UO Today

Michael Schill, President of the University of Oregon, discusses some of the challenges the university has faced this year: COVID-19, the toppling of the pioneer statues, and wildfire smoke. He also talks about the new Black Studies minor, how most classes will be online for the fall term, and how the university will provide a rich experience for first-year students. Schill also shares that he rec...

Avinnash Tiwari, Career Instructor of English and Composition, and the acting director of the newly formed Black Studies Program at the University of Oregon, discusses the history of establishing the program and the why the academic study of Black history, Black literature, and anti-Black racism is important.

Timothy Williams, assistant professor of History in the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, discusses his monograph Intellectual Manhood: University, Self, and Society in the Antebellum South, and his co-edited volume Prison Pens: Gender, Memory, and Imprisonment in the Writings of Mollie Scollay and Wash Nelson, 1863-1866. In addition, he explains why it's important to understand th...

David Mura, writer, memoirist, and performance artist, is a third-generation Japanese American whose family was interred during World War II. He discusses his recent book A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing and explains how writing necessitates an exploration of one's identity. Mura gave a reading and craft talk as a guest of the UO's Creative Writing Program on Fe...

Ruha Benjamin presents the concept of the “New Jim Code” to explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies, by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions, or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Benjamin considers how race itself is a kind of tool designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice...

Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, assistant professor of Flute in the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon, talks about her experiences as a Fulbright Fellow with the Berlin Philharmonic, and as a fellow in Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect program. She also discusses how to reduce barriers for young people of color who are interested in classical music. In addition, Cordova-Arrington...

Janet Dewart Bell is the author of Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, and the widow of Derrick Bell, former dean of the UO's School of Law. She talks about some of the women she interviewed for her book: Myrlie Evers, Leah Chase, Gloria Richardson, and Gay McDougal. Bell also talks about her late husband who worked to increase diversity in the acade...

Ruha Benjamin, associate professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, is the author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. She discusses how new technologies encode old forms of segregation and gives some examples of bias in technology. Benjamin explains why humanists and social scientists should be integral participants in the tech industry. Benjamin...

Brian Gillis is a professor of art in the College of Design and the director of the Center for Art Research (CFAR), which is housed in the 510 Oak building in downtown Eugene. Gillis talks about the CFAR as a collaborative, artist-run platform for experimentation and exchange rooted in art making. The Center cultivates diverse modes of engagement related to the practices of contemporary artists by...

Ramón Alvarado, assistant professor of Philosophy and an affiliate of UO's Data Science Initiative, discusses his work in data ethics. He defines the concepts of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence; and talks about the bias of algorithms and the emergence of surveillance capitalism. Alvarado also describes the ethics of technology class he taught in fall 2019.

Gabriele Hayden is Assistant Librarian for Research Data Management and Reproducibility in the Data Services Department of the University of Oregon Libraries. She discusses the resources available to help faculty and students manage their research data and materials. Hayden, with a PhD in English Literature from Yale University, is uniquely situated to help humanities scholars understand how to ma...

Amanda Cote, assistant professor of Media Studies and Game Studies in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, discusses her interest in Game Studies and the significance of the field. She also talks about her forthcoming book Gaming Sexism: Gender and Identity in the Era of Casual Video Games, and describes esports and its popularity among gamers. The UO now has a v...

Cheryl Hartup, Curator of Academic Programs and Latin American and Caribbean Art at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art; and Danielle Knapp, the McCosh Curator at the Jordan Schnitzer of Art, discuss the museum's Common Seeing collaboration with the UO's Common Reading program. This year the exhibit responds to Helena Maria Viramontes's novel, Under the Feet of Jesus. The curators describe the work...

Provost Patrick Phillips discusses his role as the chief academic officer of the University of Oregon. He is working on filling some academic leadership vacancies as well as working to hire and retain faculty from diverse backgrounds. Phillips also talks about his work as an award-winning evolutionary biologist and the development of the SCORE (Students of Color Opportunities in Research Enrichmen...

John Arroyo, assistant professor in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management at the University of Oregon, joined the faculty in fall 2019. He describes his interdisciplinary approach to urban design and planning. Arroyo discusses his interest in how Mexican immigrants create community in suburban areas to help allay their fear of harassment. His current book project is Shadow Suburban...

John Weber, Executive Director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, discusses his Oregon roots and his aspirations for the museum. Weber took over as Executive Director on October 1, 2019 after Jill Hartz retired.

Stacy Alaimo, professor of English and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon, is an internationally recognized scholar of American literature, ecocultural theory, environmental humanities, and gender theory. She discusses her three books about posthuman environmental politics, and defines the concept of "carbon-heavy masculinity." Alaimo also talks about her current book project Compos...

Lucy Jones, 2019-20 Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics, is the founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society, and the author of The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them). She discusses how scientists can better communicate about the impact of their research with decision makers and the public to effect policies. Jones was in residence at t...

Courtney Cox, assistant professor of Race and Sport in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies, joined the faculty in Fall 2019. She discusses disparities of gender, race, and class in sports organizations. Cox comments on the recent NCAA vote to permit college athletes to benefit financially from the use of their name, image, and likeness.

Helena María Viramontes, the Goldwin Smith Professor of English at Cornell University, is the author of numerous short stories and two novels, Their Dogs Came with Them and Under the Feet of Jesus. She discusses her writing and Under the Feet of Jesus which is the University of Oregon's 2019-20 Common Reading selection. Viramontes also reads a passage from the book.

Brent Dawson, assistant professor of English at the University of Oregon, and a 2019-20 Oregon Humanities Center Ernst G. Moll Fellow in Literary Studies. He discusses his book project Worldly Muck: The Matter of Universality in English Renaissance Literature. Dawson explains the importance of studying historical literature.

Poet Geri Doran, associate professor of Creative Writing at the University of Oregon, discusses her latest collection Epistle, Osprey (2019) and reads her poetry. Doran will give a reading on November 20, 2019 as part of the Creative Writing Program's 2019-20 Reading Series.

Kirby Brown (Cherokee Nation), associate professor of English and Native American Studies at the University of Oregon, and Jennifer O'Neal (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde), assistant professor of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon, offer a preview of the conference "Engaged Humanities: Partnerships between Academia and Tribal Communities." The conference features...

Michael Schill, president of the University of Oregon, shares his enthusiasm for several campus projects and initiatives. The recently-opened Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall houses the new, integrated academic advising and career planning center. The Knight Campus is due to open June 2020. UO and OHSU have teamed up to combat cancer and other diseases with a joint center in biomedical data science....

Working with a team of collaborators, Harvard University professor and political theorist Danielle Allen has developed ten design principles for effective, equitable, and self-protective civic agency in a digital age. These principles provide guidance to those functioning as civic actors, and to those who are designing platforms or organizations to cultivate, support, or channel civic involvement....