHaSS Distinguished Professor

An open house will bring the public into a week long conference of archaeologists worldwide discussing climate sustainable food systems at USU Uintah Basin in Vernal.

A half-hour documentary on the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike will be shown on KUED7.

USU Eastern's Police Officer Academy graduates first class of cadets after the program's expansion to USU Blanding in a new video and hands on format that is the first-of-its-kind.

CHaSS 2019 commencement has nearly 790 seniors who are potential gradates (pending spring grades). This includes graduates in the humanities and social sciences statewide.

Mehdi Heravi, who has long been generous to CHaSS, is among those receiving honorary degrees at USU's May 2019 commencement.

With a varied offering of degrees, LPCS is becoming more popular among students looking to have a career in the medical field.

Students in an upper level Technical Communications class have created projects designed to find solutions to under-addressed issues in Cache Valley. They will share ideas for community projects April 23, 2019, at the Logan Library.

An essay by USU's own Professor McGonagill about the beginnings of the USU Quidditch team and its growth into an official university club sport.

Daniel Bertrand and Frankie Urrutia-Smith, both seniors, earned the rare distinction of presenting their work at the American Historical Association.

A list of the books published by faculty of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences over the past school year.

CHaSS Criminal Justice Professor Rachel Walton is an expert on solving very cold cases.

Yun Kim Population Lab marks its 50th anniversary. It has been a great asset to demographers in USU's Sociology Department and in training students.

Ara Serjoie has been welcomed as a new member to CHaSS Advancement Board, which oversees development in the college.

In memory of Barre Toelken, the world-class folklorists who died in November 2018.

Meet the new faculty that joined CHaSS in 2018 and into the spring of 2019.

This Alaskan Native finds a home for herself, and her culture. USU commencement policy tweaked to add ethnic identities to graduation robes.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences Joseph Dean writes that artificial intelligence should always be managed by humanities-focused humans, in this regular Letter from the Dean.

Edgar R. Lewandowski came to America in 1959. Now his family is honoring him with an endowment benefiting generations of German majors

The presidents of two Utah universities, Brad Mortensen of Weber State University and Scott Wyatt of Southern Utah University, are both alumni of CHaSS.

Alumnus Greg Waddoups, senior counsel for Raytheon Co., offers students the details he wishes he'd known in college.

Popular Q&A lunches bring students, CHaSS alumni to the table to plot possible paths into the future

Dr. Norm Jones, longtime USU History professor, will retire this semester. Two gatherings will be held to allow the many students he mentored over the years to reconnect with him. April 16 in Logan, April 26 in Salt lake City.

Ten College of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty have received promotions for the 2019-20 school year, including as new professors: Christa Jones, Charles Waugh, Scott Henry

“They Shall Not Grow Old” will be shown at 7 p.m. for three nights, Tuesday, April 9, and Thursday and Friday, April 11-12, at the Utah Theatre, 18 W. Center, Logan. Tickets are $4 at the door. Prof. Ross Peterson will lead discussions beforehand.

USU Speech and Debate won the top spot at the nation’s largest comprehensive speech and debate tournament. The nine-member team finished in first place at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament.

“The Ethics of Shaming” will be the topic of the first-ever Ethics Slam in Logan, set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, at The Crepery restaurant, 25 W. Center St., Logan. Sponsored by USU Department of Philosophy.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is hosting “Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes: Kicking Off a Yearlong Celebration of Women’s Suffrage and Voting Rights,” to mark the 100-year anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment.

Hundreds of language students from Cache Valley high schools gathered at USU March 18 for the Cache Valley World Languages Fair 2019.

The 26th annual USU Creative Writing and Art Contest recognizes the best creative work by USU students.

CHaSS alumni, Tyler Buswell, Ben Kolendar and Jessie Lynn Richards, have been named in Utah Business magazine's '40 Under 40’ list as top business leaders

Things are changing behind the scenes at Utah Public Radio, but listeners will still hear a seamless stream of national and local news, original programs and lots of music.

