California Magazine

The (Really) Big Picture

Is examining the past, from the big bang to the present, a legitimate scholarly endeavour? Walter Alvarez thinks so. By Pat Joseph

When we begin to appreciate the idea of rocks as recorders of the truly ancient history of the Earth and start to learn what happened in that history, we experience a dizzying but exhilarating expansion of our appreciation of time... Learn more »

Work in Progress

In terms of demographics, funding, architecture, student culture, politics, you name it, Berkeley keeps changing. By Charles Buress

For a quick dose of Cal cultural vertigo, imagine this: A modern Rip Van Winkle wakes, dumbfounded from a 40-year sleep in a hidden nook next to Strawberry Creek. The last thing he recalls was a fog of National Guard tear gas in 1969... Learn more »

A Great Aspiration

Cal wants to be both elite and equitable. It's proving difficult. By Reyhan Harmanci

When Senatorial candidate Barack Obama entered the national stage in 2004 with a speech that passionately advocated for an end to the political thin-slicing of the American identity—red states, blue states, soccer moms, NASCAR dads, yuppies, buppies, bobos, and the like—a new term entered the lexicon: post-racial... Learn more »

The New Believers

A surprising number of Asian students are drawn to the supportive structure of evangelical congregations. By Don Lattin

Christian rock music blasts through the open doors of the Student Union as hundreds of Asian-American undergrads clamber up the stairs to a packed Pauley Ballroom. It’s the annual New Student Welcome Night [...] that has redefined what it means to be a Christian at Cal... Learn more »

Weathering the Storm

The forecast for newspapers may be grim, but J-schools look to a brighter future. By Andrew Gilbert

As each week brings new reports of layoffs, buyouts, and bankruptcies across the print spectrum, the only thing clear is that an era in American journalism is ending... Learn more »