CAHSS

News and Updates about UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Five Fulbright college students stand outside on concrete steps with their arms outstretched

For the third time in five years, UMBC is named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution

“This achievement is a testament to your institution’s deep commitment to international exchange,” wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter to President Valerie Sheares Ashby, congratulating her on UMBC’s Fulbright Top Producer designation, “and to building lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Continue Reading For the third time in five years, UMBC is named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution

A group of CoLab college students stand around a computer CoLab

American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has chosen UMBC’s Interdisciplinary CoLab for its “Undergraduate Spotlight” series. ACLS writes, “Unlike traditional group work in a college classroom, wherein majors from the same discipline are all trying to master the same material, UMBC’s CoLab projects require students to use their own skills and appreciate the skills of others.” Continue Reading American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

A group of people wearing winter gear and helmets carry a stretcher with a fake body. disaster health systems emergency

New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

“Our new department name, signifies our commitment to emergency and disaster health education,” says Lauren Clay, associate professor of emergency and disaster health systems and department chair. “We prepare leaders that are ready to tackle the complex and evolving hazards facing communities across the United States and the world,” Continue Reading New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

Noor Zaidi wearing a coral red blouse stands outside in front of a bed of tall flowers.

Noor Zaidi, history, receives prestigious NEH faculty fellowship to complete book project

Noor Zaidi, assistant professor of history at UMBC, receives a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to research and write Translations of Zaynab: Gender, Sectarianism, and Citizenship in Shi’a Islam. The book will analyze how the seventh-century figure, Zaynab bint Ali, granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed, has been used in 20th-century political contexts. Continue Reading Noor Zaidi, history, receives prestigious NEH faculty fellowship to complete book project

a woman works on repairing a colorful mural representing different biology motifs

Alumna brings biology mural back to life

Walking down Academic Row, the ground floor windows of the Biological Sciences Building reflect the flow of student traffic, and colorful renditions of animals and microbes, silhouettes of researchers, and other elements of biology seem to pop off the wall and join the campus milieu.  For many, the images on the mural blend into the background of campus—just another wall in just another building. But the artist remembers the blank wall 10 years ago, covered sparsely in inspirational posters and placards.  “It was a huge wall, and visible from the outside,” says Anna Vikhlyayeva ’15, visual arts. In addition to… Continue Reading Alumna brings biology mural back to life

A person wearing a coat walks through a mall in the evening.

The US invented shopping malls, but China is writing their next chapter

Like their U.S. counterparts, many Chinese malls have fallen on hard times. Professor emeritus of public policy at UMBC explains how the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of online shopping have devastated foot traffic, leaving the nation with a huge overhang of retail space and how they are re-imagining it. Continue Reading The US invented shopping malls, but China is writing their next chapter

Two dancers stand on opposite sides of a table while a dancer lays on it between them

Step into a dancer’s shoes

University Communications and Marketing social media intern Allison John ’24, psychology, isn’t only interested in Instagram engagement and sharing campus treasures—she’s also passionate about the creative process that brings a dancer’s performance to life. After watching this year’s Fall Dance Showcase, John sat down with one of the senior choreographers to learn more about her art. Continue Reading Step into a dancer’s shoes

A young child works in a glass factory in a 1909 black and white historical photo by lewis hine

Historical lens—3 stories that scratch the surface of a 5,400 image archive

One of the most influential sets of historical photos in UMBC’s Special Collections is an archive of more than 5,400 images documenting the harsh conditions of child laborers in early 20th-century America. Recently the team in Special Collections—which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year—undertook a massive project to digitize and rehouse the photos in more protective sheaths to help safeguard the images and the hand-written details on them. The preservation effort gave UMBC student workers hands-on practice with handling the delicate photographs and allowed staff to dive deep into these historical records in order to comment on timely issues around… Continue Reading Historical lens—3 stories that scratch the surface of a 5,400 image archive

a screen shot of a face mask with text that says "what if? decorative face mask prompts." for a talk about susus

Finding one’s face and building financially resilient spaces through ‘susus’

Sonya Squires-Caesar, a doctoral candidate in UMBC’s language, literacy, and culture program, has been interviewing communities who use susus to save money for big-ticket items like homes, farms, or everyday needs like transportation and bills. Susu, a word thought to come linguistically from West African languages, is an informal structure of communal savings where individuals agree to give an equal amount of money to one pool. Members then decide the frequency of when someone receives the entire amount. “I remember my mother planning her spending around when she would get her payment,” says Squires-Caesar, whose family is from Barbados. Squires-Caesar… Continue Reading Finding one’s face and building financially resilient spaces through ‘susus’

A woman with long curly brown hair wearing a green sweater stands outside with a red maple tree in the background. Arab

The Academic Minute: Challenging misconceptions about queer sexualities in Arab cultures

In The Academic Minute, Mejdulene Bernard Shomali, a queer Palestinian poet and associate professor in the department of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies discusses her first boo. “My research looks at how Arab people experience and narrate their queerness in unexpected ways. For example, Arabs may be in same-sex relationships but might not claim gay or lesbian identities.” Continue Reading The Academic Minute: Challenging misconceptions about queer sexualities in Arab cultures

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