VCU College of Humanities and Sciences

Debuting this fall, the College of Humanities and Sciences are now offering a new minor in Native American and Indigenous studies. This multidisciplinary minor reflects VCU’s growing spotlight on the centrality of Indigenous peoples, their contributions and their ongoing presence in America and Virginia, including on the land VCU calls home.

A special thank you to Marcus Messner, Ph.D., and Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., who worked together to develop the minor, with support from the Indigenous Humanities Lab at Humanities Research Center at VCU, which made the creation of the minor a primary goal during the last academic year.

Read more. https://bit.ly/4zl7cvF

VCU offering new minor in Native American and Indigenous studies Debuting this fall in the College of Humanities and Sciences, the curriculum reflects growing ties to Virginia’s tribal nations.

The VCU Rice Rivers Center in the VCU Life Sciences and Sustainability School is connecting students with nature through its first-ever coordinated summer session.

At VCU’s field station in Charles City County, students took five courses — four of them new — featuring hands-on learning along the ecologically and culturally rich James River.

Click to read the full article now. https://bit.ly/3TTQiE2

In the latest episode of With Good Reason Radio, VCU Political Science professor Jessica Trisko Darden shares about her newest book, "The Accused: How Women Faced Justice for Nazi-Era Crimes"

Click to listen to her segment now: https://bit.ly/3TNRFUN

Healing from the Holocaust - With Good Reason The caregivers who swooped in to help begin the healing process for Holocaust survivors.

As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University will convene a timely conversation about Virginia’s enduring influence on America.

Featuring former Virginia governors L. Douglas Wilder and Jim Gilmore, University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato and Robyn Diehl McDougle, interim dean of the Wilder School and director of its Commonwealth Poll, the discussion will consider the commonwealth’s contributions to American democracy and civic life while exploring the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities that will help define its future.

📅 Tuesday, Sept. 1 | 5–7 p.m.
📍 W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
🎟️ Free and open to the public

Register now: https://bit.ly/45RDgJN

Associate Professor of sociology Gabriela Leon-Perez is bringing research beyond the classroom and into the community, working to document Latino immigrant experiences and improve mental health resources for Latino youth.

“Sometimes we see all this really important research being done at universities, but then it just stays there,” Leon-Perez said. “These are findings that could change the lives of people, but they're not communicated to maybe the people on the ground. That’s why it's been very important for me to share my expertise with people who are doing this work.”

Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4qbFDRl

The Richmonder 25: Gabriela León-Pérez does research to offer real-world solutions Now a sociology professor at VCU, León-Pérez has made a concerted effort to bring her research beyond the ivory towers of academia into the community.

Welcome Week is approaching fast! Swipe to check out all the fun events CHS will be hosting over the next few weeks. Snacks, giveaways, free food, tie dye.. you don’t want to miss these! 🤩

Click the link to RSVP now. https://bit.ly/3TK2es0

How does cortisol impact your sleep? Forbes explores the connection between stress, cortisol and sleep, featuring insights from Natalie Dautovich, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and senior research fellow for the National Sleep Foundation.

Read the full article on Forbes: https://bit.ly/3UjTcC1

Cortisol And Its Impact On Sleep 2026 - Forbes Vetted We tapped two sleep doctors to learn about the correlation between cortisol and sleep and reveal tips on how to maintain healthy cortisol levels.

Meet Jasmine Cuellar, an environmental studies student in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Cuellar’s research project on prothonotary warblers began last year as an intern with the Rice Rivers Center, a field station along the James River in Charles City County that is considered VCU’s river campus. This summer, she expanded the project to include data such as parental and nestling behaviors, which she captures with cameras deployed inside the boxes.

“I think birdwatching is for everybody, and I think a lot of people just need to get the opportunity,” Cuellar said. “It does take a lot of patience, but it’s a good way to get outside and connect with the environment and enjoy being in the moment.”

Click to read more about Jasmine's journey: https://bit.ly/3RHL6Cx

Jasmine Cuellar spends summer with the songbirds Along the James River and its system of nesting boxes, the VCU environmental studies student is researching how temperature affects prothonotary warbler nestlings.

Judi Crenshaw, associate professor in the The Robertson School of Communication, explores why media literacy is more important than ever in today's nonstop information landscape.

In her latest article, Crenshaw explains how media literacy can help us become more informed and engaged citizens by recognizing bias and identifying sponsored content. Click to read the full article in Style Weekly. https://bit.ly/4xnOQZ6

Mixed Messages What's news and what's sponsored content?

With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a VCU Psychology Department major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence.

But the senior began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended by machine learning. Maeba, 21, is now pursuing a minor in AI.

Read the story featured by multiple national news outlets:

Washington Post: https://bit.ly/456NIgh
AP News: https://bit.ly/3RP7Pwj
ABC News: https://bit.ly/4hx72uL

At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science Hiring for entry-level software developers has slowed, and college enrollment in computer science is declining.