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Social sciences provide an analytical approach to society’s problems. As a result, faculty and students in the social sciences often focus on complex and intersectional issues such as racism, international conflict and war, climate change, and poverty. Through an objective and empirical approach to these issues, the goal is to generate genuine passion and equip future leaders with the skills they need to address the world’s challenges. Explore majors, minors, concentrations, and academic programs in the social sciences. 

 


News from Social Sciences

GLOBAL STUDIES - Jennifer Esparza served in the Marines Corps for 11 years, earning the rank of staff sergeant and a half-dozen awards. In 2011 she enrolled at the UO, and in 2017 she earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and went to law school at Georgetown University. She worked for the Biden-Harris administration as a White House liaison and now is senior adviser to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher, the department’s second-highest official.
BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Ecologists from the University of Oregon have designed a soil health management system to strengthen the long-term vitality of the state’s hazelnut industry. Oregon produces 99 percent of the nation’s hazelnuts, but the escalation of global extreme heat, which brings dry soil and scalded plants, threatens the agricultural productivity of the region.

All news »

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students walking and holding possessions during Unpack the quack day

Your Gift Changes Lives

Gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can help our students make the most of their college careers. To do this, CAS needs your support. Your contributions help us ensure that teaching, research, advising, mentoring, and support services are fully available to every student. Thank you!

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World-Class Faculty in the Social Sciences

portrait of Jo Weaver

Jo Weaver

Associate Professor, Global Studies and Director, Global Health Program

Lesley Jo Weaver is an academic expert in medical anthropology, global health, mental health, race, gender, chronic diseases, and food insecurity. She directs the Global Health Program at UO. Her research focuses, broadly, on the social production of health and illness. In India, Weaver’s National Science Foundation-supported research explores how the day-to-day management of type 2 diabetes shapes North Indian women’s abilities to participate in social roles considered appropriate for women of their age, class, and caste groups. In Brazil, Weaver’s work has examined how food insecurity influences physical and mental wellbeing.

Weaver co-hosts and co-produces the American Anthropological Association-sponsored podcast Speaking of Race, a longstanding program that explores the history and present-day reverberations of scientific racism around the world.

Mark Carey in Iceland

Mark Carey

Professor of Environmental Studies and Geography

Mark’s research focuses on the human dimensions of climate change and ice — from glaciers in the Andes to icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean to glacial fjords in Greenland. The research centers on power, knowledge, and cultural narratives, with an objective to understand how knowledge systems, embedded storylines, social relations, and environmental injustices shape present-day environmental issues. The work is deeply interdisciplinary, and students in the Glacier Lab are central participants in these collaborations. Mark previously served as Director of the Environmental Studies Program.

Mark has two new interdisciplinary collaborative projects, one funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation on racial and climate justice in the Pacific Northwest (part of the Just Futures Institute) and another funded by NSF and the Navigating the New Arctic Program on “Global Changes, Local Impacts: Study of Glacial Fjords, Ecosystems and Communities in Greenland.”

Laura Pulido

Laura Pulido

Collins Professor of Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies and Geography

Laura is a qualitative social scientist who works at the intersection of geography and critical ethnic studies, especially Chicanx Studies. Her interest in these fields began as a young child fascinated by maps, landscapes, nature, and places. At the same time, everyday life taught her that we live in a racial, class and gender hierarchy that shapes our lives. Through her research and teaching she explores how these processes shape places and how places inform racial and economic processes. Most of her work explores the various ways in which racial inequality is actively produced, as well as the various means by which it is denied. She works together with graduate students in the Critical Race Lab.

She is the author of numerous books, including A People’s Guide to Los Angeles (with Laura Barraclough and Wendy Cheng, University of California, 2012). 

 

Paris, France cityscape at night

School of Global Studies and Languages

At the School of Global Studies and Languages (GSL), UO students engage with diverse cultures, languages, histories, and lifeways across the world. Students of the social sciences, from Anthropology to Sociology, will broaden and deepen their education in their field by viewing it—and experiencing it—through a global lens. GSL prepares our graduates for life after college with an interdisciplinary curriculum, innovative language teaching, abundant learning opportunities outside the classroom, and paths of study that lead to many options for real-world careers.

Explore the GSL

Research in the Social Sciences

Research in the social sciences investigates human behavior and the motivations that influence it. Although some of our research occurs in the lab, much of it is conducted out in the field using a variety of methodological approaches, from exploratory to experimental. The results of our research often carry societal-level implications and may point to solutions for addressing local, national, or global challenges.

