A Just World In Conversation, a series moderated by College of SBS Dean Lori Poloni-Staudinger
Welcome to A Just World In Conversation, a series from the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The series is moderated by Lori Poloni-Staudinger, dean of the college. In each conversation, we introduce you to an SBS scholar and explore how their research helps us better understand people, communities, and the forces shaping our world. These brief conversations bring our college’s vision, A Just World, Together to life by connecting important scholarship with questions and challenges that affect us all.
Faculty Guests
Mariya Tseptsura, director of the Online Writing Program in the Department of English (Oct. 2026)
Maria Tseptsura draws on her work leading the online writing program for research inspiration. One of her recent projects examined how students and instructors respond to flexible, shared curriculum that introduced artificial intelligence tools into first-year writing courses. Tseptsura discusses her results and the importance of teaching AI literacy.
Ryan Amir Kashanipour, assistant professor in the Department of History (Sept. 2026)
Professor Kashanipour studies medicine, science, and food in Colonial Mexico. His research examines everyday and exceptional social relationships and the ways that people of different backgrounds, such as natives, Africans, and Europeans created connections that cut across cultural, economic, and social divisions.