Humanities Advising during Quarantine: What's Learned, What’s Still Being Learned

19 Jan 2023
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By Aarin Walston

In the fall of 2019, I began training to become an advisor for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Department of English. Under the guidance of former Department of English student advisor and current Director of Rhetoric and Writing Studies Dr. Levi Martin, I was introduced to the many aspects of degree plans, policies, and software that I was expected to use and understand to help students

Texas: The Censored, the Obscene, the Pornographic, and the Humanities

19 Jan 2023
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By Jazmine Janay Cuevas

Responsible educators in the humanities occupy a precarious time. On May 25, 2020, the world heard George Floyd's plea, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe” as a police officer dismissed the warning and continued to kneel on his neck until Mr. Floyd's death. In response, activism across the country intensified, advocating for classrooms to adopt "anti-racist" teaching instruction.

The Color and the Meaning: The Palette of Día de Los Muertos

19 Jan 2023
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By Ashley Y. Garcia

Our traditions are collections of practices and aesthetics that build on one another with each passing generation.  Whether the traditions are religious or secular, they often start with a specific intent and on a small scale, eventually growing over time and adding new practices and aesthetic elements as the surrounding culture changes, a process that can take centuries or a few years.

Cochineal: The Long History of a Bug

19 Jan 2023
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By Jireh Nelson

When we think of history, our minds immediately conjure images of stacks of books, old dusty documents, maybe faded photos from bygone eras.  We tend to forget that history is a constant continuum, making and remaking itself and carrying the past into our present without us being aware.  It embeds in our traditions, laws, cultures, and even colors.

The Historical Significance Magical Women Play in the Identity of Indigenous People Magical Women: Getting Started, Part 1

19 Jan 2023
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By Tasha Kreger

The world is fascinated by magic, wizards, medicine women, potions, amulets, spells, mythical creatures; they all show up in one form or another in every society across the globe.  A quick Google search of the word “magic” will give us thousands of hits that include fiction writings to serious religious practices. In modern society, “magic” seems to be used synonymously with “fantasy.”