Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

In May of 2021, the UC Berkeley Division of Social Sciences launched a multi-year initiative, Building a Just Social Sciences. Imagined by Dean of Social Sciences Raka Ray, this initiative builds on UC Berkeley's unique positioning as a global engine of teaching, research, and economic mobility with the objective of creating a social science that is...

As the 2024 Election nears, UC Berkeley Social Sciences conducted informal surveys on whether students plan to vote and their top issues.

This year's election is pivotal for young voters — many of whom are voting in their first election. As college students become more engaged in issues, those who cast a ballot could help determine the outcome of many races and initiatives.

The surveys were not scientific and conducted informally through emails that asked students about their top issues, and a social media-based poll that sought to gauge whether students plan to vote. Here's...

Obsessively scrolling through the latest polling averages? Overwhelmed by campaign ads about threats to democracy? Paralyzed with nerves about Election Day and what comes next?

You’re far from alone. More than seven in 10 adults say the future of the U.S. is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to a new report from the American Psychological Association. About as many said they were worried this election’s results could lead to violence; more than half say the election could...

During the 2020 vice presidential debate, then-Sen. Kamala Harris took the floor back from an interrupting Vice President Mike Pence with two words that soon became a slogan: “I’m speaking.”

When Harris speaks, there’s one person who is listening very intently: Nicole Holliday, acting associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley.

“Linguistics is the scientific study of language,” explains Holliday in this...