November Books of the Month

Welcome to Books of the Month, where once a month, L&S staff select works from our Bookshelf of UC Davis authors. Our November 2024 selections are in honor of National Native American Heritage Month.

Explore narratives from local historic protest movements to the unearthing of previously lost traditions. Take some time this month to read one of our selections and hopefully learn something new! 

Making Physics Come to Life

For close to 20 years, Matthew Smith has worked as the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s lecture demonstration support technician. Take a peak inside his physics demonstration workshop in this staff profile.

October Media Mention Highlights

Every day faculty and students from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis are highlighted in the news media, having their research featured and commenting on the most pressing issues facing the world.

Monster Hunting with Michael Dylan Foster

Michael Dylan Foster, a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, has been researching yōkai, the mythical creatures of Japan, for years. Now he's hosting a mini-series about them.

From Magma Deep Beneath Ancient Volcanoes a Hidden Driver of Earth’s Past Climate

An international team of geoscientists led by a volcanologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and including Maxwell Rudolph, associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding, ancient volcanoes continued to spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from deep within the Earth long past their period of eruptions.

New Book Reveals Arab American Textile Workers’ Impact on Strike History

In a new book, historian Stacy Fahrenthold unravels the history of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian immigrants’ activism in the global textile industry and labor strikes. Her book reveals how women garment workers, child laborers and union activists struggled against white and even Arab American bosses, as well as why their impact has gone ignored.

The Roots of Fear: Understanding the Amygdala

Scientists at UC Davis have identified new clusters of cells with differing patterns of gene expression in the amygdala of humans and non-human primates. The work could lead to more targeted treatments for disorders such as anxiety that affect tens of millions of people.

UC Davis Awarded $1.25 Million for Expanding Interdisciplinary Studies 

The Department of Asian American Studies was approved for a $750,000 grant for a proposed interdisciplinary program and designated emphasis focused on critical empire and militarism studies. The Department of Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies was approved for a $500,000 grant to fund a three-year working group focused on building the field of trans studies.