College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University--The Official Page

Hear from Pascale Joassart-Marcelli, SDSU Geography professor and director of the Center for Better Food Futures, and urban studies, about the impact of local farmers markets on the San Diego foodscape.

Listen to the KPBS Midday Edition podcast.

The impact of local farmers markets on the foodscape It's national farmers market week. We're taking you outside to farmer's markets and highlighting local efforts to prioritize food access and healthy neighborhoods.

Announcing the Fall 2024 CHEPS-ECON Applied Economics and Public Policy Seminar Series.

In its 8th year of presenting weekly seminars with leading scholars in applied economics and public policy analysis, the 2024 lineup includes a diverse set of health, labor, public, and development economists who will be visiting SDSU from such campuses as Brown University, Cornell University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas Austin, among others.

The series begins August 29 and continues on Thursdays throughout the semester.

Thursdays
3:30-4:45 p.m.
AL 660 (Finch Conference Room)
Or via Zoom: https://sdsu.zoom.us/j/88923406625

GE courses in CAL open up the world. Read about how CAL's Women's Studies Department, SDSU courses give students unique insights.

With the fall semester approaching, SDSU students will soon be navigating their new schedules and may discover their own favorite classes.

An essential part of the college experience is finding fulfilling and memorable courses. Factors like professors, the course matter and class structure all play a vital role in fostering an engaging atmosphere.

For students still searching for class recommendations, Daily Aztec contributor, Jenna Ramiscal, interviewed recent graduates and rising seniors to discuss some of their favorite courses.

🖋️ & 📸:

Access the full story via the link in our bio.

Are you a humanities and social sciences major ready to supercharge your career path?

We’ve created two new fall courses designed specifically for you — equipping you with the essential skills and knowledge to translate your unique strengths into a fulfilling career.

CAL 100
For students who want to explore career options via a CAL major. This one-unit course is geared toward lower-division students.
Mondays | 12-12:50 p.m.
AH 2103 | Assistant Dean
Aileen Taylor Grant

CAL 400
For fourth-year students rapidly approaching the full-time job market. Included in this three-unit course students will earn training in a Coursera Professional
Certificate program in a high demand career field.
Wednesdays | 3:30-6:10 p.m.
PSFA 358 | Professor
Alvin Henry

POSTS FROM PARIS
Neftalie Williams | Education ambassador and sports envoy for skateboarding at the U.S. Department of State.

Neftalie Williams, director of the Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change and assistant professor of sociology, makes community connections in Paris during the Summer Olympics.

Photos:
1) U.S. women’s park skateboard team member Bryce Wettstein poses with Neftalie Williams at the street course ahead of her park competition on August 6.

2) Neftalie Williams and Kenny Reed, former pro skater and current Thailand team coach, at the street course.

3) After the women’s competition, Neftalie Williams and Dutch team skateboarder Keet Oldenbeuving, watch the men’s finals at the street course.

4) Women’s street team skater Paige Heyn, caught between her runs during the contest, poses with USA street team coach John Nicholson.

5) Gabriela Pereira Mazetto, Brazilian skate legend Rodrigo Peterson, and Brazilian coach Roger Mancha at the street course.

6/7) Neftalie Williams attends a launch event for a new training facility in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine with Tommie C. Smith, gold medal winner at the 1968 Summer Olympics in track and field, and Karim Bouamrane, the mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.

8) Neftalie Williams heads to SPOT 24, the epicenter of the history of urban sport for an interview under the Eiffel Tower.

9) Neftalie Williams joins the Japan team house director of international relations to discuss the legacy of Tokyo 2020 and urban sport.

Listen to a KCBS interview with Williams (from Paris) in a discussion about the recognition and legitimacy of skateboarding at the Summer Olympics. https://bit.ly/3A9SLR2

Check out skate.sdsu.edu for more photos and info about the Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change.

SDSU Department of Sociology
Neftalie Williams

Congratulations to Clarissa Clò on winning a prestigious Flaiano International Award for Italian Studies.