Political Science Professor Jeannie Johnson's new book, 'The Marines, Counterinsurgency and Strategic Culture,' relates the Marine Corps' history since 1915, with special emphasis placed on the Combined Action Patrol formed during the Vietnam War.

The research and creative works symposium, now in its second year, is titled "Our Mediated World: The Many Facets of Media Research and Creative Development at Utah State."

Tori Bodine, a USU political science grad working on a statistics degree, heads to Utah's Undergraduate Research Day at the State Capitol, to report on untraceable weapons created on a 3-D printer.

Anthropology Professor Bonnie Glass-Coffin says the Interfaith Initiative has launched a new support group on campus to help students improve their mental health by discussing their religious identities.

A new exhibit at Utah State University-Blanding focuses on the tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants who labored to bring the transcontinental race to a finish line at Promontory Point in Box Elder County.

CHaSS faculty members take part in lunch series sponsored by USU's new Latinx Center, hosted by Chris Gonzalez, the center's Director and English associate professor.

Poet Gunsberg, assistant professor of English, reads from new collection of poems, "Welcome, Dangerous Life."

The winners of the CHaSS awards of excellence for 2019 have been named, including faculty and students. The awards will be presented at the CHaSS Awards Society in March.

The Point-in-Time Homelessness Count for 2019 in Cache Valley will take place the week of Jan. 21. USU assistant professor of Social Work Jess Lucero is an organizer.

Professor Cathy Bullock has been named interim department head of the Department of Journalism and Communication at USU, replacing Kim Hixson, who is leaving to be a dean at a Maryland University.

Utah State University's Digital Folklore Project has named the most influential and wide-spread memes of 2018, including the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport and the Tide Pod Challenges.

Sophomore Carlos Andres Gutierrez Gutierrez, who is majoring in Spanish and Political Science, has won the Sor Juana Award, a Utah Humanities statewide prize for original writing in Spanish.

Comm Studies’ John Seiter has been honored as a CHaSS Distinguished Professor, an honorary title that reflects his consistent excellence in teaching and research.

Patrick Q. Mason, a history professor who holds the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University, has been named the new Leonard J. Arrington Chair for Mormon History and Culture.

English students of Prof. Phebe Jensen have curated an exhibit of how Shakespeare's era looked at medicine and science. “Secrets: Shakespeare and the Connected World” continues through Jan. 5 in the Merrill-Cazier Library at USU.

Students in the CHaSS Social Work Program canvassed for donations and cash to build more than a hundred Thanksgiving dinners for Logan-based family service centers. The Thanksgiving Project is about 12 years old.

Barre Toelken died Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Logan at age 83. He spent nearly 20 years at Utah State University as a professor of English and a folklorist, eventually retiring in 2003.

Members of USU Speech and Debate team begin the 2018-19 academic year’s tournament season with three sweepstakes and other top wins on Oct. 12-14 at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore.

Nathaniel Boehme, a history alumnus of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is the nation's first fulltime coordinator for veterans. He works for the Oregon Dept. of Veterans Affairs

Records of artifacts and recorded remembrances to be included in a WWI archive

Radio personality Krista Tippett to speak on "Mystery and the Art of Living"

The annual AFROTC POW/MIA vigil on November 8-9 offers U.S. flags as reminders

See how a popular Middle Ages' heavy artillery actually worked on October 20th.

Dr. Steve Shively to lead discussion of important Willa Cather novel during exhibit.

Yun Kim demography laboratory celebrates its 50th anniversary with symposium

The Religious Studies Program at Utah State University has named three finalists in its search for the next Leonard J. Arrington Chair in Mormon History and Culture.

The Global Renaissance is the title of a series of presentations, hosted throughout this academic year, included in the 2018-2019 Tanner Talks series in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Last Lecture series aims to share a faculty member's last words before leaving USU.

Three Utah State University archaeologists process massive amounts of brand-new data

Construction of the Swenson House, an artists and writers' retreat that honors the childhood home of poet May Swenson, began with a fitting kickoff: award-winning poetry.

