School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

Spotlighting Black Trailblazers Whose Stories Deserve to be Told

February 12, 2026

Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice, advanced civil rights, reshaped American culture and revolutionized technology. Their achievements...

Campus Voices: Join Us in Advocacy for Humanities Research Funding

Besides being a groundbreaking research powerhouse, the University of California is an economic engine for California and the nation, providing an educated workforce and generating new knowledge,...

A man in glasses stands in front of a monitor displaying desert scenes.

LibraryCAVE Brings Virtual Reality and Big Data Into the Classroom

Professor Nicola Lercari is leading his students on a tour of Palenque, the ancient Mesoamerican city that flourished at the peak of Maya civilization. They’re exploring the altar atop the...

Shavone Charles' interest in technology started during a summer internship with Google, where she served as a student ambassador liaison between the technology company and UC Merced students.

Alumna Shavone Charles Continues to Blaze a Path in Music and Tech

It’s been five years since Shavone Charles walked across the stage at commencement. On Saturday (Dec. 16), she will return as UC Merced’s first alumni keynote speaker at Fall Commencement...

Professor Susana Ramirez in a red jacket and black-rimmed glasses stands in front of bookshelves filled with books.

Public Health Professor Honored for Early-Career Research

The American Public Health Association (APHA) presented public health Professor Susana Ramirez with the 2017 Early Career Award at its annual meeting last month. The award is handed out every year...

Marcus Shaw will celebrate his dream of earning a Ph.D. in sociology at the university’s first Fall Commencement ceremony Dec. 16.

Former Street Kid Fulfills Educational Promise with Ph.D.

As a teenager in Merced, Marcus Shaw lived a life marked by poverty, poor choices and indifference to education. The idea of college — especially at the new UC Merced campus — seemed...

Sociology Faculty, Students Gaining National Recognition

With race, immigration, rising inequality, gender discrimination and collective mobilization grabbing current headlines, the work of the UC Merced sociology unit — always relevant locally...

Sociologist to Discuss Hate Speech and Free Speech

The Bias Incident Response Team at UC Merced presents sociology Professor Nella Van Dyke, speaking on “Hate Speech and the Limits of Free Speech,” from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 29 in the California...

Graduate Dean Honored for Work in Criminal Justice

Outstanding contributions in service to professional organizations, academic institutions and the advancement of criminal justice have earned Graduate Dean Marjorie Zatz the Julius Debro Award from...

From White House to Campus, Labor Economist Digs Deep into Data

Professor Laura Giuliano isn’t the only female economics faculty member at UC Merced, but she is the only faculty member who worked in the Obama administration before joining the campus. As a...