($20 family members/$10 UT students)
To register for the Liberal Arts Family Dinner Extravaganza, click here.
Breakfast, Open House, and Mini-Classes with Faculty, Saturday, Oct. 22.
(no registration required)
Join Liberal Arts deans, faculty, and student members of the Liberal Arts Council for an evening of dinner, conversation, and entertainment. You will have a chance to hear Dean Randy Diehl talk about the college as well as meet and share ideas with some of our faculty and students. Dinner will be followed by a variety of dance, theater, and musical performances by Liberal Arts students.
Enjoy a complimentary light breakfast with other families on the grassy lawn of the Tower’s South Mall amid our beautiful Liberal Arts buildings. Throughout the morning you can visit information tables hosted by Dean’s Office advisors, UT and Liberal Arts study abroad, Liberal Arts Career Services, Liberal Arts Parents’ League, and the Liberal Arts Council. There will also be information sessions presented by the directors of various offices and programs throughout the morning.
Helping students graduate with a high-quality educational experience in a timely manner is one of the college's most important goals. Come learn about the role academic advisors play in fostering this goal by helping students stay on track to graduate; how students can incorporate an enriching study abroad experience into their college careers and still graduate within four years; and how Liberal Arts Career Services is helping students explore internships and other valuable growth opportunities while maintaining steady progress towards their degrees. Each session will be followed by a brief question and answer period. Families will be welcome to come and go as they please during these sessions.
9-9:30 a.m. Welcome, Associate Dean Marc Musick
9:30-10 a.m. Dean’s Office Student Division, Dean’s Office Advisors
10-10:30 a.m. Liberal Arts Study Abroad, Priscilla Ebert, Coordinator
10:30-11 a.m. Liberal Arts Career Services, Kate Brooks, Director
Attend any of the six short courses that will be taught by some of the most talented faculty in the college. Classes are 40 minutes long and cover a variety of topics and issues.
FAMILY WEEKEND MINI-CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
9:30 a.m.
The Consumer as Saint or Sinner in American History
Penne Restad, Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Department of History
Recipient of the Regents' Outstanding Teacher Award, Ransom Teaching Award, Dads' Teaching Fellowship
Americans haven't always been consumers, but our history shows us that what we buy-and when we buy it-reveals much about our society and its values. Buying tea during the American Revolution: Sinner. Buying anything during the Great Depression: Saint. Spending a day in Wannamaker's Department Store in 1870: Sinner. Buying a War Bond in 1942: Saint. In this class, Professor Restad will examine the factors involved in making these kinds of personal economic decisions in a historical context.
Stress and Coping
Charles (Josh) Holahan, Professor, Department of Psychology
Recipient of the Jeanne Holloway, President's Associates, Dad's Association, Raymond Dickson, and Regents' teaching awards
Stress is an unavoidable feature of modern life. In this class, Professor Holahan will address several questions concerning the stress process. What type of stressors are most damaging to our health? Why are our bodies poorly prepared for modern stressors? What are the most effective ways to cope with life stressors?
10:20 a.m.
Sexual Revolutions in History
Judith Coffin, Associate Professor, Department of History, Center for Women's and Gender Studies
Recipient of the William David Blunk Memorial Professorship and the President's Associates' Award for Teaching Excellence
We are now 50 years from the time the FDA first approved "the pill," which is the most recognizable symbol of the sexual revolution. Professor Judy Coffin, who also teaches classes on the French revolution of 1789, will discuss revolutions, how and why they happen, and how historians think about their causes and consequences. She'll give examples from the long history of private life and sexuality, and she will share some of her research on sexuality, contraception, and families in France in the 1950s and 60s, just before the dramatic transformations brought by the pill.
Beauty Pays
Daniel Hamermesh, Sue Killam Professor in the Foundations of Economics, Department of Economics
Recipient of the President's Associates' Award for Teaching Excellence
Reporting on his new book, Beauty Pays, Professor Hamermesh will discuss how the scarcity of human beauty gives good-looking people advantages at work, in the hunt for spouses, in getting loans, and in other areas. He will also examine why this happens, how it affects companies, and whether public policy should be involved with looks discrimination.
11:10 a.m.
Carmen, Chameleon: Literary Adaptations and Revisions
Jennifer Wilks, Associate Professor, Department of English
Recipient of the Raymond Dickson Substantial Writing Component Teaching Award
What does 19th-century opera have to do with 1980s New Wave pop? What does a novel set in early 20th-century England have to do with a 21st-century American college campus? In this session, Professor Wilks will address these questions and consider the qualities that make stories compelling in their own time as well as ripe for reinvention and retelling over the ages.
Primates of West Texas
Chris Kirk, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
Recipient of the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship
Millions of years ago, West Texas was cloaked in lush tropical forests. Dr. Chris Kirk, a physical anthropologist who studies primate evolution, will discuss his research on the unique primate community that lived in these ancient forests.
Join the College of Liberal Arts Parents’ League today by filling out this quick online membership form.
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/student-affairs/Student-Community/PL-Membership.php
Parents’ League memberships are free.
Parking: Parking cards can be purchased here.
Texas Parents Check-in Locations:
Friday, Oct. 21 – Noon-7 p.m. – Etter-Harbin Alumni Center
Saturday, Oct. 22 – 8 a.m.-2 p.m. – Gregory Gym Plaza
Disability Resources: Disability resources at The University of Texas at Austin may be found at www.utexas.edu/disability/
Additional Information: For more College of Liberal Arts information, please contact Monica Horvat at 512-232-5749 or monicah@austin.utexas.edu.
Maps: Maps of campus can be found at www.utexas.edu/maps/
