In addressing the topic of white nationalism, sociologist and ISG Professor, Aaron Panofsky, examined and co-authored a research article on “Genetic ancestry testing among white nationalists: From identity repair to citizen science”, in which he utilized qualitative analysis of posts from an online forum dedicated to white nationalism called Stormfront.
Our project, which takes form in a zine, seeks to answer the question: “How did perspectives on intellectually disabled people in America change between 1840-1930?”. Central to our project is a timeline tracking the legal, scientific, public health, and education developments towards people with intellectual disabilities. This timeline stands next to primary sources including pamphlets, photographs, letters, books, and research papers. Through displaying these historical pieces we hope readers gain an understanding of medical, legal, social, and scientific perspectives throughout our chosen period of history. This main portion of our project is complimented by “letters from the editors” and “letters to the editor” which bring in world history and disabilities studies perspectives. Project by Katja Brion and Lucy Dewart.
In her Op-ed, Human Biology and Society student, Lovelyn Saini, discussed the daunting grading system for STEM majors, the limited data on departmental differences in grading and the need for an innovative grading system from which students can benefit and develop a positive experience in their education.
Mental health is of utmost importance in academia, especially given one’s cumulative experiences and history. Coming from a unique background, Human Biology and Society student, Joseph Nguyen, brings to light the importance of mental health as he highlights the effects of intergenerational trauma within the Southeast Asian American community.
ISG would like to congratulate and commend Nicolas Cevallo for sharing his experience of microaggression challenges with the UCLA community as a student of color. Cevallos’s perspective serves as a call for awareness, advocacy and acknowledgment of many students who share in similar challenges in academia.
For ISG Professor Shane Campbell-Staton, his tools are comic books. In his winter quarter course “Biology of Superheroes”, Campbell-Staton challenges his students to develop their perspective on evolutionary biology, as he explores comic book stories of superheroes.