Social Sciences Division

People in most cultures view a woman's small feet as a sign of youth and fertility, but that's not true of all cultures, including the Karo Batak of island of Sumatra, reports UW anthropologist Geoff Kushnick.

Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large talks with Christopher Parker, associate professor of political science, about his new book, "Change They Can't Believe In: The Tea Party and Reactionary Politics in America."

Research and experience indicate that nontraditional gender roles can be tough for couples to navigate. Julie Brines, associates professor of sociology, is quoted.

The way we teach grammar is scandalous, according to linguist Geoffrey Pullum. We nitpick too much he says, and we rely too much on old rules that have little application today. Pullum spoke about how we can fix this in a talk recorded at the University of Washington's Kane Hall on February 12, 2013.

New research by University of Washington political scientist Christopher Parker argues that the tea party ideology owes more to the paranoid politics associated with the John Birch Society - and even the infamous Ku Klux Klan - than to traditional American conservatism.

More than 1,000 undergraduates will showcase their contributions to innovative and groundbreaking research at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 17 in Mary Gates Hall.

In a city with more than 2 million eligible voters, roughly 400,000 may cast ballots in Tuesday's election. The low turnout is in keeping with historical trends. Matt Baretto, associate professor of political science, is quoted.

Senior softball player and sociology major Shawna Wright became just the second Husky in school history to be named conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Students and faculty in the UW's Center for Human Rights, working with a partner organization in El Salvador, are helping Salvadorans seek justice for crimes committed during El Salvador's brutal civil war.

KOMO profiles UW social sciences student Eleni Englert, a member of the women's crew team who has a degenerative eye disease and is legally blind.

In an op-ed piece, Joshua Eastin, a UW PhD candidate in political science, and Aseem Prakash, a UW professor of political science, argue that economic growth has not necessarily empowered women in India.

Are presidents today more empathetic than they were in the past? UW department of communication chair and professor David Domke explains why that is the expectation now and how it is different from the past.

After years of balancing UW studies with a demanding full-time dance career, Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Leah O'Connor will earn a bachelor's degree in sociology in June.

When scientists studying the deadly H5N1 “bird flu” virus reengineered it to be transmissible in humans, the potential for the virus to become a public security threat intensified.

In cities around the country, more and more Americans with cell phones and social media accounts are helping police solve crimes, whether they know it or not. Hanson Hosein, director of the program on communication in digital media, comments.