A student studying cultural studies on the stairs leading up to Hospitality Hall.

Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies News

The Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies allows students to create degree programs from courses across disciplinary boundaries, including cultural studies, linguistic studies, Asian studies, Latin American studies, multi-disciplinary studies, and social science studies.

Current Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies News

A portrait of Saipin Chutima, the founder of a staple Las Vegas Thai food chain, Lotus of Siam.
Campus News |

UNLV students explore Asian American culture, one bite at a time, in Mark Padoongpatt's class.

Gina Anderson stands behind counter of Rebel Grounds
Campus News |

Rebel Grounds’ cafe operations manager brews the perfect blend of precision and creativity to keep campus energized throughout the day.

Several hands reach up toward a stethoscope.
Campus News |

Students examine the evolution of America’s healthcare system in the larger social, political, and economic context of the last 500 years.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

closeup of Sabrina Imbler
Arts and Culture |

Acclaimed science writer and essayist to give a free reading and conversation on March 11.

spring flowers
Campus News |

The rosiest headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies In The News

Our Weekly Los Angeles

A Black holiday that may suggest more than an end to slavery.

KNPR News

May 25 marks five years since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, sparking protests about police conduct nationwide, including in Las Vegas. In the aftermath of that movement, what, if anything, changed about the Black experience in Las Vegas? What reforms have police made? Did George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin really change police behavior?

KNPR News

May is AAPI Heritage Month, and concerns for upkeeping Chinatown remain in the Las Vegas community. The cultural hub started with a single mall in the mid-1990s. Today, its 3 miles contain more than 150 restaurants and countless other stores and shops.

Today

No one should be calling anyone a “Big Back.” “Big back” is slang for an overweight person, a “food lover” or someone who eats a lot, according to Urban Dictionary.

KSNV-TV: News 3

A Nevada state assemblymember is drafting a bill to establish a commission to study the impacts of slavery and racial discrimination, and to consider the potential for reparations.

KSNV-TV: News 3

As we round out Black History Month, we shine a light on a casino that transformed Las Vegas, the Moulin Rouge. This year marks 70 years since it opened its doors in 1955 over on the Historic Westside. It became the first integrated casino in the country.

Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Experts

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An expert in political philosophy, philosophy for children, and Latinx philosophies.
An expert on Asian American history, race and racism, and Thai cuisine.
An expert on gender, sexuality, media, and popular culture.
An expert in U.S. women's history, political activism, oral history, and feminism.
An expert on the history of slavery and racism's impact on African Americans' health care.
An expert in educational equity and race theory in education.

Recent Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Accomplishments

Christopher D. E. Willoughby (African American Studies; Interdisciplinary, Gender & Ethnic Studies) published the article "John Collins Warren—Journal Founder, Institution Builder, and Racial Theorist" in the June 12 issues of the New England Journal of Medicine. Written in collaboration with scholars from Harvard Medical…
Tim Gauthier (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) presented a paper, "Recent American Fiction and the Affective Heritage of 9/11," at the 26th Annual International Conference of the English Department at the University of Bucharest.
Tyler D. Parry (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) appeared on KNPR's State of Nevada on May 22 to discuss the five year anniversary of George Floyd's death and the degree to which it has impacted policing in southern Nevada and throughout the country.
Brittani Sterling (Libraries) has been named a 2025 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, one of 50 library professionals across the U.S. recognized for innovation and leadership in the field. Sterling was honored in the Educators category for her work to develop inclusive programming that broadened the reach of library services to more UNLV…
On May 3, Christopher D. E. Willoughby (African American and African Diaspora Studies) presented the paper, “Medical Motley Crews: Anatomy, Monopoly, and the Urban Crowd in the United States, 1765-1860,” at the annual meeting of the American Association for the History of Medicine in Boston. Willoughby's paper examines multiethnic street…
Javon Johnson (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies), associate professor of African American Studies and renowned poet, began coaching a slam poetry team in Las Vegas in January 2025 and, in March 2025, the team won its first major poetry slam tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico.