Social Sciences News

POLITICAL SCIENCE - Sarah Koski graduated with a degree in political science in 2006 from the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences and Robert D. Clark Honors College. To find her purpose and mission, Koski first had to break up with the notion that all success is a high-powered executive job. Now a community resource liaison for Lane Transit District, Koski works to help people feel seen and heard, and to make real change in the unhoused community.

SOCIOLOGY - New research co-authored by CAS sociology assistant professor Byron Villacis Cruz explores the forces that influenced Ecuador to adopt the dollar in 2000, which impacted the country on social and economic levels — and what it teaches us about future policies around the world.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES — With a $524,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education, Lana Lopesi, assistant professor and researcher specializing in Pacific Islander studies is collaborating with Oregon State University researcher Patricia Fifita to increase information about the history and culture of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in K-12 classrooms in Oregon. 

SOCIOLOGY - As part of the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History summer field school, the students are spending a month immersed in Indigenous cultural landscapes while studying archaeology, history and ecology and, at the same time, helping restore oyster beds. They’re learning vital career skills while helping usher in a new era of archaeology with Gabe Sanchez, a CAS assistant professor of sociology.

SOCIOLOGY - Professor Jessica Vasquez-Tokos' new book "Burdens of Belonging: Race in an Unequal Nation" explores how race shapes the everyday experiences of individuals and what it means to be a “so-called problem” in the predominantly white state of Oregon in the 21st century. "How does racial status inflect one’s sense of belonging in the nation?” Vasquez-Tokos said.

SOCIOLOGY - Fear of deportation among people in the United States without permanent legal status declines with age, according to a study recently published by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences researcher Isabel Garcia Valdivia. The project is the first to examine how those concerns diminish after age 50 because relationships, families, work and communities change with time.

GRADUATE STUDIES - The work of writing a dissertation can be overwhelming, which is why it's important to find innovative ways for students to develop a plan for success. This summer the graduate studies team hosted a bootcamp filled with advice to help make the dissertation writing process easier, more efficient and more enjoyable.

POLITICAL SCIENCE - Voters are in a way acting as lawmakers, as some states see an increase in ballot measures, spanning from county or city-level ordinances to state constitutional amendments, according to research by Madison Schroder, a political science PhD candidate at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences.

Celebrate the class of 2025 with a slideshow featuring some of their favorite moments!

HISTORY - Julie Weise’s research on temporary migrant work policies is one of many projects around the country to lose NEH funding, but she remains focused on her work. Her upcoming book, "Guest Worker: Lives across Borders in an Age of Prosperity, 1919-1975," looks at how this type of international policy agreement evolved during the mid-20th century, with a focus on the experiences of temporary workers in more economically prosperous countries: Mexicans in the US, Malawians in South Africa and Spaniards in France.

FOOD STUDIES, GLOBAL STUDIES - For more than 30 years, College of Arts and Sciences scholar Stephen Wooten's research has focused on Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa. His new book explores the role that women have in rural Mali.

GLOBAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - The Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement announced this year's Faculty Research Mentor Awardees, two of whom are in the College of Arts and Sciences: Sociology Assistant Professor Raoul Liévanos and Global Studies Associate Professor Jo Weaver. Read more about the recipients

Eight faculty members have been selected to win this year’s Distinguished Teaching Awards, which recognize exceptional teaching at the University of Oregon. The 2024-25 recipients are Lana Lopesi, Adell Amos, Mohsen Manesh, Marli Miller, Damian Radcliffe, Corinne Bayerl, Amanda Wojick and Naoko Nakadate.

ANTHROPOLOGY, GLOBAL HEALTH - Mentored by professors Jo Weaver of global studies and Josh Snodgrass of anthropology, CAS students in this research group all share a common goal: conducting interdisciplinary research with a social impact.

ECONOMICS - Researchers at the University of Oregon are collaborating with economists from Reed College and the private sector to develop a report that shows Oregonians the cost of climate change to households and government agencies. The team has been writing reports that examine the costs increased wildfires could have on households, the looming threat of flooding in Oregon and policy recommendations for how the state could adapt to climate change.