Social Sciences News

POLITICAL SCIENCE - Longtime professor Daniel Goldrich died Dec. 21, 2025. Goldrich joined the UO faculty in 1963. He focused on Latin and Central American politics and Pacific Northwest energy politics. Rarely did a day pass without a former student stopping him to say how profoundly his teaching had shaped them. In 1997, Dan received the Herman Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. Goldrich helped found organizations in Eugene that have since grown to be fixtures of the community.

SOCIOLOGY - New research by sociology Associate Professor Claire Herbert and doctoral student Amanda Ricketts examined three US case studies where squatting was used as a tool to influence local and state decision makers. The two CAS sociologists published their findings in the article “Resisting and Reclaiming: Squatting as Contentious Urban Politics in the US” n the November 2025 issue of Social Problems.

NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - Funded through federal, state and institutional grants, the University of Oregon Home Flight program provides financial support, academic advising and culture-rich activities for qualifying American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduates. Now in its fourth year, the program has more than tripled in enrollment, to 170-plus students, while increasing the number of Native graduates.

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.

ANTHROPOLOGY - A new LGBTQ+ communities in Amsterdam summer course, a publication on how to colonize space successfully, faculty presenting at conferences — and more. See what anthropology faculty members are doing during the fall 2025 term.

ECONOMICS - Research by CAS Assistant Professor Jonathan Davis is featured in the Nov. 8 print and digital issue of the Economist. A study co-authored by Davis showed that CAHOOTS reduced the probability that a 911 call ends in an arrest by 76%. Each arrest costs taxpayers, so the service provided significant savings. “CAHOOTS is a low-cost way to expand the police force,” Davis tells the Economist.

ECONOMICS - College of Arts and Sciences economist Keaton Miller speaks with The Oregonian/OregonLive about the loss of SNAP funds and what it means for the state's grocery stores. “(Grocery stores) have to pay for their facilities. They have to pay for their staff. They have to pay for all of the logistics, no matter how much they’re selling to consumers,” he said. “So, that’s going to put potentially upward pressure on pricing.”

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.

ECONOMICS - Celebrate Halloween with the Women in Economics first-ever Eek-onomics Halloween Bash. Costumes are welcome—so bring your best "rational consumer" outfit. The event is noon to 2 pm Friday, Oct. 31.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - In spring 2025, Assistant Professor Lana Lopesi received the Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching in recognition of her early career excellence. Lopesi said the award was affirming for her because teaching can feel like a private exercise between her and her students, invisible beyond the classroom. Since joining the UO, she has developed five courses within her department and helped put together the first IRES study abroad program to Sāmoa in partnership with political science professor Ronald Mitchell. 

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - An exhibit curated by Felix Furby and Anthony Hudson at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, showcases Indigenous and Queer artists and their work about their intersectional identities. IRES graduate student Rachel Cushman spoke at an Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration at the museum, as reported by the Daily Emerald.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Every month, the Department of Anthropology shares what faculty and students are up to. From publications to presentations, anthropology faculty members are up to exciting things.

ASIAN STUDIES - What are Labubus? Why are they popular and did you know the Oregon Duck once dressed up as one? Alisa Freedman, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Oregon who specializes in pop culture, shares insight about the Asian pop trend that's taken over the US.

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.