The long-planned Swenson House comes closer to reality with ceremony, gathering

Kolbie Blume, English 2014, answered hundreds of letters with calls for compassion and attention from Americans to Pres. Obama

The re-imagined Swenson family home will welcome community, writers and learners.

Hundreds of new and not-so-old CHaSSies gathered for this annual ritual to kick off the school year

Innovative, new 'instinctual' method of learning Ancient Greek finds success

Contest winners will read their poems at ground- breaking ceremony Sept. 18

This awards show won’t be shown on television, and evening dress isn’t required. But nine Utah State University students are seeing plenty of glitter.

Authors explore polygamy through women's diaries and the story-telling of Native Americans.

Utah Supreme Court's visit to Logan campus allows USU Tooele lecturer to see his daughter, the newest justice, at work.

Justin Barton paid for his college tuition through scrimping and an occasional overnight in the park. He now wants to hear other stories of others' college hacks

Aggies GO student analysts offer tools for making sense of crazy world events

Internships at Utah's Capitol Hill not only helps the students get a taste for their aspirations but actually makes Utah's governing body run smoother.

After years of education, Technical Communication graduate student Cana Itchuaqiyaq has come to discover her real passion: studying her native Inuit people in northern Alaska.

A walk in her shoes: May Swenson Poetry Path maps Swenson sites in Logan and beyond

English prof edits two journals on Dickinson, the anti-celebrity and environmentalist.

He’s both a pro soccer referee and Spanish lit professor. The same skills apply.

LaPlante wins ethics award for decision to keep sources safe in their wartorn world.

English professor Joyce Kinkead earns USU’s top award for her scholarship and advocacy of student inquiry

When you come across artifacts on the trail, leave it in place. And, oh, that old sliver of purple glass? It’s an artifact, too.

JCOM major Alison Berg received the CHaSS Legacy Award for courage in her student career and personal life.

Those skeptical about children’s influence in the past need only read today’s headlines, says historian

Generations of students in Ray B. West come to terms with boxelder bugs, maybe even grow to love them and the building

Viral-video creator Travis Chambers, JCOM grad, named in Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ young innovators

Utah Public Radio and Utah Statesman reporters win a shelf of SPJ awards for 2018.

Alumni Darlene Carter, Amanda Owen and Kathleen Tobey are named in magazine's recognition of state's most influential women in business.

Respected annual conference brings folklorists to USU to study today's digital folklore.

Now that everyone's in on Utah's beautiful secrets, where do we go from here?

Who started the fire? Early revolutions topic of June 4-8 event sponsored by Mountain West Center.

CHaSS graduates take the best of the college with them as they begin new lives.

Philip Barlow, the History Department's Arrington Chair for Mormon Studies, set to retire in December.

Fatal car crash is real enough to high school journalists visiting USU for annual awards event.

Members of academy's fourth-ever graduating class of new law enforcement officers are ready to serve in local law enforcement.

The cadets of Detachment 860 in Utah State University's Air Force ROTC were ranked No. 1 in cumulative GPA among all 34 AFROTC units in the Northwest Region, and No. 5 among all 145 ROTC units nationwide.

Spanish professor Crescencio López-González was awarded the Peak Prize for Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor of the Year.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences announces new professors for 2018, as well as other promotions.

Student journalists, part of the USU Civil Rights Pilgrimage for 2018, to share stories on UPR from MLK tribute in Memphis, Tennessee.

Utah State University Speech and Debate earned fourth place among 38 competing college and universities at its national tournament March 24-25.

The CHaSS community gathered for awards event to celebrate the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and friends.

CHaSS's own Joyce Kinkead earns USU’s highest research honor, the 2018 Wynne Thorne Career Research Award.

Utah Public Radio examines the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in a new original series that commemorates the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination.

A professional eastern Indian dance group will headline the Museum of Anthropology’s Family First Saturday for April with a performance and workshops in classical Indian dance for children and adults.

