About the College

The College of Liberal Arts is the largest school at the university. We offer more than 55 majors through 20 academic departments and two-dozen centers and institutes. And we’re committed to the idea that understanding history, society and culture helps students better understand — and, ultimately, thrive in — the world beyond campus.

In the News

Sleep Loss Negatively Affects Split-Second Decisions

Sleep deprivation

According to new research by psychologists Todd Maddox and David Schnyer, sleep deprivation adversely affects automatic, accurate responses and can lead to potentially devastating errors, a finding of particular concern among firefighters, police officers, soldiers and others who work in a sleep-deprived state. Read more about their study.

Anthropologist Works to Preserve Dying Sign Languages in Thailand

Angela Nonaka, assistant professor of anthropology who specializes in linguistics, works to preserve endangered sign languages that have gone unnoticed and undocumented in village communities in Thailand. By examining and documenting hand configurations, gestures, color terminology and baby talk, she is able to analyze and compare Ban Khor Sign Language to American Sign Language, as well as to all other natural human languages. Watch the full-sized video to learn more about her research.

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News

New center to promote foreign language study

A new, first-of-its-kind language center will help develop standards and benchmarks for teaching foreign languages at The University of Texas at Austin and serve as a resource for faculty and departments.

Hip hop theater artist explores life's meaning

Event: The John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin presents "Streeetch Marks," a hip-hop theater performance by Greek-American theatrical artist Angela Kariotis. When: Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Where: F. Loren Winship Drama Building, room 2.180 Background: A part of the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies'

First impressions count when judging personality

First impressions do matter when it comes to communicating personality through appearance, according to new research by psychologists Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University and Sam Gosling of The University of Texas at Austin.

Winners of the Hamilton Book Awards announced

Thomas McGarity and Wendy Wagner won the $10,000 grand prize at the Hamilton Book Awards for their book, “Bending Science: How Special Interests Corrupt Public Health Research" on Oct. 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin.

TLTC to develop low-cost alternative to textbooks

Carl Blyth, director of the Texas Language Technology Center (TLTC) at The University of Texas at Austin, has won a two-year award of $263,0000 from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) to develop a sustainable publishing model for foreign language instructional materials to combat the rising costs of textbooks.