Winter 2008-09 The Human Condition and Our Time Here on Earth Winter 2008-09 Volume 7, Issue 2 The College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin publishes Life and Letters for its community of scholars, alumni and friends. Editor Christian Clarke Cásarez Life&Letters Associate Editor Jennifer McAndrew Art Director 2 Dave Holston Message from the Dean Children and Family Psychology and Pro Bene Meritis Mental Health Donna Coffelt Evolution and Ancestry 13 29 Bringing Up Baby: 21 Song of Solomon: Designers 3 Researchers Delve into The Aging of America A Life Full of Joy Anne-Charlotte Patterson the Psychological World and Philosophy Michele Myette TB Today: Anthropologist of Children Discovers Oldest Case of In Treatment: The Birth of Re-emerging Disease Psychotherapy in America 31 Sociologist Investigates David Oshinsky’s America Staff Writers United States’ Hight Infant Psychology as Commodity Tracy Mueller ‘Beautiful’ Bones: Lucy Mortality Rate the Famous Fossil Why It’s Time for Scientists Should the Mississippi Jessica Sinn to Market for the Masses Files Have Been Reopened? Salem: Scientists Unearth Love and Relationships Intern Earliest Child Skeleton Humanities 16 33 Scott Fulford 5 The Language of Love: 23 Dr. Denton Cooley Deep Roots? New DNA From Diaries to Online English Takes the Stage Takes Innovation Contributing Writers Tests May Reveal Your Chats, Writing about Your as Presidential Priority to Heart Vive Griffith Ancestry, But Researchers Relationship May Help it Last Pam Losefsky Urge Caution When Behind the Lens 35 Interpreting Results The Brownings: with Keith Maitland 2008 Awards Art Markman A Writers’ Romance Ruth Pennebaker First Person: Out of Africa 25 Research Briefs Juliet Walker 18 The Bard and the Human 8 Do Women Talk More Condition: Shakespeare Production Coordinator Than Men? Soothes the Soul and 35 The Real Indiana Jones: New Research, Books Sharpens the Mind Rob Rough Anthropologist Separates and Programs from the Fact from Fiction Why Do Humans Have Sex? College of Liberal Arts Q & A with William Photographers Do You Blirt or Brood? Shakespeare Crystal Skulls: The Faculty Marsha Miller Inspiration Behind Christina Murrey Jones’ Fourth Adventure 19 Celebrating John Milton’s ‘Til Death Do Us Part? 400th Birthday 40 Human Senses Researchers Diagnose Retired Faculty Illustrator Health Consequences of 27 Guy Kingsberry Marriage, Divorce Pop Goes Philosophy Top 10 Signs I Knew 9 Professor Draws Upon it Was Time to Retire Science of the Senses Literary Marriages Popular Culture to Illustrate Faculty Advisers from Hell Today’s Moral Issues In Memoriam Mark Hayward The Mind’s Eye Robert Hummer Signing Up Pop Culture in the Classroom Take 5 Profiles James Pennebaker Sam Wilson Visit us online at Lost in Translation Back Cover www.utexas.edu/cola Jewish Life in the Americas: The Schusterman Center POSTMASTER for Jewish Studies Send changes of address to: Life and Letters College of Liberal Arts 1 University Station, G6000 Austin, Texas 78712 Message from the Dean IBERAL ARTS SCHOLARS UNDERSTAND THE WORLD my colleague and friend was elected into the National doesn’t operate in a vacuum—so neither does Academy of Sciences, one of the highest U.S. honors for a L their research. Everyday, faculty members across the scientist or engineer. college draw inspiration for their work from the pressing issues In the Humanities section of the issue, Keith Maitland, facing society today. creative writing alumnus, invites you behind the scenes of From unearthing the oldest case of tuberculosis, which has his movie sets to learn about the stories at the heart of his reemerged as a global killer, to examining the benefits and films, and Daniel Bonevac draws upon pop culture, film and drawbacks of genetic ancestry tests, liberal arts researchers television to explore philosophy with the next generation of use academic inquiry to inform health policies and market thinkers. decisions. Finally, the back page of the magazine highlights the Attracting and supporting faculty members who bring pioneering work of the new Schusterman Center for Jewish important ideas and solutions to society and deepen students’ Studies, which will build on the college’s top-ranked Latin educational experiences, is critical to the college’s mission— American history program and the Teresa Lozano Long and its competitiveness. This year, we welcomed 38 new Institute of Latin American Studies. Under the leadership of Randy Diehl scholars to liberal arts: 18 women and 20 men. Eight of historian Bob Abzug, the center is working to match the gen- Dean, College of Liberal Arts these new faculty members are Latino and five are African erous $6 million challenge grant to expand the scholarship American. on the history, culture, and society of Jews in the Americas, In addition, we recruited an unusually large number of including the United States and Canada. distinguished senior scholars: • Dean Young in English Liberal Arts: Learning that Lasts a Lifetime A liberal arts education • Jacqueline Jones and Miriam Bodian in