Dr. Colleen O’Neill, associate professor of History, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Center for Women and Gender at USU for her scholarship and Cache County-based activism.

Travis Chambers has found success in sharing his creativity and making people laugh with work produced in his growing studio, Chamber Media

Utah's Supreme Court will hear business as usual in a provisional courtroom on USU's campus. The March 19 proceedings, beginning at 10:30 a.m., are open to students and the public.

New CHaSSy Awards open the curtain on alternative venues for writing through film and scripts.

Army Major Klint Kuhlman joined the military at a time the U.S. was not at war. Now he's creating the leaders for today's very different world.

USU's Digital Folklife Project announces winner of 2017 Digital Trend of the Year: Themes of resistance reflected in 2017’s hottest internet trends like #MeToo.

Dean Joe Ward names 6 long-time CHaSS faculty members as Distinguished Professors

Derrik Tollefson, Professor of social work, tells Inaugural Lecture gathering that his Life Work has Been Safeguarding, Advocating for Victims of Abuse

Alumnus Glade Myler visited an Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition class to share his own poetry, which is written in multiple languages.

Alumnus Glade Meyer visited an Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition class to share his own poetry, which is written in multiple languages.

Hundreds of thousands of young men died in combat or sickness in a war so catastrophic and unthinkable and sweeping that their mothers and buddies called it simply The Great War.

Susan Polster, editor and mentor for 40 years of fledgling college journalists

English professor has role in nurturing American novelist’s continuing legacy

For a language created centuries ago, Latin remains a dominant force in the modern world.

Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadet Sara Albertson redefines ‘rank and file’

CHaSS folklorists and fans look forward each December to the year’s most feted event: The announcement of the Digital Trend of the Year.

The topic: Dude ranches. The place: The picturesque slopes of the Tetons. The takeaway: A bat’s bite is so tiny it can’t be felt by a sleeping person.

In the social sciences, we research people. It rests right in the name of our college: Humanities and Social Sciences.

Read several stories highlighting different research abroad programs at CHaSS.

Communication Studies grad parlays notebooks into brick-and-mortar schools.

Faculty-Student Mentorship Grants end first year as a success. Read about highlights from the program.

Dr. Anthony Peacock, Political Science Department head, has been appointed to Utah branch of U.S.Commission on Civil Rights

The air is crisper. The mountainsides are tinged with orange. That must mean we're close to another fall tradition: UPR's bi-annual Pledge Drive.

Julia Gossard, expert on childhood in medieval France, has published two journal articles

Join CHaSS in welcoming eight new faculty members for the 2017 fall semester.

One key to understanding Mormonism's prophetic founder, Joseph Smith, is to grapple with his sharply distinctive practice of “translation.”

Videos of 'New Perspectives on Joseph Smith and Translation' conference now online, at faithmatters.org

A 1999 Utah State University graduate in English has been named the 2018 Utah Teacher of the Year.

Upcoming Civil Rights 'Pilgrimage' Translates History to a Personal Level. Seven day trip beginning March 31, 2018, will travel to spots important in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Perspectives on Effective Teaching in DLI and Foreign Language Classrooms" is available; editors include USU faculty Karin deJonge Kannan and Maria Luisa Spicer Escalante

Eric Reither, a USU sociologist, has received a $2.1 million grant from the NIH to find links between sleep and weight gain

History | James E. Sanders | Democracy in Las Americas, additional journal article

Greg Goelzhauser has published an article in the Journal of Law and Courts titled "Does Merit Selection Work?"

To better understand the allure and devastation of opioids, with overdose deaths rising nearly 20 percent last years, UPR staffers have sought stories from Utahns about their own struggles.

Research on women in the world of business, conducted by the interdisciplinary team of sociology professor Christy Glass and business professor Alison Cook, has been used as an authoritative source by the New York Times.

2017 JCOM grad, now a UPR veteran, Aimee Cobabe takes her talents to central Utah radio station as news director.