Social Sciences Division

Over the course of some 44,000 years, humans occupying the island of Timor-Leste, just north of Australia, changed their methods of making stone tools in lockstep with climate change, according to a recent study in Quaternary Science Reviews. Ben Marwick, professor of anthropology at the UW, is quoted.

Tech welcomes big characters, and many successful founders become synonymous with their brands. The incentive structures of Silicon Valley — and the huge sums that can be gained from selling stories rather than functional products — mean that the door remains open for other people to follow in Bankman-Fried's tracks. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

This week, attend the UW Pandemic Project’s Radical Listening Session to honor each individual’s lived pandemics experiences, head to Meany Hall for Garrick Ohlsson’s piano performance, celebrate Diwali with the Burke Museum, and more. November 7, 4:30 – 6:00pm | Sharon Stein, “The University and Its Responsibility for Repair: Confronting Colonial Foundations and Enabling Different...

Police facing criminal charges for deaths caused on duty are exceedingly rare. Over the past century, just six deaths at the hands of police have resulted in criminal charges in Washington state. James Gregory, professor and associate chair of history at the UW, is quoted.

Sam Altman thinks the technology underpinning his company’s most famous product could bring about the end of human civilization. The UW's Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics, and Margaret O'Mara, professor of history, are quoted.

Political Science professor James Long studies why many voters choose to participate in elections in emerging democracies despite the considerable personal cost.

What it means to be Black and Republican has changed through the years. American Ethnic Studies professor La TaSha Levy is researching a period of dramatic change for Black Republicans. 

Where do you seek information about politics and elections? In this roundtable, three faculty in the UW Department of Communication discuss the role of media in creating an informed public.

Tina Nguyễn has dipped her toes into everything, graduating with a double degree in informatics and global studies and receiving the prestigious Gilman scholarship, all while continuously creating remarkable art. She sits down with writer Alexa Meyer to discuss what's next as one of UW’s best. Jackson School's Center for Global Studies is mentioned. 

The UWAA is proud to honor six extraordinary students across the UW whose stories exemplify Husky adaptability, tenacity and resolve. Each student receives a scholarship and was recognized at the Homecoming football game on Sat. Oct. 21, 2023.

"You belong here. This place will change you and you will change it. I belong here, too, and I am forever grateful for the ways I’ve been changed by the students, staff, and faculty in my part of the UW community." - Andrea Woody, Divisional Dean of the Social Sciences

This week, check out the Fall Concert hosted by DXARTS (Department of Digital Arts and Experimental Media), attend the Dance Graduate Research Symposium, listen to guest composer concerts, and more. October 25, 7:30pm | DXARTS FALL CONCERT: Ritual-Entropy-Storm, Meany Hall  Join the Department of Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS) as they host a Fall...

"Killers of the Flower Moon," the Martin Scorsese movie about my people, the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, brings to life the reign of terror we lived through a century ago, as if we were back there on those busy 1920s reservation streets, rubbing elbows with our own ancestors and their murderers. It is a powerful film, vividly and heartbreakingly accurate," writes Jean Dennison, associate professor of American Indian Studies at the UW.

"The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported that 2023 is already the most expensive year on record for weather and climate disasters in the U.S., with 23 separate disasters that have caused at least $1 billion each in estimated damages," writes Adrienne Russell, professor of communication and co-director of the UW Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy.

Israeli strikes on Gaza continue as the conflict between Hamas militants and Israel enters its eleventh day. The Israeli Defense Force now says more than 1,400 people were killed in the Oct. 7 massacre, where Hamas fighters targeted families in their homes, young people at a dance music festival and several Israeli military border bases. Hamas also captured nearly 200 hostages. The dead include Hayim Katsman, who studied at the UW Jackson School of International Studies. The UW's Liora Halperin, professor of history and international studies, and Smadar Ben-Natan, postdoctoral fellow in Israel studies, are quoted.