Explore Other Majors and Minors in the College of Arts and Sciences

 

Meet Our Dean

Welcome to the social sciences division of the College of Arts and Sciences. Within our community, we address some of the world’s problems—big or small—through interdisciplinary research and critical thinking. What drives us is a passion for exploring human behavior and society.

The social sciences provide the necessary foundation for any academic inquiry, from the creative arts to the natural sciences. Inside the classroom, we lead courses that are engaging and thought-provoking, inspiring students to become better citizens of our world and work toward a more inclusive future.

We also believe real-world experience offers some of the most impactful learning opportunities. From internships to study abroad trips that offer new cultural experiences, our students regularly engage in hands-on learning work that reaches across social, disciplinary, and geographic boundaries, allowing them to forge new connections and spark new ideas.

We look forward to changing the world with you.

Bruce McGough    
Divisional Associate Dean, Social Sciences

Bruce McGough

Happening at CAS

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

UO College of Arts & Sciences (@uocas) • Instagram photos and videos

Nov 20
GIS Day OPEN HOUSE noon

GIS day is celebrated across the world to facilitate learning about geography and the real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in society. • Meet local...
GIS Day OPEN HOUSE
November 20
noon
UO Library DREAM Lab (122)

GIS day is celebrated across the world to facilitate learning about geography and the real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in society.

• Meet local professionals • Learn about potential career paths • Lightning talks • Drones • Free maps • GIS survey equipment • Augmented reality sandbox • 3D-printed maps • Door prizes • Snacks!

NEW: MAPATHON with Beyond Toxics Open to all! No experience needed. • Help map fossil fuel infrastructure, learn about GIS, and support climate activism

Nov 20
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom) noon

Meet with Counseling Services Rachel Barloon at Peterson 203 or click here: https://zoom.us/j/98335445813   Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to...
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom)
October 16–December 11
noon

Meet with Counseling Services Rachel Barloon at Peterson 203 or click here: https://zoom.us/j/98335445813

 

Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to free, informal, and confidential one-on-one consultation with a Counseling Services staff member. See our website for six additional Let’s Talk days/times offered throughout the week.

Let’s Talk is especially helpful for students who:

Have a specific concern and would like to consult with someone about it. Would like on-the-spot consultation rather than ongoing counseling. Would like to consult with a CS staff member about what actual therapy looks like. Would like to meet with one of our CS identity-based specialists. Have a concern about a friend or family member and would like some ideas about what to do.

How does Let’s Talk work?

Let’s Talk will be offered via Zoom and/or in satellite locations across campus. As a drop-in service, there is no need to schedule an appointment and no paperwork to be completed. Students are seen individually on a first-come, first-served basis at the times listed below. There may be a wait in the Zoom waiting room if the Let’s Talk staff member is meeting with another student. Please wait and we will be with you as soon as we can. Let’s Talk appointments are brief (usually between 15-30 minutes) and are meant to be used on an as-needed basis.

Nov 20
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Meet with Counseling Services Cecile Gadson, who specializes in working with Black and African American students, at the Black Cultural Center. Let’s Talk is a service...
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom)
October 16–December 11
2:00–4:00 p.m.

Meet with Counseling Services Cecile Gadson, who specializes in working with Black and African American students, at the Black Cultural Center.

Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to free, informal, and confidential one-on-one consultation with a Counseling Services staff member. See our website for six additional Let’s Talk days/times offered throughout the week.

Let’s Talk is especially helpful for students who:

Have a specific concern and would like to consult with someone about it. Would like on-the-spot consultation rather than ongoing counseling. Would like to consult with a CS staff member about what actual therapy looks like. Would like to meet with one of our CS identity-based specialists. Have a concern about a friend or family member and would like some ideas about what to do.

 

How does Let’s Talk work?

Let’s Talk will be offered via Zoom and/or in satellite locations across campus. As a drop-in service, there is no need to schedule an appointment and no paperwork to be completed. Students are seen individually on a first-come, first-served basis at the times listed below. There may be a wait in the Zoom waiting room if the Let’s Talk staff member is meeting with another student. Please wait and we will be with you as soon as we can. Let’s Talk appointments are brief (usually between 15-30 minutes) and are meant to be used on an as-needed basis.

Nov 20
Natural Sciences Club Fair 5:00 p.m.

The science clubs at UO would like to invite you to the Natural Sciences Club Fair. Explore our diverse community of science clubs and maybe get involved in something new!...
Natural Sciences Club Fair
November 20
5:00–7:00 p.m.
Willamette Hall Atrium

The science clubs at UO would like to invite you to the Natural Sciences Club Fair. Explore our diverse community of science clubs and maybe get involved in something new! Represented departments include Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology, Physics, Neuroscience, Global Health, and Anthropology. Free pizza will be provided!