Social Sciences News

ECONOMICS - CAS economist Laura Bakkensen published research about the damages flooding could have on the US housing market. "The housing market is a massive market in the US," said Bakkensen. "It's worth trillions of dollars. That value means we need to think about some of these natural disaster risks and how they're affecting some of our financial systems."

ANTHROPOLOGY - University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences researcher Lynn Stephen was elected in April to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, with 250 other leaders in academia, industry, the arts and more. Stephen is an anthropologist whose research on immigration and asylum, gender-based violence, race, and Indigenous communities in Mexico, Guatemala and the diaspora in California and the Northwest.

InfoGraphics - The cartographic team at the College of Arts and Sciences’ InfoGraphics Lab, along with an outside team of wildlife ecologists and spatial analysts have developed an interactive atlas to track vast migrations of ungulates, which are hoofed, typically herbivore mammals.

ECONOMICS - Alum Joseph Wyer will discuss the how economics and science can come together for modern marketing. His talk “The Science of Modern Marketing” is 2-2:45 pm Friday, May 8, at Lillis 182. The event is organized by the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Economics.

The InfoGraphics Lab and the Eugene-based nonprofit Beyond Toxics collaborated on a dynamic map that has pulled back the veil on pesticide use in Oregon. The map not only provides a public service but also served as a training ground for students learning how to communicate complex data.

Stories are drawn across cave walls, written into history books and verbally passed down through generations. The origins of storytelling are rooted in survival, and it’s such an essential skill, it’s a core part of the curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences. From creative writing to biochemistry, explore the power of storytelling and why it's vital for a liberal arts education.

Four College of Arts and Sciences faculty members will discuss the social impact of research during the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) Week of Research and Innovation. The event is 10:30 am to noon Wednesday, April 8, at the Cedar and Spruce rooms in the Erb Memorial Union.

CAREER PREPARATION — Tasked with meeting the College of Arts and Sciences career preparation goal, Assistant Dean for Career Preparation Yifang Zhang developed and implemented the Career Leaders Program. The program focuses on providing tools and resources to reframe and elevate the school's existing effort in career preparation in classrooms.

For Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week in 2026, CAS gradate students share their experiences of what makes their experience special at CAS. CAS is home to 1,295 graduate students: 307 master’s and 959 PhD. With April 6-10 Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week, CAS reached out to some of its graduate students to hear how about their experiences at the college.

ASIAN STUDIES - This popular course on Japanese popular culture taught by Alisa Freedman examines icons like Hello Kitty, Pikachu and the Oregon Duck can transform global politics and people’s identities.

Throughout the week of April 6–10, 2026, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, along with campus partners, will host a series of events open to faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff. The event will feature researchers throughout the College of Arts and Sciences.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Theresa Gildner’s research in the Amazon as a doctoral student in anthropology led to publications and experience in conducting ethical field research. She continues that work as a Washington University faculty member.

SOCIOLOGY - New research by sociology Associate Professor Claire Herbert and doctoral student Amanda Ricketts examined three US case studies where squatting was used as a tool to influence local and state decision makers. The two CAS sociologists published their findings in the article “Resisting and Reclaiming: Squatting as Contentious Urban Politics in the US” in the November 2025 issue of Social Problems.

ANTHROPOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE - College of Arts and Sciences alumni were among the 200 alumni who gathered for the 10th annual UO Board Summit. The alumni that attended included Natalie Poole, BA '80 (political science) who is a senior vice president at Wells Fargo Capital Finance and triple Duck David Lewis, PhD, '09 (anthropology) who serves as an assistant professor at Oregon State University.

On the cusp of a new year, Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences Chris Poulsen took time to share what he is most excited about in the College of Arts and Sciences, now and into the future. "The success of this strategy doesn't depend on a few leaders. It depends on all of us," Poulsen said.