Apply to HI's 2018 Health & Humanities Pop-Up Institute

The Humanities Institute is currently inviting UT-Austin faculty and staff who are interested in conducting interdisciplinary research that explores the intersections between health and the humanities to apply to our Health & Humanities Pop-Up Institute. An initiative undertaken in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President of Research, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of English, and Dell Medical School, the Institute will take place between May 7 and May 30 2018.

Read More

Rearticulating Medicine and the Humanities: An Undergraduate Perspective

By Shruti Patil

For me, the possibility of bringing the sciences and humanities into conversation with each other in my studies validated the presence of humanistic methods in the STEM environment—an environment often casually hostile to the idea that the humanities are an integral part of progress in culture and society. Many students may assume that the sciences and humanities offer distinct, disconnected approaches to understanding and experiencing the world. Yet, the 21st century has, so far, been largely characterized by movements to understand how such disparate fields are in fact related and to break down institutional silos. Even for those who entered the hard sciences hoping to never step foot inside the College of Liberal Arts, literature is still a major influential force in society and on our ability to progress. Literature explores how we relate to one another and how a unifying sense of humanity develops between us.

Continue Reading

Dr. Keri Stephens, HI Faculty Fellow, To Publish Book on How Tech Impacts Work/Life Balance

Until the early 2000s, workplaces provided most of the devices employees used to do their jobs. But Dr. Keri Stephens, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at UT-Austin and 2016-18 HI Faculty Fellow in Health, Well-Being, Healing, realizes that the way people communicate using technology at work is changing. Now, people bring their own devices to work. How has this shift in technology use impacted work/life balance?

Dr. Stephens’ new book, Negotiating Control: Organizations & Mobile Communication, is scheduled to be published in summer 2018. It explores technology use in the workplace and its implications. In it, Dr. Stephens makes the claim that while people assume that mobile communication is a uniform practice, people have different access to technology and thus those assumptions must be challenged. Not everyone has the same access to mobile devices at work, and those in positions of power must take that fact into consideration. Her research draws on over 25 years of research in this field, as well as interviews and focus groups with people in over 35 different types of jobs.

Read More