SOCIOLOGY - After spending decades in the professional world, this sociology major has finally found his path—and he’s helping other students find theirs.

GLOBAL STUDIES - It’s a big world, and decisions that happen in one region often ripple out to others. The School of Global Studies and Languages provides students with an internal atlas that helps them understand the forces and decisions that have human impact.

ECONOMICS - Increased exposure to glyphosate, one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States and much of the world, harms infant health in agricultural counties, according to a new study by two University of Oregon economists Emmett Reynier and Edward Rubin. The two published the findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - Four CAS undergraduate students spent three weeks in Los Angeles over the summer to help film scenes for the upcoming feature film La Serenata by Ernesto Javier Martínez, a professor in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies, and co-writer and director Adelina Anthony.

WOMEN'S, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES - Isabel Millán, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon, has worked to explore how children’s literature can be used as a tool to introduce different identities to kids at a young age. Millán has recently received numerous award for her 2023 publication Coloring into Existence: Queer of Color Worldmaking in Children’s Literature.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.” 

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.

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.

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.

GLOBAL STUDIES - From Oct. 17 to 19, the College of Arts and Sciences Schnitzer 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.