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Architecture professor’s book examines cultural tourism that began in Depression-era Mississippi
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Seeking to support their city’s economy during the Great Depression, the women of Natchez, Mississippi, developed one of the first cultural tourism sites in the U.S., centered around the city’s antebellum architecture. In doing so, they created an image of the Old South as grand mansions and gracious living. Paul Hardin Kapp, […]
Paper: Neurotic personality trait a key risk factor for stress perception
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new paper co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts who study the science of personalities points to the important role of personality traits to account for individual differences in experiencing stress. In a meta-analysis synthesizing more than 1,500 effect sizes from about 300 primary studies, the team showed […]
What message did voters send this midterm election?
Brian Gaines is a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the U. of I. System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Gaines, who studies elections and public opinion, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the results of the 2022 midterm elections. […]
Project to reconnect Native American tribes with historic hide painting, artistic tradition
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Native American tribes that once called Illinois home painted deer and bison hides with stories and symbols that were important to their culture. Some of the best examples of this artistic tradition – four painted hide robes made sometime between 1680 and 1750 – are now in the collection of the […]
Why do we love horror films?
October brings another onscreen killing spree by the knife-wielding Michael Myers in “Halloween Ends,” purportedly the final movie in the “Halloween” film franchise that began 44 years ago and includes more than a dozen films. Jim Hansen is an English professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies 20th century literature and film, including […]
Illinois journal highlights new findings on the Black Death’s timeline, origin
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research indicates that the Black Death pandemic was already affecting Central Asia and East Asia a century earlier than its well-documented arrival in Europe. A special open-access issue of “The Medieval Globe,” a journal based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is devoted to the new evidence of when and where […]
New database catalogs police shootings in Illinois to improve accountability
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research and an interdisciplinary team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts have developed a statewide registry on the use of lethal force by police officers in Illinois to improve accountability and rebuild the public perception of law enforcement. The Systematic Policing Oversight Through Lethal-Force Incident Tracking […]
What’s the future of drones in counterterrorism operations and the Ukraine war?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science professor Nicholas Grossman is the author of “Drones and Terrorism: Asymmetric Warfare and the Threat to Global Security” and specializes in international relations. Grossman spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the implications of the U.S. killing former al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri by drone in […]
Will the Jan. 6 committee hearings affect public opinion?
Brian Gaines is a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the U. of I. System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Gaines, who studies elections and public opinion, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the potential impact of the Jan. 6 […]
What are the global security implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Edward A. Kolodziej is Emeritus Research Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and author of the book “Global Governance: Evaluating the Liberal Democratic, Chinese, and Russian Solutions.” He spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has altered the landscape for U.S. […]
Why are so many states trying to limit transgender rights?
Several states have introduced legislation in the last year that would restrict the rights of transgender people and regulate discussions of gender identity in schools. State laws prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports in public schools, ban talking about sexual orientation and gender identity in some elementary school grades and prohibit medical care […]
History professor’s book examines racism in Russia
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Russia, under President Vladimir Putin’s administration, is perhaps the most dangerous country for racial violence in the world, according to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Eugene Avrutin. That wasn’t always the case. In his new book, “Racism in Modern Russia: From the Romanovs to Putin,” Avrutin explores the history of racism […]