Political Science

People Don’t Worry About Losing Jobs to AI, Even When Told It Could Happen Soon

November 18, 2025

Illustration of worker threatened by robot

As debates rage about artificial intelligence's impact on jobs, new research suggests that even warnings that AI could disrupt workers' employment soon do little to shake their confidence. In a survey-based study, political scientists Anil Menon of UC Merced and Baobao Zhang of...

A cohort of six UC Merced political science students traveled to Sacramento for the CAPE Legislative Bootcamp.

Political Science Students Take on Lawmaking and Lobbying at the State Capitol

UC Merced political science students returned to Sacramento to get first-hand experience at California’s Capitol with internships. The Center for Analytic Political Engagement (CAPE)...

Graphic art of a person talking to a group

Study Examined How Jewish Israelis React to Human Rights Criticism. Then Oct. 7 Happened.

A UC Merced professor and his co-researchers set out to measure how Jewish Israelis react to different sources of criticism about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Does disapproval from...

Graduating students honored by UC Merced

SSHA Honors Outstanding Graduating Students

ul { font: normal .9em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } ul p { font: normal .9em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } Thirteen graduating students were honored by UC Merced’s School...

Labor, Community-based Groups Key to Addressing Climate Challenge, Study Shows

One of the major challenges of this century is democratically engaging institutions and large numbers of people with strategies to mitigate global warming by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. A...

UC Merced Students Get Firsthand Political Experience at California Legislature

After taking part in the UC Merced Center for Analytic Political Engagement 's inaugural legislative boot camp, students say they are better prepared to take on the first internships of their...

Three women stand next to each other in a mock courtroom.

Latinas in Law: Alumnae Advocate for Immigrants in Valley

Linda Barreto ('08), Jessica Jaramillo Perez ('14) and Alejandra Tenorio Zurita ('20) all knew at a young age that they wanted to become lawyers. What they didn't know, however, was...

Systemwide Climate Justice Course Debuts This Fall

Undergraduates will have a new, one-of-a-kind class they can sign up for this fall — Climate Justice — a hybrid course that features lectures by faculty from all 10 UC campuses....

Professor Jessica Trounstine smiles while giving a presentation at UC Merced.

Political Science Professor Named 2022 Carnegie Fellow

The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced that Department of Political Science Chair and Professor Jessica Trounstine has been named to the 2022 Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows....

Most ranked graduate programs see progress in the 2023 U.S. News Best Graduate Schools rankings.

UC Merced Grad Programs See Uptick in U.S. News Rankings

Twelve of UC Merced’s graduate programs and one of its schools are among the best in the country in the U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings, according to results...