Work on the critical bilingual edition and English translation of Italian-Egyptian rapper Amir Issaa’s memoir, along with a team of students and academics, was recognized by the Premi Internazionali Flaiano and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

READ THE FULL STORY, HERE: https://cal.sdsu.edu/news/clo-award

If you're heading to San Diego Comic-Con International, be sure to check out these panels with SDSU faculty and an SDSU history alumna.

Read more details about each panel, here: https://cal.sdsu.edu/news/comics-panels-24


SDSU Chicana and Chicano Studies SDSU Department of History SDSU American Indian Studies Classics & Humanities Department, SDSU

If you're heading to San Diego Comic-Con International, be sure to check out these panels with SDSU faculty.

Find more details about each panel, here: https://cal.sdsu.edu/news/comics-panels-24


SDSU Africana Studies Department of History

Hear Neftalie Williams, SDSU Department of Sociology professor and director of SDSU's Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change share his plans as the first "Ambassador of Skateboarding" and envoy for the U.S. Department of State at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

SDSU professor takes his skateboarding skills to 2024 Olympic Games Dr. Neftalie Williams has parlayed his passion for skateboarding into directing San Diego State University’s new Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports and Social Change.

Discover a sampling of new fall courses in CAL to expand your mind in the most unique ways.

Phil 339 | Philosophy of Video Games
Ling 596 | AIs That Can Lie: Hype, Hope, and Limits of Large Language Models
Anth 520 | Ethnographic Field Methods

Congratulations to newly promoted associate professors at CAL.

SDSU Africana Studies
SDSU American Indian Studies
Spanish & Portuguese at SDSU
Department of Linguistics & Asian/ Middle Eastern Languages, SDSU
Political Science

Congratulations to promoted professors and associate professors at CAL.

SDSU Chicana and Chicano Studies
Spanish & Portuguese at SDSU
Rhetoric and Writing Studies at SDSU
SDSU Geography
SDSU Department of Sociology
Department of Linguistics & Asian/ Middle Eastern Languages, SDSU
Department of Economics

Congratulations to all CAL students who made the official Dean's List for spring 2024.

The College of Arts and Letters Dean's List is recognition of academic achievement within a single semester. To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing, an undergraduate, enrolled, and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (semester GPA only) based on a minimum of 12 units of credit for courses in which letter grades were assigned.

View the complete list by department, here: https://cal.sdsu.edu/people/deans-list

SDSU lands six winners of the competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards Research on an infectious pathogen and teaching English are among the plans for visits to countries ranging from Ecuador to South Korea.

SDSU’s Tajuddin Henry receives CSU’s first-ever Black Student Success Scholarship.

The SDSU Africana Studies and Public Health junior is one of six California State University students honored for their leadership in community service and advocating Black excellence

Read the full article, here — https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/06/sdsu-tajuddin-henry-receives-csu-first-ever-black-student-success-scholarship

SDSU geography student researchers learn how local farmers use regenerative farming practices to adapt to climate change during their year-long internship.

Local farmers in the San Diego region maintain a vital role in the food systems of our economy. Many rely on regenerative and environmentally beneficial farming practices to combat climate change. Increasingly farms and farmers are facing, and must adapt to, extreme heat, severe drought, and intense wind events.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach to this problem, Amy Quandt, associate professor of geography, has been working across campus with biology, geography, sustainability, and environmental science graduate and undergraduate students to conduct surveys of farmers throughout the region.

In the Geography 360 Human Dimensions of Climate Change and Geography 499 course along with a subsequent internship, students gained hands-on experiential learning and research opportunities on topics of agroforestry, agriculture, and climate change in Southern California.

Here are photos from the farm tour and presentation at Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards in Temecula and a helicopter tour of Rancho Guejito in the San Pasqual Valley.

For the full article, visit: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/07/san-diego-farming-studied-for-insights-on-regenerative-agriculture-climate-change

SDSU Geography

See how San Diego State University's Metabolism of Cities Living Lab (MOC-LLAB) is localizing global goals and making real-world impacts. From pedestrian safety to supporting refugees, see the power of GIS in action.

Addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a local level while ensuring effective and impactful education for students, the MOC-LLAB utilizes GIS tools like ArcGIS Dashboards and ArcGIS Survey123 to create data-driven projects that localize SDGs, involving students, faculty, and community partners.

These initiatives have significantly impacted local communities, such as improving pedestrian safety and advocating for better resources for refugee populations, demonstrating the practical benefits of integrating GIS education with real-world applications.

Read more, here: https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcwatch/gis-education-localizes-global-goals/

SDSU Geography
Esri

SDSU and the Center for Comics Studies are honored to be the site hosts for the 2025 International Comic Arts Conference (ICAF)! Mark your calendars for April 10-12, 2025.

Groundbreaking 38-year study offers rare perspective on children of le***an parents.

Esther Rothblum, emerita professor of Women's Studies Department, SDSU, is a collaborator on the largest and longest-running study on planned le***an-parent families in the U.S.

Read the full article, here: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/06/groundbreaking-38-year-study-offers-rare-perspective-on-children-of-le***an-parents

Of the six San Diego State University winners of the competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards; five are CAL students or recent alumni.

Congratulations to all!

Learn more about each student and where they will engage in research across the globe — https://bit.ly/4bBa4rf.

SDSU Department of Anthropology Professor Seth Mallios climbs atop Hardy Memorial Tower to share with you the history and a sneak peek of the great views from above.

Watch Seth in "Ken Kramer's About San Diego" segment [starting at 10:40] on KPBS.

https://to.pbs.org/4eErQMG

Neftalie Williams, assistant professor of sociology and director of the new Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change shares his story with CA LIVE about the power of action sports in culture and diplomacy.

CHECK OUT THE STORY: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/meet-the-professor-who-is-using-a-skateboard-to-unite-the-world/3473175/?amp=1

SDSU Department of Sociology
Visit: https://skate.sdsu.edu

Congratulations M. Brooke Rose on two awards as lead author of a study on species rarity and geography and their exposure to climate and land use change, co-authored by Professor Janet Franklin and others and published in 2023 in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.

The Biogeography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) selected Rose, Franklin, Endowed Campanile Foundation Professor of Geography in the Center for Open Geographical Sciences, and their co-researchers for its 2024 Henry C. Cowles Excellence in Publication Award.

In May, Rose and Franklin were among the recipients of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) 2024 Cooper Award, which honors the authors of an outstanding publication in geobotany, physiographic ecology and related fields.

Read the full article for details on both awards, here: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/05/sdsu-geographer-receive-two-peer

SDSU Geography

Ecological Society of America
American Association of Geographers

Dust from the drying Salton Sea pollutes nearby communities.
Joint study finds increased particulate air pollution following 2011 diversion of water to San Diego.

When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California’s largest lake, according to a new study in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics by San Diego State University, University of California, Davis and Arizona State University researchers.

“What we find is that historically disadvantaged communities are receiving the brunt of this air pollution,” said co-author Ryan Abman, associate professor of economics at SDSU.

The Salton Sea has been shrinking for years, according to co-author Eric Edwards, assistant professor of agricultural economics at University of California, Davis, who worked on the study while at North Carolina State University. The dust created by the drying of the lakebed increases pollution that reaches surrounding communities.

Read more about the study, here: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/06/dust-from-the-drying-salton

SDSU alumna empowers change through advocacy and service.

ISCOR alumna Stephanie Hernandez was honored with the Heart of Service award for her commitment to providing support to asylum seekers.

Stephanie Hernandez ('17) encompasses what it means to be a positive change in the world.

As a social justice advocate, Hernandez has dedicated her career to advancing equity-focused initiatives in San Diego's impacted communities. Embracing her unique background, Hernandez’s passion and drive for her work have led her to make a difference in the community around her.

Read more: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/05/sdsu-alumna-empowers-change-through-advocacy-and-service

FALL 2024 EUROPEAN STUDIES COURSE HIGHLIGHT

Register now for EUROP 160: European Reflections on Science and Technology
Wednesdays / 3:30-4:45 p.m. / hybrid

This course introduces students to selected literary and film texts produced over centuries by influential European authors from Austria, Britain, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Russia, and Switzerland.