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.
African Studies
Anthropology
Asian Studies
Black Studies
Climate Studies
Commerce and Society
Criminology
Economics
Environmental Science
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World-Class Faculty in the Social Sciences
Ashley Cordes
Assistant Professor of Indigenous Media in Environmental Studies and Data Science
Ashely Cordes is an academic expert in Indigenous data sovereignty, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Her research explores how Indigenous communities can leverage technological utilities—such as cryptocurrency and AI—for Tribal economic independence, representational and data sovereignty, and preservation of knowledge systems.
Neil O'Brian
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Neil O’Brian is an academic expert in U.S. politics focusing on public opinion, political parties, and polarization. His recent work has focused on how people’s perceptions of politics and current events affect their political attitudes. He’s recently published the book The Roots of Polarization: From the Racial Realignment to the Culture Wars (University of Chicago Press).
O’Brian is the second UO researcher to receive an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. O’Brian is using the fellowship to further explore what he calls the “doctor’s project.” The start of this research began when he identified a partisan divide in the trust people have in their physicians; those on the political right expressed less trust in their doctors than those on the left. This is a recent phenomenon, as data showed no difference in trust in one’s doctor until a shift in 2020-21, during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Brian argues the partisan divide over public health measures—such as masking and vaccines—led to less trust in the medicine industry.
Melissa Graboyes
Associate Professor of History, Global Health Program
Melissa Graboyes is a historian of modern Africa and a global health specialist whose research focuses primarily on medicine and science in the East African region.
Graboyes’ current research projects have been supported by major research funds. Her work on the history of malaria elimination on the African continent is funded by a five-year National Science Foundation CAREER award. A three-year collaborative research project on returning research results from social science disciplines to African participants—removing costly barriers to make findings more accessible—is funded with a three-year NSF award. She is also working on global health research at the local Eugene level through her project on aspects of care for people who inject drugs.
As a mentor, Graboyes works with undergraduate students in research groups. She leads the Global Health Research Group, which helps students gain skills and tools for conducting undergraduate research. The group consists of students interested in global health-related topics, as well as students majoring in a STEM field who are interested in ethics, history and the processes of science.
Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages
At the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages, 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.
2024-2025 Sponsored Research in Social Sciences
Between July 2024 and June 2025, researchers in CAS received $83 million to fund 199 research projects, including approximately $6 million for Social Sciences. The research projects, which span divisions and fields of study, represent CAS's commitment to curiosity, discovery, and innovation.
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
What is Research? (2026) explores various natures, purposes, and roles of research across disciplines, fields, and areas. The event considers frameworks of systematic and creative inquiry, including methods, designs, analyses, discoveries, collaborations, dissemination, ethics, integrity, diversity, media/technologies, and information environments.
The thirteenth gathering delves into research in its many forms, including searching, critically investigating, and re-examining existing knowledge, as well as emerging functions and procedures in machine intelligence and computation. It highlights pluralities of research pathways, examining time-honored approaches and new ways of knowing, precedents, issues, and futures. It considers challenges and possibilities that researchers face in today’s rapidly changing world, and ways to promote ethical, inclusive, and impactful research.
Featured participants include:
• N. Katherine Hayles, Literature, Duke University and English, UCLA • Colin Koopman, Philosophy/Digital Humanities/New Media and Culture, University of Oregon • Vera Keller, History/European Studies, University of Oregon • Daniel Kreiss, Information, Technology, and Public Life, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Liska Chan, Landscape Architecture/Environmental Futures, University of Oregon • Mark A. Bedau, Philosophy, Reed College and Complex Systems, Portland State University • Bernd Reiter, Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Texas Tech University • Jakki Bailey, Media Studies/Immersive Media Communication, University of Oregon Portland • Tibor Solymosi, Philosophy, Villanova University and Embodied Education, Aarhus University, Denmark • Alexis Merculief, Prevention Science/Counseling Psychology, University of Oregon Portland • Adell Amos, Law/Environmental and Natural Resources Law, University of Oregon • Victor Pickard, Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
In cooperation with the International Association for Media and Communication Research.
The event celebrates three decades of the Communication and Media Studies Doctoral Program in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.
Registration required. Please see the website for more details.
8:45 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Join us in gathering as a college community to develop a shared vision for the liberal arts. At the summit, we will:
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Articulate the critical role of a liberal arts education in preparing UO students for lives of purpose, impact, and well-being.
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Create transdisciplinary "playlists" - themed groups - of topically related core education courses that get students excited about the liberal arts and develop the core skills of critical thinking, creative thinking, written communication, and ethical reasoning.
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Cultivate faculty teaching communities incorporating evidence-based, innovative pedagogies into existing, high-impact core education courses to support student success.
9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
This two-day event brings together leading artists and scholars who address and resist extractive violence, often from decolonial, anti-racist, and/or anti-capitalist perspectives, and who envision worlds and relations beyond extraction/extractivism.
Thursday: film screening and discussion; Friday: talks and panel discussions.
1:15–2:15 p.m.
GIS and the Makerspace is a three-session workshop covering the basics of map design in ArcGIS Pro to create a laser-cut map notebook and a keychain map of Oregon. The first session covers GIS concepts and map projections. The second session introduces Illustrator basics and formatting for the laser cutter. The third session is held in the Price Science Commons (PSC) Library's DeArmond Makerspace, where you will learn to use the laser cutter and assemble your book.
No experience with GIS or the Makerspace is assumed, and completion of this workshop will certify you to use the laser cutter for your own projects. This workshop is open to current UO students, faculty, and staff. Spots are limited: please only register if you plan to attend, and please cancel your registration if a conflict arises and you won't be able to attend.