Social Sciences News

a person standing beside a sign that says COP29
Addressing Climate Change on the World Stage
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Kaley McCarty’s experiences as an environmental studies major landed her a job in higher ed. Now she’s paying it forward by taking students to the world’s biggest climate change conference.
Political Science Assistant Professor Chandler James
Econ - Professor Chandler James Provides Perspective to Politics

Political Science Assistant Professor Chandler James hosts a segment on KMTR NBC 16 news titled "Politics in Perspective with Dr. Chandler James". Watch it live around 6:30am or find the segments on Youtube

Knight libraries exterior: tall brown building with windows
CAS Faculty Among Oregon Humanities Center's Fellow
Through fellowships, the Oregon Humanities Center at the University of Oregon works to promote innovative humanities research produced by faculty members at the UO. The fellowships are for tenure-track faculty and are awarded on an annual basis. The 2025-26 fellows include CAS faculty members in the Divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Political Science Faculty Dan Tichenor
Professor Daniel Tichenor Writes on Trump Immigration Policy

Political Science Philip H. Knight Chair of Social Science Daniel Tichenor publishes an article on Trump immigration policy and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. 

Dean Chris Poulsen stands in front of a basalt column in Eugene
Learn Today, Change Tomorrow: Message from Dean Chris Poulsen
Experiential learning prepares many people for career and advancing education—even Dean Chris Poulsen. Hear from Poulsen about how a memorable Earth sciences undergraduate field trip set him on the path to graduate school, and read about how the CAS Experiential Learning Fund helps undergrads access life-changing hands-on learning opportunities.
three students sit behind a pickup truck holding a drone
Drones Defying Gravity
GEOGRAPHY - Are flying robots taking over? Not in this geography class, where students learn how to control the drones that will help map our future. The course Mapping with Drones invites students—whether they're majoring in environmental studies, geography, or journalism—to explore the basics and fundamentals of using drones to map the geographic features of a location.
A spaceship flies in a futuristic city scape
Learning from Aliens
ANTHROPOLOGY - Professor Phil Scher uses science fiction and alien cultures to teach anthropology—and to challenge college students’ assumptions about humanity. In Anthropology and Aliens, a 100-level course in the Department of Anthropology, students examine speculative and science fiction to learn how societal structures influence behavior and culture—similar to how anthropologists study real-world societies.
Dwight and Sylvia Lang in front of Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, California
Traveling the Ducks way
SOCIOLOGY - Dwight and Sylvia Lang married just two years after they began dating and then pursued higher education together as first-generation, low-income students. In 1983, they graduated from the University of Oregon, each earning a PhD in sociology. “We’re Ducks,” Sylvia says. “So this is another way of saying ‘thank you, Oregon.’ What happened in Eugene between 1977 and 1985 was very significant for us. It shaped who we are in many ways.” 
headshot of Rachel Bitecofer
From Autzen Stadium to the Political Arena
POLITICAL SCIENCE - Rachel Bitecofer came for the Grateful Dead at Autzen Stadium but stayed for an undergrad degree. Now a political strategist and author, Bitecofer started her college career at 24 as a single mom. In 2009, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences Magna cum laude as a McNair Scholar. She continued her education at the University of Georgia, receiving her PhD in political science and international affairs in 2015.
view of one of the sisters mountains
UO scientists rewrite eruption history of Oregon’s South Sister
EARTH SCIENCES - Graduate student Annika Dechert at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences and a team of researchers are working on studying the eruption history of South Sister volcano in the Oregon Cascades. The results will inform how the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory draws up hazard maps for Central Oregon and help shape the way scientists think about other similar volcanoes. The research team published their latest findings in August in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
an illustration of two people who are veterans and UO alumnae
Ducks fly high at Veterans Affairs for those who served
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.
a close-up of a hazelnut tree
UO ecologists secure $2 million to boost soil health of Oregon hazelnut farms
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.
Women in Economics table
Women In Economics Club

Economics students Adelle Iseri, Anna Hooper, and Claire Rounds reserve a table in front of the EMU to promote the Women in Economics club. For more information visit https://linktr.ee/UO_Women_in_Economics

 

three people discussing on a panel
Climate change, threats to governance focus of GSL conference
GLOBAL STUDIES - From Oct. 17 to 19, the College of Arts and Sciences School of Global Studies and Languages hosted its first-ever conference. Titled “Climate Clashes, Climate Governance, Climate Justice,” the inaugural conference’s theme was focused on interdisciplinary approaches to climate change and resolution. The conference brought together local and global academics who focus on different specific aspects of climate change.
a wildfire smoke filled gray sky in Portland
New economic forum begins to tally costs of climate change for Oregonians
ECONOMICS - The cost of wildfire smoke could cost Oregon households $450 per day as they try to adapt by purchasing air purifiers, canceling trips and keeping children at home to minimize their exposure, according to a study led by a five-member nonpartisan group of economists and policy experts that includes economics researcher Keaton Miller from CAS. The Forum on Oregon Climate Economics, or FORCE, recently issued its first report, “The Economic Costs of Climate Change for Oregonians: A First Look.”