Social Sciences

Anthropology Professor Christine Hastorf wins 2025 Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology

February 24, 2025
Jessica Park

UC Berkeley Anthropology Professor Christine Hastorf was awarded the Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology.

Each year, the Archaeological Institute of America—the oldest and largest professional archeology association in North America—chooses one scholar to honor with the prestigious Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology.

Over the past 45 years, Hastorf has engaged in archaeobotanical research. Her work covers a range of topics, such as agricultural production, cooking...

Six young faculty members named Sloan Fellows

February 18, 2025
Robert Sanders

Six headshots of UC Berkeley faculty named Sloan Fellows in 2025

Six young early career researchers at UC Berkeley have been awarded a prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship, granted annually to “honor exceptional researchers at U.S. and Canadian educational institutions whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders,” according to an...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/18/six-young-faculty-members-named-sloan-fello…

‘An extra special place’: UC Berkeley alumni start a new chapter of their love story with the sweetest marriage proposal in Morrison Library

February 18, 2025
By Tor Haugan, UC Berkeley Library

As a student at UC Berkeley, Helen Kirkby was no stranger to the libraries.

Kirkby, who studied political science and history, remembers digging through the Free Speech Movement papers for a research project, poring over old newspaper articles on a microfiche reader, and studying medieval manuscripts from The Bancroft Library.

Morrison Library, tucked within Doe, was her “hidden gem” — a favorite place to visit between classes or catch up on work.

Trier Mortlock used the libraries in a slightly different way.

“If I’m being honest, when I came to the library, it...

https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/news/calentines

Sociology student shares how Social Sciences internship program prepares her for meaningful careers

February 18, 2025
By Jessica Ballardo

The UC Berkeley Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program (SSCRIP) was designed to equip students with the practical knowledge and real-world experience they need to succeed in their future careers. Nohemi Aguilar, a senior who is majoring in sociology and pursuing a human rights minor, is already seeing the program's impact after her first semester.

Aguilar came to Cal after receiving several associate degrees from Cañada College in Redwood City. Feeling the need for guidance on how to...

Demystifying Research: Bringing Lived Experiences to the Forefront

January 6, 2025
by Kiana Pinkard

UC Berkeley is a powerhouse for generating innovative ideas and solving global issues. This past summer, four fellows in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) L&S program pushed forward this initiative of pioneering visionary change by bringing research back to their communities and addressing questions that spark social change. From working with incarcerated people to immigrant families to Indigenous...

Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray's message on Black History Month

February 7, 2025

Dear Berkeley Social Sciences Community,

During this Black History Month, let's celebrate the profound contributions of our Black community members at UC Berkeley Social Sciences, who inspire us to imagine and create a more inclusive world, even when that seems hard to do.

Learn more by watching my video

Warm regards,

Raka Ray
Dean | Berkeley Social Sciences

In Memoriam: Michael Burawoy

February 6, 2025

Our beloved colleague, Michael Burawoy, was killed the evening of February 3, 2025 when he was hit by a car while walking near his home in Oakland. Michael was a pillar of our community for decades, an intellectual giant, a dedicated mentor and educator, and a dear friend. Indeed, he played a central role in defining who we are as an intellectual and human community.

UPDATE: The American Sociological Association and International Sociological Association are hosting an online tribute to Michael Burawoy's life and legacy at 9am Pacific time on...

https://sociology.berkeley.edu/memoriam-michael-burawoy

African American Studies graduate student discusses Black film

February 4, 2025
By Endria Richardson

AAS is launching a new section of our newsletter, Departmental Spotlights, organized by Graduate Student Endria Richardson. Our first spotlight features an interview with graduate student Karina Karbo-Wright.

Tell me about your work (whatever "work" means to you). What do you care about in the world, and how did you come to care about it?
My research interest is in Black film - specifically this intersection of horror and trauma that Black creatives and spectators consume from. Exploring these articulations gives deeper insight into who is considered...

https://africam.berkeley.edu/news/department-spotlight-karina-karbo-wright

UC Berkeley neuroscience post-doc fellow awarded prestigious grant for sleep research

February 3, 2025
By Aubrey Spowart

Omer Sharon, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the 2024 Glenn Foundation for the Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship in Aging Research. Sponsored by the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), this prestigious fellowship supports research aimed at advancing our understanding of human aging.

Sharon, who conducts his research at Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science, focuses on how sleep maintains brain health. One key idea is that during sleep, the brain’s cleaning system, known as the...

Leon Litwack honored with new speaker series

January 31, 2025
by Alexander Rony

UC Berkeley’s Department of History is recognizing one of its most beloved professors with a new speaker series devoted to African American history. The series extends the legacy of Leon Litwack, a trailblazing scholar who taught generations of students to peer behind the curtain of whitewashed narratives and learn difficult truths about their country’s past.

Few areas of scholarship are as contentious — and...