Social Sciences News

SOCIOLOGY - A 2025 research article by College of Arts and Sciences Sociology Associate Professor MacKenzie Christensen’s 2025 article has received recognition from the American Sociological Association (ASA).

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Research Awards, which highlight notable research activities taking place at the University of Oregon.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES — As higher education faces pressure to improve affordability, shorten time to graduation and increase student retention, the College of Arts and Sciences is revising its core education offerings. Because CAS is responsible for more than 85% of core ed at the University of Oregon, it has an opportunity to drive meaningful change for students.

ARCHAEOLOGY, BIOLOGY, CINEMA STUDIES — Alison Carter, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology Laurel Pfeifer-Meister, associate teaching professor in the Department of Biology and Colin Williamson, assistant professor in the Department of Cinema Studies are this year’s College of Arts and Sciences Tykeson Teaching Award recipients.

EALL, HISTORY — A century after its first surge in popularity in the United States, the game Mahjong is once again having a cultural moment. At the University of Oregon, faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences are using this renewed interest as an opportunity to help students explore history, culture and identity through hands-on experience.

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.