CAS Connection All Stories archive

Courtney Thorsson’s new book, The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture, brings together documents, close readings and interviews to show readers what happened at those gatherings.

Growing up as a Chehalis Tribal member in the predominantly white town of Olympia, Wash., Tiera Garrety struggled to connect with her peers. She felt isolated in schools that lacked Indigenous representation, and her grades began to suffer.

It’s been 50 years since hip hop became a recognized genre in music. What started with the song “Rapper’s Delight” by the New Jersey-based group The Sugarhill Gang has grown into a cultural revolution that has spread throughout the US and the world, affecting everything from fashion to language.

Four months later and 62 miles away, University of Oregon student Marcus Chaknova was sailing around the Lau Basin with marine biologists from the College of Arts and Sciences’ Oregon Institute of Marine Biology and other universities, looking for snails and other organisms at hydrothermal vents—deep-sea hot springs where seawater and magma combine and enable a rare set of organisms to thrive without any sunlight.

In his 2022 book Red Leviathan: The Secret History of Soviet Whaling, the Department of History professor and Ann Swindells Chair explores the fascinating history of Soviet whalers who secretly contributed to the near extinction of endangered whale populations while also ironically providing the necessary scientific research for these whales’ salvation.

Many students at the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) feel driven to extend their studies outside of class, taking advantage of the many hands-on learning opportunities the college offers. CAS spoke with three students in the college who are taking their education abroad, whether it’s studying Italian in a small village, podcasting with marine biologists or gathering research for a doctoral dissertation.

David McCormick, who teaches the popular elective course Happiness: A Neuroscience and Psychology Perspective, offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, has some tips for incorporating mindfulness into everyday routines.

Ernesto Javier Martínez, associate professor and head of the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to turn his short film 'La Serenata' into a full-length movie.

Where in the world could College of Arts and Sciences undergrads Ila Brown and Charlie Petrik end up after college? Anywhere, if they land a spot to serve in the Peace Corps.

As Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on and geopolitical tensions around the globe continue to escalate, faculty across the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) are taking part in an international effort to decolonize Russian and Slavic studies by changing the way they research and teach about the regions that comprise the former Soviet Union.