Student laid out on the grass and reading a book

College of Liberal Arts News

The College of Liberal Arts offers students a well-rounded education in the humanities and social sciences. Students develop strong analytical and communication skills for a lifetime of learning and discovery that can be applied to a wide variety of careers.

Current Liberal Arts News

A father plays a synth piano with his daughter.
Campus News |

Students explore the soundtracks to history in the vibe-iest way possible.

Dustin Hines standing in front of white wall
People |

Neuropsychiatric disorder researcher finds success by setting goals just out of reach and sharing the journey to achieve them.

A UNLV student studies with the Strip in the distance.
Campus News |

Headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Rochelle Hines smiling and sitting on couch
People |

Psychology professor's research helps provide a more thorough understanding of autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and developmental epilepsies.

Campus Scenes photo
Campus News |

The launch of the Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture marks a significant step in strengthening UNLV's global engagement in an interconnected world.

clothing and other items from Holocaust exhibit
Campus News |

UNLV’s public history class creates exhibit to share collector's rare and powerful artifacts related to the Holocaust.

Liberal Arts In The News

Snopes

For years, a rumor has circulated that greeting card companies invented Valentine's Day, which falls yearly on Feb. 14.

CBS News

The history of Valentine's Day is mushy. It's been linked to a 12th-century poem about birds mating, the Christian-martyr-turned-Saint Valentine and a deadly fertility ritual in ancient Rome, but Elizabeth Nelson, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, thinks that's all a stretch.

News-Bulletin

After four years of slow, careful and diligent work, the archaeological dig at Plaza Viejo on Wisconsin Street in Belen — the site of the original Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church — finished in the summer of 2023. The primary goal of the team, led by co-primary investigators Dr. Pamela K. Stone and Dr. Debra Martin, a professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was to locate as much of the old church as possible.

Associated Press

Bearing cards, flowers, chocolates and poetry, lovers have always swooned on Valentine’s Day as cherubs circled overhead. Right? Or is the history darker, marked by Roman bacchanalia, martyrs and lies?

White Mountain Independent

Valentine’s Day is nigh upon us. Soon there will be floods of flowers, chunks of chocolate, crowds of cards and maybe even substantial smooching. And what’s up with all of this kissing? Do all societies practice lip-latching? Do other animals kiss? Who was the first person who thought saliva swapping was a good idea?

BBC News

After the general election in early 2024, Taiwan's Legislative Yuan formed a situation of "the government is small and the opposition is large". The Blue and White opposition parties and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party have clashed many times over legislative amendments and budget reviews. Recently, civic groups supporting different camps have launched recall campaigns. In response, BBC Chinese visited the streets of Taipei to understand people's views. In May 2024, physical conflict broke out in the Legislative Yuan over the "Congressional Reform Bill"; at the end of the year, disputes broke out again over the Kuomintang and the People's Party's promotion of amendments to the election and recall law and the constitution. Recently, the opposition party's move to cut the government's annual budget has further intensified political confrontation.

Liberal Arts Experts

An expert on Latin American politics, with a focus on NAFTA and the Mexican and North American automobile industry.
An expert in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.
An expert on the history of slavery and racism's impact on African Americans' health care.
An expert in gender, sexuality, sexual politics, prostitution, sex work and sex trafficking.
An expert in child development. 
An expert on American literature and Las Vegas music.

Recent Liberal Arts Accomplishments

Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) co-authored the article, "Undercurrent in Taiwan: Nationalism and Calculation of the Cross-Strait Relations (2002–2022)," in Public Opinion Quarterly. In this article, Wang and others analyzed 14 waves of survey (n = 16494) from 2002 to 2022 trying to explain a big research question: Why did…
Adrianna Munson (Sociology) discussed the cultural impact of "failed" adulthood in a recorded interview for Sage Video.
Michael J. Alarid (History) published "Crime and Punishment in a Nineteenth Century Western Community" in The Routledge History of Crime in America (Routledge, 2025). Covering a broad chronology from the colonial era to the present, this volume reflects the diverse approaches, interests and findings of an international group of new and established…
On Feb. 7, Christopher D.E. Willoughby (African American Studies;Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) published an article titled, "Pioneer Professors of Kentucky Medical Education and the Spread of Racial Science, 1792–1861," in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Willoughby's article is a part of a special issue…
Regine DeGuzman-Lucero, Nicole Short, Ph.D., and Jennifer Le (all Psychology) published a new article in the journal British Journal of Clinical Psychology titled, "The role of impulsivity in the association between rumination and cannabis-related problems among trauma-exposed cannabis users."
Lisa Johnson (Anthropology) has co-authored a chapter in a book published by Dumbarton Oaks, "Multi-Locality of an Ancient Maya City: Archaeology, Tourism, and Indigenous Landscapes at Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico," in the book, Landscapes in the Making, edited by Stephen Daniels and Dell Upton.