UO Today

Camisha Russell, assistant professor of Philosophy at the University of Oregon, discusses her book The Assisted Reproduction of Race, which examines how concepts of race are reinforced by reproductive technologies. Russell talks about how race is a social construct and asks, "what does the idea of race do?" and posits that race is a technology (something made and used).

Artist and filmmaker Philip Haas discusses his performance installation "Sculpture Breathes Life into Painting and Music" which had a world premiere exhibition at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art May 29 through June 9, 2019. He presents excerpts from the performance. Interview begins at 02:50.

Jill Hartz, Executive Director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art since 2008 will retire in 2019. She discusses how the museum established an academic mission during her tenure as well as enhanced its many public programs. In addition Hartz talks about how programs have broadened to serve diverse communities.

Danielle Allen, James Conant University Professor at Harvard University, is the director of Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. Allen discusses the deficiency of civics education in America resulting from policies wrought by polarized politics. She talks about the importance of egalitarian and participatory democracy. Her Democratic Knowledge Project identifies skills, knowledge, and habi...

Lindsey Mazurek, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon, is a specialist in the ancient history of the Mediterranean region. She discusses her study of the cult of Isis in Greece during the Roman occupation and the associated material culture. Mazurek also talks about her work with the Mediterranean Connectivity Project, a digital humanities initiative that maps social connecti...

Daniel Gómez Steinhart, assistant professor of Cinema Studies, discusses his book Runaway Hollywood: Internationalizing Postwar Production and Location Shooting, which focuses on Hollywood filmmaking in Europe after World War II. Steinhart also talks about "Hollywood Style," a class he developed and taught as a 2018-19 Oregon Humanities Center Teaching Fellow. The class examined the history and ev...

Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, directs their Program on Inequality and coedits Inequality.org. He is author of Is Inequality in America Irreversible? Collins discusses the roots of economic inequality and the racial wealth divide in the United States and describes how social welfare policies can remedy inequality. He offers solutions that would...

Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, directs their Program on Inequality and coedits Inequality.org. He is author of Is Inequality in America Irreversible? Collins discusses the roots of economic inequality and the racial wealth divide in the United States and describes how social welfare policies can remedy inequality. He offers solutions that would...

Autumn Shafer, assistant professor of Public Relations in the School of Journalism and Communication, talks about her enthusiasm for teaching and engaging undergraduate students in research. Shafer discusses some her research projects that aim to develop effective messaging about health promotion. She and her students developed a successful campaign to improve students' understanding of sexual con...

Justin Driver, the Harry N. Wyatt Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, discusses his book The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind. He talks about how the law and courts shape public education in America. Driver gave a lecture titled “Are Public Schools Becoming Constitution-Free Zones?” on April 8th, 2019 as part of this...

Philip Scher, professor of Anthropology and Folklore and Public Culture, organized the exhibition "Visual Clave: The Expression of the Latino/a Experience through Album Cover Art, 1940-1990" at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Scher discusses the social and cultural influences that have shaped Latin music and the iconography used by the album cover artists. The exhibition is on view through Apr...

One of the most horrific—and least acknowledged—effects of mass incarceration is the epidemic of mental illness in our jails and prisons. Alisa Roth, journalist and author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, will explain how this happened—and how we can fix it. Journalist Alisa Roth is the author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, an investigation int...

Journalist Alisa Roth is author of Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness. She discusses the mental healthcare crisis in the U.S. criminal justice system. Roth gave a talk at the UO titled "America's Hidden Mental Health Crisis" on March 12, 2019 as the 2018-19 Lorwin Lecturer in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

José M. Cortez, assistant professor of English at the University of Oregon, discusses his approach to the teaching of writing and rhetoric to students from diverse backgrounds. He talks about the importance of creating a scholarly community and wrapping students into research. He shares that the UO's commitment to diversity and inclusion, the SAIL program, and research opportunities for undergradu...

Cheryl Harris, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the UCLA School of Law, discusses how she came to the law and the argument she presents in her influential Harvard Law Review article "Whiteness as Property." She also talks about Derrick Bell and how he inspired her work. Harris gave the UO School of Law's Derrick Bell Lecture on February 19, 2...

Writer Karen Thompson Walker, assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of Oregon, is author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Age of Miracles and most recently The Dreamers, which was published in January 2019. Thompson Walker reads from The Dreamers and discusses her writing.

Yvette Alex-Assensoh, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon. She talks about her role as the UO's chief diversity officer. Alex-Assensoh discusses how the UO encourages enrollment of underrepresented minority students and its efforts at diversifying the faculty. She also talks about how the UO supports undocumented students.

Thi Bui, artist and author of the illustrated memoir The Best We Could Do, a chronicle of her family's journey from war-torn Vietnam to America. The Best We Could Do is the University of Oregon's Common Reading book for 2018-19. Bui talks about her process of writing and illustrating the book.

The Oregon Humanities Center’s 2018–19 Robert D. Clark Lecture was delivered by Nalini Nadkarni, professor of Biology from the University of Utah. Nadkarni discusses how her experiences as a scientist precipitated her explorations into diverse ways of engaging humans with the natural world. Her lecture took place on Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni discusses her work studying the unique ecosystems in tropical and temperate rainforest canopies. She has developed novel ways to share scientific knowledge to a wide range of public audiences and has created programs to bring science and nature to the incarcerated. Nadkarni gave a talk "Tapestry Thinking: Weaving the Threads of Humans and Nature" on January 30th, 2...

Fiction writer, Cai Emmons, is author of the novels His Mother's Son, The Stylist, and most recently Weather Woman. She talks about the protagonist and themes in Weather Woman and reads from the book. Emmons earned an MFA in fiction from the University of Oregon's Creative Writing Program.

Mae Ngai, professor of History and Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies at Columbia University, is the 2018-19 Wayne Morse Chair. She discusses the history of immigration to the United States; and talks about how restrictive immigration policy leads to increased illegal immigration. Ngai critiques the Trump administration's rhetoric and political stance on immigration. She is the author...

Emily Eliza Scott, assistant professor of the History of Art and Architecture and Environmental Studies at the UO, discusses her interdisciplinary work in art and the public sphere, visual cultures of climate change, and social and environmental justice. She describes how her nearly ten years of work as a National Parks Service Ranger continues to influence her scholarship.

Gabe Paquette, Dean of the Robert D. Clark Honors College and professor of History at the University of Oregon, discusses his forthcoming book The European Seaborne Empires: From the Thirty Years War to the Age of Revolutions. Paquette also talks about the unique opportunities the Honors College offers students and the importance of the liberal arts.

Annelise Heinz, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon, discusses her current book project Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.