Social Sciences News

ECONOMICS - What happen to jobs, wages, and opportunity as AI transforms the labor market? Join leading economist Betsey Stevenson for a conversation on research, policy, and what today's students should know about tomorrow's workforce. The event is 3-3:50 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in Lawrence 177.

ANTHROPOLOGY - The January roundup of Department of Anthropology news digs into book awards, graduate student accomplishments and research publication.

ANTHROPOLOGY - CHC and College of Arts and Sciences senior Bella Albiani studies the link between homelessness and food insecurity. The work to understand one of society’s most intractable issues has no end, but that’s what compels Albiani to stay with it.

LATINX STUDIES — On Oct.13, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History gave free admission for Indigenous Peoples’ Day and showcased the exhibit, “Transgressors,” which had been up since May 16, to highlight and honor Indigenous and Queer identities.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - On Jan. 13, 2026, Ernesto Javier Martínez was awarded the two-year $150,000 Fields Fellowship from the Oregon Community Foundation in partnership with Oregon Humanities. The fellowship supports Oregon artists who use creativity and cultural expressions to address communities, such as Martínez's film stories that tell the experiences of queer Latinx youth and the immigrant experience in the US.

ANTHROPOLOGY - As a College of Arts and Sciences doctoral student, Theresa Gildner conducted research that led to publications and experience in conducting ethical field research. She continues the work she did at CAS as a faculty member at Washington University, whether she’s working on the Shuar Project or studying low-income regions of the southern US.

ANTHROPOLOGY - The December roundup for the Department of Anthropology features new publications from faculty, grant award announcements, media appearances — and more.

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.”