History The Human Condition is the second edition of a three-part • Tom Tweed in Religious Studies series of Life & Letters issues designed to bring the college’s remains the intellectual • Zenzi Griffin in Psychology researchers closer to communities throughout the nation— • Brian Jones and Jeffrey Abramson in Government and and world. core of any university and • Javier Auyero and Nestor Rodriguez in Sociology. Earlier this year, the college introduced you to scholars whose work transcends hemispheric borders and ethnic society—and is at the The Human Condition boundaries in Gateway to the Americas and Changing U.S. In this issue of Life & Letters, titled the Human Condition, Demographics (Winter 07-08). During the spring, you will heart of every person. we introduce you to researchers who explore our time here meet the thought-leaders who shape national and interna- on earth by surfacing archaeological links to our past and tional policy issues in The American Citizen and Modern examining the implications of ancestry research for our sense Democracy. of self. The College of Liberal Arts—your college—is the largest You’ll meet the thought-leaders who champion the human- and oldest of the university’s academic units. It comprises a ities’ role in society and examine the human life cycle by community of 600 faculty members, 450 staff members and delving into the world of children and analyzing how intimate an average of 15,000 students. And, with you, more than relationships affect health. 100,000 living alumni. In the Evolution and Ancestry section of the magazine, John A liberal arts education remains the intellectual core of any Kappelman unearths the oldest case of tuberculosis, which has university and society—and is at the heart of every person. reemerged as a global killer, and Deborah Bolnick examines All undergraduates embark on their academic careers by the benefits and drawbacks of genetic ancestry tests. enrolling in liberal arts courses, which span the humanities, Visit us online at Researchers from the Center for Perceptual Systems open social sciences and languages. www.utexas.edu/cola their labs to readers interested in exploring the inner workings Our graduates help shape communities, locally and inter- of the human senses—and how we perceive our world. I am nationally. More than any other school, liberal arts alumni proud to be a member of the center and its team of scientists prove what starts here, truly does change the world. ably led by psychology researcher Wilson Geisler. Recently, — Randy Diehl 2 LIFE &LETTERS | Winter 2008-09 EVOLUTION AND ANCESTRY TB Today: Anthropologist Discovers Oldest Case of Re-emerging Disease 500,000-year-old fossil points to modern health concerns BY CHRISTIAN CLARKE CÁSAREZ S TURKISH WORKERS CUT INTO A BLOCK OF travertine stone destined for the international A tile market, they uncovered a 500,000-year-old fossil, which anthropologist John Kappelman is using to expand scientists’ understanding of tuberculosis–and how the infectious disease may affect people who migrate. “Tuberculosis has re-emerged as a global killer during the past two decades,” Kappelman says. “This ancient fossil reveals a case history similar to that of many modern patients since the disease was probably exacerbated by a vitamin D deficiency, which resulted after the species migrated north from the tropics into the temperate climates of Eurasia.” Although most researchers believed tuberculosis emerged only several thousand years ago, Kappelman revealed the most ancient evidence of the disease in the fossil workers unearthed in Pamukkale in western Turkey. Inside view of the cast. The stylus points to tiny lesions The physical anthropologist’s discovery of Homo erectus, a 1-2 millimeters in size found along the rim of bone just new specimen of the human species, suggests support for the behind the right eye orbit. theory that dark-skinned people who migrate northward from low, tropical latitudes produce less vitamin D, which can adversely affect the immune system, as well as the skeleton. Prior to this discovery, which helps scientists fill a Kappelman is part of an international team of research- temporal and geographical gap in human evolution, the ers from the United States, Turkey and Germany who oldest evidence of tuberculosis in humans was found in published their findings in the American Journal of Physical mummies from Egypt and Peru that date to several thousand Anthropology last year. The Leakey Foundation and the years ago. Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey funded Paleontologists spent decades prospecting in Turkey for the research. remains of Homo erectus, widely believed to be the first human species to migrate out of Africa. After moving north, the species had to adapt to increasingly seasonal climates. WEB RESOURCE: eSkeletons The researchers identified this specimen of Homo erectus as Compare 3-D skeletons of a young male, based on aspects of the cranial suture closure, humans and primates at sinus formation and the size of the ridges of the brow.