Social Sciences

UC Merced Aerial Picture
COVID Lockdown Disrupted Preschoolers’ Social Skills, Trailblazing Research Shows
January 29, 2025
Lockdowns. Social distancing. Shuttered schools and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping disruptions set off a stampede of “what it’s doing to us” research, focused largely on schoolchildren. How were students’ academics... Read More
Give to UC Merced Campaign Tops $1.4 Million, Breaking Record for Third Year
January 26, 2025
Give to UC Merced, the university’s annual year-end fundraising campaign, was the most successful of its 11-year history, garnering nearly $1.43 million from 647 donors. The tremendous show of generosity far exceeded the original goal of $... Read More
Novel Research Reveals Costs, Rewards for Youth Who Serve as Emotion Interpreters
January 13, 2025
Young people whose parents or caregivers aren’t acclimated to their community’s dominant language and culture play a valuable role in bridging communication gaps, including unspoken misunderstandings triggered by a gesture or facial... Read More
In UC Merced Standup Comedy Course, Joy is the Punchline
December 11, 2024
Katherine Cai is on stage, reminiscing about high school. “My dad tried to teach me geometry. You know how that goes. The questions get more and more difficult and Dad gets more and more frustrated, which leads to both of us having a... Read More
Give to UC Merced 2024 to Launch on Giving Tuesday
December 2, 2024
On Dec. 3, the date of this year's Giving Tuesday, UC Merced will participate in the worldwide day of charitable giving by launching Give to UC Merced 2024. For the fifth year, the university's annual fundraising initiative will extend... Read More
Spendlove Prize Winner Brings Spirit of Ubuntu to UC Merced
November 14, 2024
Tsitsi Dangarembga spread the spirit of ubuntu over UC Merced on Wednesday night, imparting its message of “how we can be good people who live well together.” Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean filmmaker, writer and activist, is the 16th recipient... Read More
Fellowship Draws UC Merced Alum Back to the Capitol
November 13, 2024
As one of UC Merced’s first students, Josue “Josh” Franco seized the chance to help shape student government for future scholars on campus; now he has grasped a new opportunity on Capitol Hill. The three-time alumnus (B.A. ’09, M.A. ’16,... Read More
Interactive Database Tracks 116 Years of U.S. Housing Prices, Offers Insights for Future
October 2, 2024
A groundbreaking database that tracks 13 decades of annual changes in U.S. home sales and rental prices provides a clearer picture of economic shifts through the 20th century and will be a valuable resource for homebuyers, housing... Read More
UC Merced Unveils Big Rufus, a Monument to Resilience, Diversity and Hope
September 26, 2024
UC Merced on Wednesday unveiled a striking monument to a university on the rise. A crowd of students, faculty and staff gathered in the early evening’s long shadows at University Plaza to get their first look at Big Rufus, a 10-foot-long... Read More
New SSHA Dean Thanks Helping Hands Along a Remarkable Journey
September 24, 2024
He studied in hallowed halls of academia. His highly respected research takes him halfway around the globe into societies both foreign and familiar. In his newest role, he leads the largest school of a research university less than two... Read More