School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

New Major Teaches How to Tackle Questions of Ethics in Science, Tech

January 8, 2026

Should a scientist who sees signs of global catastrophe sound an early alarm or wait until more conclusive evidence is in? Does going public lead to swifter action or give naysayers more time to discredit the message? Students in Professor Dan Hicks’ course in science, technology and...

UC Merced to Honor 11th Graduating Class at Commencement

This weekend, more than 900 degree candidates are expected to take part in the 11th commencement ceremonies at University of California, Merced, and commemorate the hard work that led to their...

Long-Standing Series Introduces Local Kids to Opera

Thousands of Merced County schoolchildren will be introduced to the wonders of opera this month during the latest entry in the long-running Children’s Opera series at UC Merced. Co-produced by UC...

New Book Shows Pros and Cons of Helicopter Parenting

So-called “helicopter parents” — those who hover over their children even into and through their college years — are often criticized for creating overly sheltered, unprepared young adults who...

Study: For Moms and Teens, Emotions Matter During Conflict

Parents who reciprocate their children’s negative emotions are less likely to find satisfying resolutions to conflict, according to new research from the University of California, Merced. In a study...

Anita Hill Named 10th Recipient of Spendlove Prize

Anita Hill’s public testimony during the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991 raised national awareness of sexual harassment and led to many changes in...

Internship Program Enhances Students’ Academic Experiences

Last fall, the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Education launched an internship program with the goal of providing undergraduate students an opportunity to build...

Psychology Student Earns Ford Predoctoral Fellowship

Doctoral student Patricia Cabral, who studies adolescent health risk behaviors in the Psychological Sciences graduate group, recently won a highly-competitive Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship...

Downtown Center Focuses on Child Development

Parents, caregivers and community members in the Merced area have a new resource for information about childhood development and disorders. The UC Merced Alliance for Child and Family Health and...

Bodie Digital Preservation Project Earns CITRIS Grant

UC Merced Professor Nicola Lercari is leading an effort to preserve, through 3-D renderings, the deteriorating ghost town of Bodie. Thanks to $60,000 in seed funding from the Center for Information...