Social Sciences

UC Merced Sends Off Class of 2013 with Twin Ceremonies
May 15, 2013
More than 1,000 students will turn their tassels at commencement this weekend; most graduates in the campus’s history .  This year isn’t the first time Maxine Umeh-Garcia has walked across the commencement stage...
Graduating Student Builds Confidence, Leadership Skills
May 8, 2013
Senior sociology major Stephanie Toledo will be pursuing a master’s degree in public health at UC Davis.Stephanie Toledo didn't want anything to get in the way of her academic success when she arrived at UC Merced. The...
Two Students Win Slots in Prestigious Assembly Internship Program
April 17, 2013
Management major Leanne McKenzie and economics major Mustafa Nawabzada are interning at the California State Assembly chief clerk’s office.Students Leanne McKenzie and Mustafa Nawabzada are getting an up-close look at...
Book Reveals Sobering Consequences of the Party Pathway
April 9, 2013
"Paying for the Party" shows how a Midwest university accommodated the interests of socially oriented and out-of-state students to the detriment of students from less privileged backgrounds..   Many...
Pioneering Economics Graduate Student at Tech Think Tank
March 13, 2013
Justin Hicks, '12, is putting his UC Merced graduate degree to use with The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a leading information-technology think tank in Washington, D.C.For alumnus Justin Hicks,...
Psychological Sciences Grad Group Provides Diverse Research Opportunities
February 27, 2013
  Graduate student Kristynn Sullivan is pursuing quantitative psychology.Graduate students Kristynn Sullivan and Chris Fradkin took distinctly different routes to UC Merced.
Russian Student Gives U.S. a Second Chance, Finds Niche at UC Merced
January 22, 2013
Vadim Gassiy, a junior with a management major and political science minor, sees a future of infinite possibilities. Vadim Gassiy was in eighth grade when his mother encouraged him to leave Russia for a taste of...
Parents' Financial Help Linked to Lower GPAs, Higher Graduation Rates
January 15, 2013
A study by UC Merced sociology Professor Laura Hamilton found that college students with parental support stay out of serious academic trouble, but dial down their academic effort.  College students who aren't...
Applying Creative Solutions to ‘Impossible’ Problems
December 3, 2012
Professor Erik RollandThe tougher a problem, the more creative a solution it needs, from the increasing power in orbiting satellites and saving tigers to saving state parks and catching thieves. And when a problem...
New Grant to Help Prepare Grad Students for Faculty Careers
November 13, 2012
UC Merced is one of only seven universities nationwide to receive a grant from the Council of Graduate Schools to develop new approaches for enhancing graduate student skills for assessing undergraduate learning, and...
Campaign 2012 Academic Seminar Gives Students Perspective
November 5, 2012
When UC Merced first announced it would be sending students to the national political conventions through The Washington Center program, senior Chelsea Coe never expected she'd be one of the lucky two.
Professor: In Politics, It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It
October 23, 2012
Cognitive science Professor Teenie MatlockIn an election year, as people are being machine-gunned with millions of dollars’ worth of political messages from all sorts of sources, it might be re-assuring (or distressing...
Transfer Student Uses Sports, Academics to Inspire Local Youth
October 8, 2012
  Sociology transfer student Nick Navarrette is one of the key people behind the Central Valley Sports Academy, which integrates athletics with education and life-skill development.At 33, Nick Navarrette isn’t the...
Impact: Racing Team Puts Classroom Lessons to the Test
August 27, 2012
UC Merced's Society of Automotive Engineers team members gain hands-on experience that will help them in their future careers and beyond.
Researchers Spend Summer Working on Projects Near and Far
July 16, 2012
Graduate student Graham Thompson and undergraduate student Priscilla Montez this summer will ask people to arrange animal names on a whiteboard to express how they conceptualize the semantic relations among them. From...
Political Science Major Serves Students, Community on Local School Board
May 23, 2012
Fidel Cervantes, who was invited to attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Public Policy and Leadership Conference at Harvard University, serves on Delhi Unified School District’s school board.Fidel...
Speaker, Singer Grateful for Commencement Opportunities
May 10, 2012
Grecia Sanchez, a Merced native, majored in sociology with a minor in political science and plans to attend law school.Grecia Sanchez and Blaine Hartsock know they’re more than lucky. Out of dozens of UC Merced seniors...
Student Newspaper Editor Cultivates Legacy of Teamwork, Dedication
May 8, 2012
Alma Fausto, who spent her four years at UC Merced working for the student-run newspaper The Prodigy, is heading to graduate school at the Columbia School of Journalism. When Alma Fausto first arrived at UC Merced in...
Racing Team Puts Classroom Lessons to the Test
April 18, 2012
Members of UC Merced’s Formula SAE team are getting ready to enter into the Formula SAE Michigan event at Michigan International Speedway in May. UC Merced’s Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) team built its...
Surgeon General's Report: Cigarette Ads Cause Youth to Start Smoking
March 8, 2012
UC Merced professor contributes to a chapter in today’s U.S. Surgeon General’s report that concludes that despite restrictions, tobacco advertising continues to influence young smokers.  Cigarette advertising and...