Research

Faculty in the Department of Global Studies believe that making research available to the public is a core mission of a public research university, and disseminate their cutting-edge scholarship in a variety of venues, including podcasts, international media and policy reports. We encourage our students to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium and offer the Global Studies Research Award to the top three presentations at the Symposium with a global theme.


25+
peer-reviewed articles and chapters published by faculty 2020-2022
5
continents where faculty are actively collaborating on research projects

Featured Books

Human-centered development and a concern for human wellbeing provide the broad umbrella that unifies the efforts of our many research faculty, including several recently published books. Click each title to read more.


Faculty Excellence

How our researchers are advancing the study of global issues.

portrait of faculty, Anita Weiss

“I joined International Studies (now Global Studies) in January 1988, enthusiastic to be a part of a scholarly community concerned with the complexity of interrelationships (political, economic, social, and cultural) that exist among peoples and nations in the interdependent modern world, captured in the term ‘Culture, Social Change and Development.’ I see our department as exemplifying the best of what a professional studies degree program can provide.”

—Anita Weiss, Professor of Global Studies


Photo of Kristin Yarris

“Global Studies means seeing the global in the local, and vice versa, and using our research and teaching to illuminate the connections that bind us across borders, distance, and difference. In my work in migration studies and global health, I seek to connect the dots between political and economic structures that generate inequalities in health and social belonging and the lived experiences of people in conditions of marginalization. It’s wonderful to work with students passionate about social justice - both locally and globally - who are our Global Studies community!”

—Kristin Yarris, Associate Professor of Global Studies, Director of Global Health program


campus in spring with flowers growing around a tree

Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Work

Faculty from other departments and colleges are enthusiastic about working with Global Studies students, and our students consistently receive grants and awards from units across campus. Students can engage with the transdisciplinary School of Global Studies and Languages at UO and are encouraged to broaden their expertise through concurrent degrees at the MA level.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities


Graduate Student Alejandra Pedraza

A Look at Experiences of Gendered Family Roles

“My research question is as follows: How are Mexican women in migrant-sending communities experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic vis-à-vis their gendered family roles? Specific emphasis will be placed on the social constructs of womanhood, intimate relationships, the role of remittances in expressing care, and mental health.”

—Alejandra Pedraza, MA candidate in Global Studies, ‘22


men washing their hands

Recent Publications

Our faculty pride themselves on their ability to pivot in response to changing circumstances, and the way that they stay abreast of the latest developments around the world. Read the latest research from our department.

Recent Publications


News

March 11, 2024
GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL STUDIES - Associate Professor Jo Weaver published research in the December 2023 issue of SSM-Mental Health that examines the mental health needs of women in India. Because of the gaps in mental health care that emerge from cultural mismatch, Weaver and her research team urge health workers to prioritize culturally informed methods of distress management and address the social and structural causes of suffering rather than delivering standardized clinical mental healthcare.
February 5, 2024
FOOD STUDIES, GLOBAL STUDIES - 'Up on the Mountain' follows Southeast Asian refugees, Latino immigrants, and rural Americans on a year-round migration to harvest and sell wild mushrooms. The film screening is 4pm Thursday, Feb. 15 in McKenzie 229.
January 29, 2024
GLOBAL STUDIES - Kathryn Desvignes Holder (MA, '17) earned her global studies master's degree, specializing in cross-cultural communication and Africa, which she said provided her with the experience and skills to speak and communicate with a diversity of stakeholders. She is now the public affairs officer and public engagement lead for the Umatilla National Forest.