News from CLASS

CLASS researcher examines how activists’ strategic communication affects social change

Social activism has been in the news quite a bit in recent weeks. From professional athletes to grassroots organizers – individuals and groups of activists have a goal of creating change. Dr. Erica Ciszek, assistant professor at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, recently completed a study about how strategic communication relates to social change. Her findings were published in the Journal of Communication, and she has been invited to give a presentation on her research at the University of Florida early next year. Read more

Addressing emotional risks firefighters face on the job

Firefighters and other first responders faced intense pressure during Hurricane Harvey. Dr. Elizabeth Anderson-Fletcher, a faculty member at Bauer College of Business and the Hobby School of Public Affairs, is co-author of a new report on emotional and behavioral risks faced by firefighters and recommendations to help. Read more

New African American Studies adjunct faculty focus on community activism

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences’ African American Studies program recently added new faculty members to their staff who will teach courses related to community activism. Charnele Brown-Dozier is teaching a course titled, “African American Experience Through Theatre;” Pastor Alexander E.M. Johnson is teaching "The Black Church in America"; and Amy DuBois Barnett will teach "African Americans in Journalism and the Media". Read more

COMD professor emeritus continues making a difference in the lives of children

On September 8 of her 89th year, Dr. Donna Fox, professor emeritus in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, spoke to the newest graduate class about diagnosis and treatment for children with cleft palates. As she walked the students through the signs and symptoms they might see in an oral-mechanism exam; she coached the students to not be distracted by observable, but inconsequential, findings. “A difference has to make a difference,” she cautioned. Dr. Fox embodies this sentiment.  Read more

Gerald Horne receives WES Award

Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston received the first-ever WES award from the St. Louis Workers’ Education Society (WES) honoring the prolific author and historian. The foundation has also established a scholarship in his name. Dr. Horne, a St. Louis native who has authored over 30 books on workers’ rights, the history of the Labor Movement, U.S. history and African American history is considered by many as the most prolific and important historian working today. He has been interviewed by C-SPAN, MSNBC, BET and many other media outlets around the globe. After Dr. Horne's undergraduate education at Princeton University, he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Temple Northup gave keynote address in Indonesia

Director of the Jack J. Valenti School of Communications, Dr. Temple Northup, traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia to present a keynote address at Universitas Bhayangkara’s international seminar on the globalization of media. Dr. Northup’s speech, “Innovation & Engagement: The Future of Digital Media,” analyzed the major trends happening right now in new media technology that will impact the future of how we interact with digital content. 

Economics student spends summer working for Congressman Joaquin Castro

Economics student Aldo Charles spent his summer on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX, 20) from San Antonio, TX. As a legislative intern, Charles attended briefings, hearings, receptions, and press events on behalf of the office; he also managed and addressed constituent concerns. Additionally, because of the research and analytical skills he has developed as an economics major, Charles was responsible for researching and drafting memos for the Congressman and his staff on legislative priorities and provided input on the possible impacts of proposed legislative items up for a vote on the House floor. Read more

Destiny Morton takes part in U.S. Olympic Committee's FLAME program

Health and Human Performance Sport and Fitness Administration graduate student Destiny Morton was selected to participate in the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere (FLAME) program, the program was held from July 25-Aug. 1, 2017 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Over the course of a rigorous seven days, FLAME attendees spend time networking with USOC employees, learning transferable professional skills and hearing from some of the Olympic Movement’s finest. Read more

Army ROTC cadets participate in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts

Over 40 Army ROTC Cadets volunteered in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to support relief efforts in the community. “We organized a large effort immediately following the storm and spent four very full days while the campus was closed to distribute donations at a donation collection/distribution center and many of those same cadets then spent days clearing and tearing out drywall in flooded homes,” said Maj Jim Horn, Chair and Professor of Military Science . Click here to see photos of the ROTC student-volunteers in action.

November 6: McGovern Lecture to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the National Women’s Conference

The University of Houston’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and co-sponsors, have invited independent scholar, renowned feminist historian, and author Martha P. Cotera to deliver the 2017 John P. McGovern Endowed Lecture in Family, Health and Human Values on Monday, November 6 at 6 p.m. in the UH Cullen Performance Hall. Special guests at the event will include Gloria Steinem, Charlotte Bunch, and Melba Tolliver who all participated in the 1977 conference. Cotera’s lecture serves as the keynote address for a two-day conference commemorating the 40th anniversary of the historic 1977 National Women’s Conference held in Houston, Texas. Learn more

November 6-7: The National Women’s Conference: Taking 1977 into the 21st Century

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the National Women’s Conference held November 18-21, 1977. At this momentous event, 2,000 elected delegates and around 32,000 observers descended upon Houston, Texas, to participate in the first and only federally funded National Women’s Conference in U.S. history. In honor of this moment, UH is hosting a  two-day conference bringing together former participants and dynamic scholars. The conference will include a roundtable discussion with Gloria Steinem, Charlotte Bunch, and Melba Tolliver discussing the legacy of the Houston Conference. The conference is sponsored by the John P. McGovern Endowment.  Learn more

UH hosts Environmental Humanities Symposium

A group of national and international researchers gathered at the University of Houston last month for a symposium in the Environmental Humanities. The event, hosted in part by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences’ Department of English, was titled Vcologies 2.0 and covered a variety of topics including ‘Worlding ecoGenres’ and ‘Energetics and the Extraction.’ “Vcologies” (“Victorian Ecologies”) is an interdisciplinary, international working group of scholars of the nineteenth century committed to environmental approaches in the humanities.  Dr. Lynn Voskuil, associate professor of English, is a founding member of the working group.  Learn more

Announcing the creation of the Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing Endowment

The Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing is the brainchild of Toni’s colleagues who worked with her in her tireless efforts over the years to encourage critical thinking, discourse, and dialog in the arts. Recognizing that there are few awards worldwide to support such efforts, they suggested the prize be created and named in honor of Toni and housed at the University of Houston. Read more

Daughter of UH's first woman and African American president joins faculty

Amy Dubois Barnett, the daughter of University of Houston's late president, Marguerite Ross Barnett, is joining the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences faculty to teach a course in the African American Studies program. President Barnett (pictured left) was UH's first African-American president and the University's first woman president, who served from 1990 to 1992. Her daughter, Amy, is scheduled to teach a course titled, "African Americans in Journalism and the Media" in the spring of 2018.

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