December 2025

College of Arts and Sciences Announces New Department Heads

Faculty members new and familiar take on leadership roles for College of Arts and Sciences departments. Three new faculty members joined the College of Arts and Sciences on January 1 in department head roles, adding to new departmental leadership announced in August 2025. They add their rich expertise and experiences to the college’s environment of…
Mary Dzon in ‘The Conversation:’ The Bible says little about Jesus’ childhood – but that didn’t stop medieval Christians from enjoying tales of him as holy ‘rascal’

An illustration from the Vernon Manuscript, from around 1400, shows the familiar motif of an ox and ass watching over the newborn Jesus. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, CC BY-NC Mary Dzon, University of Tennessee Manger scenes displayed around Christmastime usually feature an ox and an ass beside the infant Jesus. According to the…
Steven Lautzenheiser in ‘The Conversation:’ Why can’t I wiggle my toes one at a time, like my fingers?

Steven Lautzenheiser, University of Tennessee Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why can’t I wiggle my toes individually, like I can with my fingers? – Vincent, age 15, Arlington, Virginia One of my favorite activities is…
Carolyn E. Holmes in ‘The Conversation:’ The American fixation on white Afrikaners in South Africa stretches back nearly a century

Gemma Ware, The Conversation A few days after Donald Trump boycotted a G20 summit in Johannesburg, he announced South Africa would not be invited to the next G20 meeting, taking place at his resort in Miami in March 2026. Trump said it was a “total disgrace” that South Africa hosted the November event, citing allegations…
Seth Kannarr in ‘The Conversation:’ Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs

Seth T. Kannarr, University of Tennessee The culture wars have arrived at the U.S. Mint. Commemorative coins aimed at celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 were unveiled by the mint on Dec. 10, 2025, and they reflect the country’s currently divided politics and views of history. In an unexpected move, most of the original designs…
Seth Kannarr in ‘The Conversation:’ What does it mean to be a new national park? Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia may soon find out

Earth Lodge at Ocmulgee Mounds shows an example of earthworks that are over 1,000 years old. Skhamse1 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Seth T. Kannarr, University of Tennessee Ocmulgee Mounds, a site in central Georgia with 12,000 years of Indigenous history, may be on the verge of becoming the newest U.S. national park. This is…
Scholar Spotlight: Mojca Kuplen

“I explore various ways that art engages our minds and, thereby, fosters self-understanding and empathy for others.” Mojca KuplenTeaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy My research reflects overlapping interests in the philosophy of art, contemporary aesthetics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. I am interested in how and why we come to appreciate artistic (and aesthetic)…
Advantages Uncovered in Blue-Green Algae Colonies

UT microbiology research into cyanobacterial blooms reveals that colonies take on metabolic functions and resistance to viruses. An international team of researchers led by a visiting scholar at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is shedding light on the dynamics in cyanobacterial blooms that can threaten freshwater safety. By analyzing Microcystis spp. in single cells and…
Scholar Spotlight: Anna Marshall

“As a fluvial geomorphologist I study how rivers shape the landscape and how people, in turn, shape rivers.” Anna MarshallAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Geography and Sustainability My research explores physical processes that sustain ecosystem functions in rivers and what it means for rivers when those processes are lost due to legacies of human activity. I identify…
Delivering Vol Excellence

CATE shines a light of excellence on teaching at UT. The high caliber of teaching offered at UT is a cornerstone of the unparalleled experience for students at Rocky Top. The Community of Scholars for Advancing Teaching Excellence (CATE) was established within the College of Arts and Sciences to focus and build on this aspect…