by Gail Hairston

(Nov. 5, 2014) — “Democracy at Risk Around the World” will be examined at the next University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Year of the Middle East: Crossroads of the World event Nov. 7.

The Quantitative Initiative in Political and Social Research (QIPSR) contributes to The Year of the Middle East calendar with this fifth annual conference, featuring:

by Gail Hairston 

(Sept. 30, 2014) — More than an “s” has been added since the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Science was created in 1908 with only seven faculty members. In fact there was a College of Arts and Science even before the institution was named the University of Kentucky; the institution was called the State University, Lexington, Kentucky (previously Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky and State College) until 1916.

In those 106 years, several of today’s largest colleges were birthed from the original College of Arts and Science’s former programs, including today’s College of Education, College of Communication and Information, College of Social Work and College of Fine Arts.

The college grew quickly under the inspiration and commitment of President James Patterson, whose statue now graces the plaza next to the

by Jenny Wells, Derrick Meads 

(April 21, 2014) — Legendary anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg will speak at 4 p.m. today in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. A reception will follow at 5 p.m.

In 1964, Goldberg, Nelson Mandela and six others were tried and convicted for trying to overthrow the apartheid regime in South Africa.  He spent the next 22 years in prison, and was released in 1985 on the condition that he be exiled from his native South Africa to Israel.

After his release, Goldberg instead traveled the world organizing international opposition to apartheid, becoming a spokesperson for the African National Congress, then the leading anti-apartheid organization and current ruling party of South Africa.  Since South Africa's transition to democracy in 1994, Goldberg founded Health Education and

by Gail Hairston

(Jan. 17, 2014) — Students, faculty and staff affiliated with the University of Kentucky’s Martin Luther King Center wanted to highlight Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy this January.  Their brainstorming brought them around full circle to an old favorite — the campus vigil.

“The vigil stands as a way to remember Dr. King’s message and convey how important it is to keep his message alive,” said interim center director Kahlil Baker. “Dr. King strived to eradicate social injustice, violence and racism, and we want to celebrate that.”

For this year’s commemoration, on Jan. 19, the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the students, faculty and staff affiliated with the King Center have organized a vigil and march that will take participants on a journey through time. Along the path

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar Japan in 2009." Her research began

by Gail Hairston

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — Members of the public and especially young people are encouraged to attend "Aiming for New Heights," a celebration of the Lexington Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the group of black and white individuals largely responsible for Kentucky’s civil rights movement.

The unique event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the University of Kentucky Student Center Annex. 

The day includes presentations, panel discussions and exhibits about the civil rights era in Kentucky, most commonly identified as dominating the 1960s, although some scholars date African Americans’ struggle for equality from the post-Civil War Reconstruction era of the late 19th century. For many, the highlight will be an exhibit of wax figures depicting Kentucky’s CORE leaders. The afternoon will be devoted to

by Sarah Geegan & Grace Liddle

 The College of Arts and Sciences is offering 13 courses that begin in the middle of the fall 2013 semester. For students who may have recently dropped a class or hope to pick up some extra credit hours, these courses provide flexibility after the regular registration period.

Course topics range from the science of what we eat, archaeology and history of ancient Mexico, an introductory course on the city of Lexington, and a study on the culture and economics of local and global food systems.

The "Global Food & Local Agriculture" course explores questions associated with why people eat what they do and what that implies about society. To answer these questions, the class introduces

by Sarah Geegan

As the University of Kentucky prepares its students to compete in a globalized world, it's crucial to provide students with what associate provost for international programs Susan Carvalho calls "China literacy."

As the world's leading exporter, with the world's second-largest economy, there is no question that China is a dominant player in the 21st century marketplace.

"We’re thinking about how to make sure we’re graduating students who are world-ready, and there is no question that 'China literacy,' if we could use that term, is needed by people who are going into the global workforce," Carvalho said. "And it’s hard to think of any sectors that aren’t impacted in some way by what China does."

Just as China's influence spans across various industries, the elements of global literacy span across multiple disciplines. Part of

By Sarah Geegan

UK history professor, Lien-Hang T. Nguyen recently received the Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize, an honor awarded annually by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. The prize recognizes the best book by a first-time author in the field of diplomatic history.

Nguyen's book, "Hanoi's War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam," examines the international context in which North Vietnamese leaders pursued war and American intervention ended. Using never-before-seen Vietnamese documents, recently declassified U.S. materials and archival collections in Europe, Nguyen's narrative takes the reader from the marshy swamps of the Mekong Delta