Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

Americans Haven’t Found a Satisfying Alternative to Religion

April 21, 2025
Lauren Jackson

On Sundays, I used to stand in front of my Mormon congregation and declare that it all was true.

I’d climb the stairs to the pulpit and smooth my long skirt. I’d smile and share my “testimony,” as the church calls it. I’d say I knew God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, prayer, spirits and miracles were all real. I’d express gratitude for my family and for my ancestors who had left lives in Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway to pull wagons across America and build a Zion on the plains. When I had finished, I’d bask in the affirmation of the congregation’s “amen.”

...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/style/religion-america.html?unlocked_article_…

UC Berkeley is redefining data science through historical and ethical frameworks

April 21, 2025
By Aubrey Spowart

In recent years, data-driven tools such as artificial intelligence have become embedded in our daily lives. But do they shape the human condition for the better?

UC Berkeley’s Data 104 course, or Human Contexts and Ethics of Data, is examining that question. It’s taught by the History Department and the Data Science program, and it analyzes the historical conditions in...

Executive actions aim to reshape America’s cultural institutions. UC Berkeley scholars react

April 17, 2025
Lila Thulin

On March 27, President Trump signed “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” a directive mandating that the Smithsonian Institution and the Department of the Interior, which oversees national monuments, memorials and statues, rectify “divisive narratives that distort our shared history.” This is just one of several actions aimed at changing how arts and humanities organizations tell the story of the country’s past and present. For instance, the...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/16/executive-actions-aim-to-reshape-americas-c…

Political Science Professor Amy Lerman Awarded 2025 Carnegie Fellowship

April 17, 2025
By Bora Lee Reed

Amy E. Lerman, professor of public policy and political science and director of the Possibility Lab at UC Berkeley has been awarded a Carnegie Fellowship by the Carnegie Corporation. The prestigious fellowship grants $200,000 in support of a book or major project to each member of the cohort of scholars, authors, journalists, and public intellectuals who focus on political polarization in the United States.

Lerman studies civic engagement and public opinion, especially as they relate to public safety and social...

https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/news/recent-news/goldman-school-po…

This scientist uses satellites to map the Earth’s plant life — and help combat climate change

April 17, 2025
By Sean Patrick Farrell

Stephanie Pau remembers the moment she knew she wanted to study biogeography, when she first saw a satellite map of a section of the earth that was brightly color coded. The colors didn’t correspond to states or countries, but instead represented a diversity of plant life based on light reflectance not visible to the human eye.

“All these different colors on the maps, they weren’t made up. They were reflecting real properties of the Earth’s surface,” explains Pau in this 101 in 101...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/09/this-scientist-uses-satellites-to-map-the-e…

Geography scholars and alumni receive honors from the American Association of Geographers

April 16, 2025
By Jessica Ballardo

UC Berkeley Geography students, faculty and alumni were recognized for their groundbreaking work in the field of geography at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

The AAG is a nonprofit educational society aimed at providing “students, educators, practitioners, and partners with the resources they need to enter the field, develop their careers, and form professional friendships that can last a lifetime.” Its annual meeting gathers geographers from around the nation for “high-profile sessions, as well as many...

Demography professor explores how climate and behavior drive global disease patterns

April 16, 2025
By Ashley Park

What do human movement, climate variability and social structures have in common? They are all essential components in understanding the spread of infectious diseases, according to UC Berkeley Demography Professor Ayesha Mahmud.

Mahmud’s research uses data-driven modeling and behavioral analysis to investigate how diseases spread in different environments — urban and rural, humid and dry, connected and isolated.

Her current projects focus on how individual behavior and large-scale population movements interact with...

Michael Burawoy’s friends remember a brilliant scholar and committed supporter of protest

April 14, 2025
by Jose Fermoso, The Oaklandside

At its core, Michael Burawoy believed the science of sociology was, even when encased in the stodgy halls of academia, a study of possible solutions to improve the world. As such, it was natural for theories from the profession to be used to advocate for social change.

Not all of his colleagues believed sociologists should be personally on the picket lines or protesting.

But Burawoy was different because that’s exactly what he was doing toward the end of his life.

In February, the legendary Berkeley sociologist was...

https://oaklandside.org/2025/04/11/michael-burawoys-friends-remember-a-brilliant…

UC Berkeley study reexamines the psychology behind why we go to war

April 14, 2025
By Aubrey Spowart

We often assume that the decision to go to war is a carefully calculated process – one in which political leaders methodically weigh the risks and benefits before taking escalatory action. However, this belief is not supported by cognitive science and is becoming increasingly outdated.

UC Berkeley Political Science Assistant Professor Marika Landau-Wells is working to change that perception. Her research integrates psychology into our understanding of decision making, particularly as it relates to war, conflict and foreign policy, in order to update...

UC Berkeley Letters & Science announces recipients of 2025 L&S Faculty Awards

April 8, 2025

UC Berkeley's College of Letters & Science is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 L&S Faculty Awards. This distinguished award recognizes each awardee's exceptional scholarship, service to the College and community, and transformational teaching. These extraordinary individuals not only embody the excellence of the College of Letters & Science, but they also serve as an inspiration to the entire campus community. The recipients will be honored at a private ceremony on Wednesday, May 14....