School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

20 Years In, UC Merced Celebrates Achievements, Looks to Future

October 23, 2025

Only 20 years since undergraduate instruction began, UC Merced is a recognized leader in conducting academic research, developing young minds for career success and driving economic growth, the university’s chancellor said Wednesday. Speaking to a gathering of campus and community...

History Professor to Give Talk in Turlock on the Graphic Novel

UC Merced history Professor Mario Sifuentez will present a lecture, “Histories and the Graphic Novel,” at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. Sifuentez will discuss how the...

Study: Early High-Altitude Settlers Were Hunter-Gatherers, Not Farmers

A new paper by UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer begins to settle a longstanding debate over when people began permanently occupying higher elevations of the Tibetan Plateau, and shows communities...

Professor’s Himalayan Archaeological Finds Documented on ‘NOVA’

Join UC Merced Professor Mark Aldenderfer as he and his colleagues explore the world’s highest cave tombs, revealing new details about the lives of the people who settled the Himalaya, in the season...

Researchers to Discuss Strong Family Relationships in Symposium

UC Merced will host its fourth annual Symposium on the Child and Family from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 28, offering a day of talks by researchers on the theme of “Strong Families: Fostering Healthy...

Message From Chancellor Leland on Student Jennifer Mendiola

The following message from Chancellor Dorothy Leland was sent to the campus community today, Dec. 7: Dear UC Merced Campus Community, It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I write today to...

'Revolutionary Theatre' Performance to Explore Racism, Inequality

Students in the UC Merced Global Arts Studies Program will present “Voices of the Revolutionary Theatre Collective” Dec. 8 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. The production will explore the...

High-Altitude Archaeology Uncovers Earliest Evidence of Potato Consumption

Every French fry, gnocchi, tater tot and order of hash browns humans have eaten in the past 5,000 years can be traced back to one place in the world — northwestern Bolivia and southern Peru. A paper...

Massive VR System Links Merced to the World

Imagine being able to explore the newly discovered hidden chambers in the Great Pyramid of Giza or microstructures within the human brain, to work on big-data projects with CERN or participate with...

Will Shadish Memorial Fellowship Announced for Giving Tuesday

During this year’s Giving Tuesday — an international day of giving held each year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving — UC Merced will honor Professor Will Shadish with a new graduate student...