Social Sciences

Sixty years after UC Berkeley's Free Speech Movement ignited a wave of campus activism, the university’s Ethnic Studies Department is one of its enduring legacies. Born from the demands of student activists who, like those in the Free Speech Movement (FSM), sought to reshape academia, the department symbolizes the intersection of free speech, academic freedom and social justice.

The Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) — a multi-racial coalition of students who advocated for a relevant and robust education — played a crucial role in realizing this vision,...

Visitors to UC Berkeley’s bustling campus pass by many buildings under construction, all part of an effort to meet the needs of a growing student population. It’s a familiar feeling for Michael Fink, a 1983 economics alum who recently retired as the University of Washington’s lead attorney for real estate, capital projects, and construction.

“In addition to the benefits to students, you can look at a completed building...

Editor’s Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Economics and Public Policy Professor Hilary Hoynes uses her expertise in child poverty and the social safety net to influence California public policy and develop solutions to the state’s economic issues. ...

Katie Suwalkowski, a U.S. Army veteran and psychology major at UC Berkeley, has a straightforward approach to life: if you want something, you go for it. When she was 19, Katie wasn’t sure what to do next. She wanted to go to college, but didn’t feel ready mentally or academically. “I didn’t have much going for me,” she recalls. Without a solid...