A student studying cultural studies on the stairs leading up to Hospitality Hall.

Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies News

The Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies allows students to create degree programs from courses across disciplinary boundaries, including cultural studies, linguistic studies, Asian studies, Latin American studies, multi-disciplinary studies, and social science studies.

Current Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies News

Several hands reach up toward a stethoscope.
Campus News |

Students examine the evolution of America’s healthcare system in the larger social, political, and economic context of the last 500 years.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

closeup of Sabrina Imbler
Arts and Culture |

Acclaimed science writer and essayist to give a free reading and conversation on March 11.

spring flowers
Campus News |

The rosiest headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

A father plays a synth piano with his daughter.
Campus News |

Students explore the soundtracks to history in the vibe-iest way possible.

Students pass by Lied Library as they walk campus on the first day of Fall 2024 semester classes
Campus News |

A collection of news highlights featuring students and faculty.

Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies In The News

Today

No one should be calling anyone a “Big Back.” “Big back” is slang for an overweight person, a “food lover” or someone who eats a lot, according to Urban Dictionary.

KSNV-TV: News 3

A Nevada state assemblymember is drafting a bill to establish a commission to study the impacts of slavery and racial discrimination, and to consider the potential for reparations.

KSNV-TV: News 3

As we round out Black History Month, we shine a light on a casino that transformed Las Vegas, the Moulin Rouge. This year marks 70 years since it opened its doors in 1955 over on the Historic Westside. It became the first integrated casino in the country.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The Historic Westside of Las Vegas is often forgotten. Still, the neighborhood is a pivotal part of the city’s history, specifically the uprising of 1969 and its role in the civil rights movement.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The Historic Westside of Las Vegas is often forgotten. Still, the neighborhood is a pivotal part of the city’s history, specifically the uprising of 1969 and its role in the civil rights movement.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The Historic Westside of Las Vegas is often forgotten. Still, the neighborhood is a pivotal part of the city's history, specifically the uprising of 1969 and its role in the civil rights movement.

Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Experts

An expert in African American culture and the history of slavery in the U.S.
An expert in educational equity and race theory in education.
An expert on the history of slavery and racism's impact on African Americans' health care.
An expert on Asian American history, race and racism, and Thai cuisine.
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An expert in political philosophy, philosophy for children, and Latinx philosophies.
An expert on gender, sexuality, media, and popular culture.

Recent Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Accomplishments

Javon Johnson (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies), associate professor of African American Studies and renowned poet, began coaching a slam poetry team in Las Vegas in January 2025 and, in March 2025, the team won its first major poetry slam tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Tyler D. Parry (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) and Historian Charlton W. Yingling from the University of Louisville recently published an article, "Canines: Enforcing Race and State" in the peer-reviewed journal Modern American History. The article was part of the journal's special forum: "Animals in Modern U.S. History."
On Feb. 22, Christopher D. E. Willoughby (African American Studies; Interdisciplinary, Gender and Ethnic Studies) published a review of the book Searching for Dr. Harris: The Life and Times of a Remarkable African American Physician in The Lancet, one of the world's leading medical journals.
On Feb. 7, Christopher D.E. Willoughby (African American Studies;Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) published an article titled, "Pioneer Professors of Kentucky Medical Education and the Spread of Racial Science, 1792–1861," in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Willoughby's article is a part of a special issue…
On Feb. 5, Christopher Willoughby (African American Studies; Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) gave an invited lecture on his book, Masters of Health: Racial Science and Slavery in U.S. Medical Schools, in the History of Politics seminar at the Université Paris Cité. While in Paris, Willoughby and Elodie Edwards Grossi (…
On Feb. 5, Tyler D. Parry (African American and African Diaspora Studies Program; Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) appeared on KTNV, Channel 13 News to discuss his research on the 1969 Uprising against police brutality in West Las Vegas, explaining how this event still impacts the city in the present.