Sign of Pride: Linguist's Studies Raise Recognition for Black ASL

The growing visibility of Black Deaf signers — on TikTok, at Super Bowl 2021 and in a documentary screening nationwide — is also putting the spotlight on the work of a UC Davis linguist.

Professor Robert Bayley doesn’t consider himself a sign language specialist; as a sociolinguist, he studies language variation. But he has collaborated for 24 years with sign language experts at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and other universities for the Deaf.

UC Davis Expands Study of South Asian Religions With Jainism

Although Jainism is one of the world’s oldest religions and continues to have significant influence globally, it isn’t widely known. Thanks to a $1.5 million gift from longtime UC Davis supporter Mohini Jain and the recent hire of Assistant Professor Lynna Dhanani in the Department of Religious Studies, UC Davis is helping to increase the visibility of Jainism through research, academic and public programming, and course offerings.

Most Teen Bullying Occurs Among Peers Climbing the Social Ladder

Teens who bully, harass, or otherwise victimize their peers are not always lashing out in reaction to psychological problems or unhealthy home environments, but are often using aggression strategically to climb their school’s social hierarchy, a UC Davis study suggests. These findings point to the reasons why most anti-bullying programs don’t work and suggest possible strategies for the future.

Graphic History Wins Award for Scholarly Excellence

Charles Walker, professor of history and director of the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas at UC Davis, has won a 2021 PROSE Award from the Association of American Publishers for his graphic history, Witness to the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru.

Middle East Historian Awarded NEH Fellowship

Arab textile workers in North and South America will be focus of new book.

UC Davis historian Stacy Fahrenthold — author of an award-winning book on the activism of Arab immigrants during World War I — has received a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to write a global history of the Syrian working class.

Mellon Public Scholars Adapt Projects During Pandemic

Each year, 12 UC Davis graduate students are selected as Mellon Public Scholars to take part in a year of community-engaged research. This has been a very different year for them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the students, all but one from the College of Letters and Science, have had to switch gears, change projects and not be physically present in the communities they are working with. Despite this, the students have completed projects and created videos that document their work, and in some cases is their work.

Among the projects:

Vaccine Myths on Social Media Can Be Effectively Reduced With Credible Fact Checking

Study finds that simple tags can make a difference.

Social media misinformation can negatively influence people’s attitudes about vaccine safety and effectiveness, but credible organizations — such as research universities and health institutions — can play a pivotal role in debunking myths with simple tags that link to factual information, UC Davis researchers suggest in a new study.

Podcast Debut Focuses on Conspiracy Theories

On the first episode of "The Backdrop," a UC Davis podcast exploring the world of ideas, historian Kathryn Olmsted discusses her work studying the history and impact of conspiracy theories on American society and politics. She also offers advice on how people can avoid falling prey to them.

Professor Engages Students in Research on Sacramento's African American Community

When Milmon Harrison, associate professor of African American and African studies, began writing a book about the Great Migration, he wondered if he could bring students into the research process as part of his teaching. Now he’s teaching students how to document the history of Sacramento’s African American community through interviews with residents and archival research, thanks to the Community Engaged Learning Faculty Fellows (CELFF) program.