Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

Move over dolphins. Chimps and bonobos can recognize long-lost friends and family — for decades

December 22, 2023

Laura Simone Lewis, a UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow in Berkeley's psychology departmentResearchers led by a University of California, Berkeley, comparative psychologist have found that great apes and chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, can recognize groupmates they haven't seen in over two decades —...

L&S Author Interview: David Henkin & The Week

December 4, 2023
David Henkin, professor of history, speaks about his book, The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are.

In this interview, David Henkin recalls his experience collecting and conducting research for his book, The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are. Henkin's book explores the emergence of the "natural" ordering of weeks, revealing how our current devotion to the weekly rhythms emerged during the first half of the nineteenth century in the United States.

Berkeley Talks: The transformative potential of AI in academia

December 15, 2023

In Berkeley Talks episode 186, a panel of UC Berkeley scholars from the College of Letters and Science discusses the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in academia — and the questions and challenges it requires universities and other social institutions to confront.

"When it comes to human-specific problems, we often want fair, equitable, unbiased answers," said Keanan Joyner, an assistant professor of psychology. "But the data that we feed into the training set often is not that. And so, we are asking AI to produce something that it was never trained on, and that...

22 L&S News Highlights from 2022

December 15, 2022
Collage of images from 2022 News Highlights Looking back on another outstanding year, Berkeley College of Letters & Science has compiled “22 News Highlights of 2022”—a recap of accomplishments from the L&S community this year. Here are just a few stories demonstrating the extraordinary work and generosity of L&S students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as some highlighted videos from around the College. Enjoy!...

Geography Prof. co-authors Fifth National Climate Assessment

December 18, 2023

Headshot of Tianna BrunoThe Fifth National Climate Assessment, whose authors include UC Berkeley Georgraphy Professor Tianna Bruno, is the U.S. Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support...

Cognitive Science program helps students find their passions and unlock their full potential

December 8, 2023

Like many students, Michelle Tran entered college unsure of what path she wanted to pursue academically and professionally. When she learned more about the Cognitive Science Program at Berkeley Social Sciences, she realized it would be the perfect opportunity to explore a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Now, as a third-year student at UC Berkeley, Michelle’s journey with Cognitive Science has nurtured her passion for information science, human-computer interaction and human-centered design technology.

With its blend of neuroscience,...

Berkeley Psychology research challenges common beliefs about gender and sex definitions

December 12, 2023

Two UC Berkeley Department of Psychology researchers recently published a commentary that provided insights into the way we understand and define gender.

The paper was titled "Trans-inclusive gender categories are cognitively natural" and published in Nature Human Behaviour. In it, Berkeley Psychology professors Steven T. Piantadosi and...

Meet Ethnic Studies student Angelica Garcia

December 7, 2023

Ethnic Studies student Angelica Garcia shares her story of why studying at Berkeley Social Sciences is so unique.

See her story here from Berkeley Undergraduate Admissions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOae0-uY7L8

Career readiness fellowship helps students thrive in Sacramento internships

September 29, 2023

Katherine Rodriguez was preparing to embark on a transformative internship with the CalEPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, but a sudden change in her financial situation left her scrambling to cover her expenses.

“I worked at Chipotle throughout community college,” said Rodriguez, a UC Berkeley transfer student majoring in global studies. “So that was going to be my plan: to work nights and weekends.”
...

Phi Beta Kappa Chapter Alpha of California celebrates 125th anniversary

November 29, 2023

Phi Beta Kappa logoPhi Beta Kappa Chapter Alpha of California is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its charter with two noteworthy initiatives: a public lecture series and the compilation of an Honor Roll of members of Phi Beta Kappa among faculty, staff, and graduate students.

Phi Beta Kappa originated during the...