Social Sciences

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Professor Studies Link Between Youth Unemployment, Mental Health

Sidra Goldman-MellorYoung people who are neither employed nor pursuing an education are vulnerable to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, but their commitment to finding work is surprisingly strong according a recent study coauthored by UC Merced

Project Aims to Fight Breast Cancer One Message at a Time

Susana RamirezResearch indicates that obesity can increase a woman’s risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.

Standout Sociology Program Earns Approval for Grad Degrees

Current and prospective graduate students have new degree options at UC Merced, which recently received approval from the UC system and the WASC Senior College and University Commission for both master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology.

Student Examines Role of Gender in Perception of Political Scandals

Kayla CaneloWith the 2016 presidential race already in full swing, political science graduate student Kayla Canelo’s research is particularly timely. 

Alumnus Takes Trailblazing Spirit to Washington

David DoDavid Do sits in his office in Washington, D.C. — nearly 3,000 miles from UC Merced — reflecting on the path he’s cut for himself.

NIH Grant Charts Path to UC Merced Ph.D. for Fresno State Students

A new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will create a pipeline to doctoral degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Merced, for underrepresented minority students from California State University, Fresno.  

SSHA Professors Conducting Summer Research Projects

Like their colleagues in science and engineering, researchers in UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts are keeping busy this summer with a wide variety of projects.

Among them:

Grad Student Examines Use of Social Media in Health Care

Holly RusThe use of images and direct questions by health communicators on Facebook tends to increase user engagement, though linking to external websites and videos does not.

Study: Real-World Negotiators Bargain More Fairly

Brad LeVeckExperienced policymakers are more likely to make fair offers in bargaining than the average person, and less likely to accept low offers — even if it means both sides get nothing. 

Sociologist Earns Fulbright Scholar Award to Study in Honduras

Paul AlmeidaPaul Almeida, a sociology professor at the University of California, Merced, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to study non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their role in co