Dialogue

  • Medieval Insight for Modern Renaissance Thinkers

    Medieval Insight for Modern Renaissance Thinkers

    Medieval and Renaissance Studies dive into the past to unveil the big-picture foundations of modern culture across the globe. The interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST) program gives students an in-depth study of world events and cultures of the rich historical period stretching from 300 to 1700 CE. The curriculum allows students and faculty to…

  • Africana Studies Brings Girls Poetry, Music, Food

    Africana Studies Brings Girls Poetry, Music, Food

    UT’s Department of Africana Studies has collaborated with Girls Inc. to create Black History Month activities for elementary students in East Tennessee. During February, elementary school girls across three counties are exploring poems, jazz, and Southern foods with support from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Professor Natalie Graham, interim head of the Department of Africana…

  • Tennessee Teens Tackle Tough Topics in Ethics Bowl

    Tennessee Teens Tackle Tough Topics in Ethics Bowl

    The UT Department of Philosophy hosts an annual competition for high school students that requires critical thinking, moral reasoning, and respectful debate. While a snowstorm shut down much of East Tennessee on the last Saturday in January, teenagers from across the region gathered to sharpen their analytical skills by grappling with philosophical questions.  Usually, a…

  • 250 Years of Common Sense

    250 Years of Common Sense

    An event observing the 250th anniversary of Common Sense gave students a look at how the ideas of American democracy spread throughout the colonies. If Thomas Paine were writing today, his 47-page pamphlet Common Sense might be known as the most famous blog or podcast in the country. It was published in Philadelphia in January…

  • Endowment Boosts International Democracy Studies

    Endowment Boosts International Democracy Studies

    An estate endowment by former history and political science faculty members supports student research on democracy in the Middle East. The Louay Bahry and Phebe Marr Middle Eastern Democracy Studies Endowment will establish a scholarship to reward the best undergraduate or graduate student essays on topics of democracy in the Middle East. Bahry served as…

  • Writing for The Conversation Adds to Scholarship ROI

    Writing for The Conversation Adds to Scholarship ROI

    Faculty from UT’s College of Arts and Sciences reach millions of people with their research by writing articles distributed through news organizations around the world. Faculty from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are sharing their expertise with a wide audience through The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization with a vast global reach. During the 2025 calendar…

  • Storytelling in the 21st Century

    Storytelling in the 21st Century

    Vols learn to steer 21st century narratives through Visual and Interactive Storytelling. Storytelling traditions drive the heartbeat of the shared human experience, from the age-old intimacy of campfire tales to today’s world-wide digital platforms. The recently launched Visual and Interactive Storytelling (VIS) program offers UT students a major that connects history and traditions with these…

  • Sorting Social Complexity

    Sorting Social Complexity

    Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity evolves with society. UT’s Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC) brings together researchers from across disciplines and around the world to investigate the human behaviors and social interactions that lead to discovery and transformation in societies. The center’s members and affiliates use computational social science, social…

  • Delivering Vol Excellence 

    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…

  • WGS Adds Women’s Health Degrees

    WGS Adds Women’s Health Degrees

    Women, Gender, and Sexuality program keeps the interdisciplinary pace and launches new major and minor in women’s health. The Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) interdisciplinary program gives UT students opportunities to explore the ways that these topics intersect to shape the past, present, and future of human cultures and societies. The curriculum connects classes from…