Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: July 02, 2020 Author leads movement to fill bestseller lists with titles by Black authors Sanderia Faye is the author of Mourner’s Bench, a story about 8-year-old Sarah Jones coming to terms with the traditions of her community in 1960s Arkansas and the progressive nature of her mother, who is involved with the civil rights movement. Read More
SMU Research Originally Posted: July 2, 2020 DALLAS (SMU) – The “back to the city” movement popular with Millennials has resulted in the revitalization of many urban areas, but has also made these city dwellers living in close proximity, frequently sharing rail cars and buses, more susceptible to risk during a pandemic. Population density and dependence on public transportation are just two of the factors that came into play in a new statistical study of how 3,000 U.S. counties have fared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Produced by SMU economist Klaus Desmet and his UCLA colleague Romain Wacziarg, the working paper issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research confirms some previous assumptions about the spread of COVID-19, but raises intriguing questions, such as: How have counties that more strongly support [...]
Inside Higher Ed Originally Posted: July 24, 2020 Our society is under simultaneous assaults on political, cultural, economic and social norms. Many people, especially those in different generations, are polarized as we confront an accelerated pace of change against institutionalized racism, bigotry and a systemically flawed criminal justice system that for too long has targeted the marginalized because of their skin color, ethnicity, country of origin or (lower) economic standing. I am 70 years old, and I am energized and excited to witness and support a younger generation demanding its turn at changing this country into what it can and must become in order to move forward. I came of age during a similar era of historic and tumultuous times. I lived through the violence [...]
Dallas News Originally Posted: July 16, 2020 Myria Perez had no trouble finding her passions, however, she needed an extra hand along the way. When a mentor at SMU connected her with “Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas,” those passions were connected with purpose. READ MORE
SMU News Originally Posted: July 22, 2020 Mustangs and families, Guess what? We’re a little more than a month away from welcoming you back to the Hilltop for the fall semester. As you prepare to start or resume your studies, we want to give you a good idea of what our campus will look like in light of COVID-19. Starting today, you’ll receive this newsletter once a week. It will include the latest campus updates, resources and frequently asked questions. Each newsletter will also highlight one specific topic that you’ll want to learn more about before coming to campus. This week’s topic is: In maintaining a healthy campus, what exactly do we mean by enhanced cleaning protocols? This newsletter will echo information you’ll see in a [...]
SMU News Originally Posted: July 20, 2020 Caroline Brettell, University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, has been named the 2020 recipient of the SMU Faculty Career Achievement Award for her contributions to the teaching, scholarship, and service missions of the University. READ MORE
Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: June 17, 2020 Richard Hawkins, SMU professor emeritus of sociology, and his wife gave a combined $2,400 to help a Plano costume shop struggling to meet its payroll. A retired SMU professor and his wife, a retired florist, let their stimulus checks sit in their bank accounts for a month before a Dallas Morning News article helped them decide how to spend their combined $2,400. They sent it to a Plano costume shop struggling to make payroll. Richard Hawkins, who retired in 2014 after 42 years as a sociology professor at Southern Methodist University, said he had never heard of Dallas Vintage Shop until he read about its COVID-related financial troubles in The News on June 6. READ MORE
Department of Economics Research Originally Posted: July 16, 2020 Even for experienced empirical researchers, certain econometric issues can be often overlooked or seem confusing. It can seem like everyone else knows what’s going on except you! The rapid pace with which new econometric methods are being developed further exacerbates these issues. Who has the time to keep up to date? Enter, Professor Daniel Millimet from the SMU Department of Economics. His blog, “How the (Econometrics) Sausage is made” lays out what empirical practitioners need to know when it comes to those often overlooked or confusing issues as well as recently developed techniques in a simple, reader friendly way. His research spans microeconometric methods and applications in labor economics, environmental economics, and international trade and he teaches courses [...]
D Magazine Originally Posted: July 2020 Mark D. McCoy is a geospatial archaeologist and professor at SMU. Prior to our first meeting on campus, I had envisioned a dark office crowded with high-tech equipment and stacks of technical manuals. Instead, I walked into a light, airy space with a low-tech chalkboard and an approachable person who carries with him the sensibility of the sea. Raised in Delaware and educated in the States and New Zealand, McCoy focuses his efforts on Oceania. He has worked in the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, Pohnpei, and Palau. His new book, Maps for Time Travelers: How Archaeologists Use Technology to Bring Us Closer to the Past, is like the author: accessible. While the book takes on the esoteric subject of how [...]
Washington Post Originally Posted: June 25, 2020 The world feels broken right now — not just cracked in a few places but shattered in a million pieces. It’s been this way for centuries, of course, but many Americans — white Americans — are just starting to wake up and grapple with the depth of this country’s deeply rooted racism, as well as the role they played in making it so. As a white parent, I feel a deep responsibility to provide my children with the tools and awareness to help rebuild our society into something better. I know I’m not alone, but I also know many white parents don’t know how or where to start. Research suggests that we need to confront our unfounded assumptions [...]