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.
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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!
World-Class Faculty in the Social Sciences
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
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
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).
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.
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
Happening at CAS
Congratulations to UO English Professor Emeritus Bill Rossi for winning the Thoreau Society Medal, a prestigious lifetime award from the Thoreau Society! 🎉 #UOCAS #UOEnglish pic.twitter.com/ynY95DEm67
— UO College of Arts and Sciences (@uocas) March 8, 2024
Did you hold a student organization officer/leadership position? Are you graduating Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024? If so, you are eligible to receive a FREE Student Organization Leader Cord. To receive your cord, fill out this form https://oregon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1zRIfukUZUz1EGO before July 1, 2024.
To be eligible for a Student Organization Leadership Cord a student must:
be graduating Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024, be in a UO Student Club that is officially registered or recognized and verified through the Engage system, hold a Student Leadership position and that position should be indicated in the Engage system, fill out the form completely, submit it by July 1, 2024, and have not been given a student organization leadership cord in a previous year.Cords can be picked up or mailed to you, your choice. Questions about cords should be directed to Center for Student Involvement csi@uoregon.edu, 541-346-2631
Presented by the Center for Art Research
Adam DeSorbo: Ablaze (With Destruction and Abundance)
March 1- May 19, 2024 CFAR billboard project at 510 Oak Street, Eugene, OR 97403
Ablaze (With Destruction and Abundance) depicts ochre-tinted maple leaves nailed to wood planks that have been strengthened through a traditional Japanese charring process known as the Yakisugi method. The burned boards and maple leaves allude to transitional states, both benign and seasonal, and the more destructive forces of increasing wildfire activity. The embedded relationship between preservation and destruction as it relates to the Anthropocene brings our paradoxical tendencies as a species into full relief. The image is activated through original text by the artist, making explicit the process of grieving a burning world. The interaction between the image and the text proposes an embrace of our ecological cracking, the necessity to witness, the urge to preserve, and the radical act of finding joy while existing in the cracks.
This CFAR billboard project is supported by the University of Oregon Department of ARt’s Center for Art Research in conjunction with the exhibition series Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World.
The Craft Center is excited to welcome our spring 2024 visiting artist, Frank Gosar. Frank has been creating pottery for over 30 years as Off Center Ceramics. His work will be on view in the Craft Center Gallery from April 1 - June 7.
Frank will also be teaching two workshops with the Craft Center this term, "Brush Making and Ceramic Painting" and "Potter's Tool Kit." For more information or to register, please visit https://craftcenter.uoregon.edu/workshops.
(The Craft Center Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Erb Memorial Union just past the Adell McMillan Gallery. Please check the Erb Memorial Union website for site hours.)
Find daily ways to engage your career curiosity with workshops, local industry tours, alumni panels, casual career chats, the Career & Internship Expo (4/18), and Practice Interview Day (4/19) that will help you develop skills and connections on the road to career readiness. For a full list of workshops, career tours, networking events, resume reviews, alumni panels, and more, visit career.uoregon.edu/events or register for events in Handshake. Why wait?! Stop by the University Career Center in Tykeson Hall-Garden Level ASAP to get drop-in resume reviews and other career guidance to make the most of your Career Readiness Week!
Special thanks to our Spring 2024 Career Readiness Week sponsors: Enterprise Holdings and Sherwin Williams
FULL SCHEDULE
Resume Extravaganza (Drop-In Resume Reviews)
Tuesday, April 9, 11am-4pm, Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons
Did you know you can have a career readiness coach or a peer coach review your resume before the Spring Career & Internship Expo? Drop-in any time to get feedback on your resume. Don’t have a resume? Come learn how to make one!
Curious about Job & Internship Search Strategies? (Workshop)
Wednesday, April 10, 11am-12pm, Tykeson 50P (UCC Conference Room)
Looking for a job or internship and need help getting started?! Learn how to utilize Handshake and networking strategies to find opportunities that align with your interests; and how to get university credit for an internship (UGST404).
Curious About Interviewing? (Workshop)
Friday, April 12, 10am-11am, Tykeson 50P (UCC Conference Room)
Come learn about the basics of interviewing and how to stand out as a candidate!
Black Business in Oregon: A Journey to Excellence Reception
Friday, April 12, 5pm-6:30pm, Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Meet Black alumni from different stages of their careers who will share experiences, insights, and success stories. Dinner and refreshments from Philyaw’s Cookout and Catering will be served. Space is limited, so register by April 9 to secure your spot!
Curious About the Spring Career & Internship Expo? (Virtual Info-Session)
Monday, April 15, 12pm-1pm, Register in Handshake for Zoom link
Learn the ins and outs of navigating the in-person Career and Internship Expo, updating your Handshake profile, researching employers, and how to present yourself authentically during the Expo.
Monday, April 15, 3pm-4 pm, Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons
Serve at home or abroad. Join us for a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Peace Corps and UO's RARE AmeriCorps program to learn about Volunteer experiences, ask questions about service, and gain knowledge about the application processes for both programs.
Curious about Resumes? (Workshop)
Tuesday, April 16, 12pm-1pm, Tykeson 50P (UCC Conference Room)
Come learn about the basics of resume writing and have the opportunity to ask questions on formatting, structure, and bring your own resume for tailoring and more!
Your Future in Tech + Connect (Panel+Networking)
Tuesday, April 16, 4pm-6:30pm, Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons
4pm-5pm-Industry Insights Panel, followed by 5:15-6:30pm Connect with Tech Employers
Join us for a special industry-connection night dedicated to helping you get career ready for your future in Tech. Hear from a panel of industry leaders &/or participate in small group networking with tech employers to get advice on career-building opportunities and connections.
Industry Bites: Make it in Marketing!
Tuesday, April 16, 4pm-4:45pm, Lillis 440
Interested in exploring a career in marketing? Want to learn more about marketing industry from corporate to agency work, strategy, design, and campaigns? Join us for PIZZA, panel, and conversation with marketing leaders.
Ducks in Finance: Navigating the Corporate Financial Landscape
Tuesday, April 16, 5:30pm-6:30pm, Register in Handshake for Zoom link
Join the UO Alumni Association for an insightful journey into the world of corporate finance with our esteemed panel of alumni, each carving their paths to success.
Wednesday, April 17, 4pm-6pm, Crater Lake Rooms
Network with a variety of public agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesses in a casual, fun “speed dating”-style event. Over the course of the event, you’ll have a chance to meet a new employer every 10 minutes!
Spring Career & Internship Expo
Thursday, April 18, 12pm-4pm, EMU Ballrooms
Get curious about your future and make connections with cool employers! Find your career fit with over 70+ employers comprised of private industry; public, educational, and non-profit organizations; local government, the federal government, law enforcement, and military--all on-campus and excited to share more with you about their organization and early career talent opportunities.
First Career & Internship Expo? Or just a little nervous? Come early and get a low-stress, behind-the-scenes Expo Preview & Tour (11:15am-noon, EMU Ballrooms) and learn how to navigate the expo and make a good first impression with employers. Take part in the Expo Scavenger Hunt to win prizes and have fun conversation starters with employers. Bring your resume to impress employers! Get a FREE Professional Headshot taken to add to your LinkedIn!
Friday, April 19, 12pm-4pm (30-45 minutes each), Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons
Come practice commonly asked interview questions and get active feedback on your communication style, professionalism, and more. interviewing skills, get feedback from experienced professionals and career coaches.