School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

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...

Human Rights Film Series Marks 10th Anniversary

The UC Merced Human Rights Film Series celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with a series dedicated to the memory of Denard Davis, a Merced community advocate, educator, mentor and civil rights...

Professor Named ‘Rising Star’ in Quantitative Psychology

UC Merced Psychology Professor Sarah Depaoli has been recognized as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science (APS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of...

Day of Giving Nets More Than $310K for Scholarships

UC Merced employees and alumni were loud and proud supporters of the #GiveTueUCM campaign, part of the international day of charity known as Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1. Including matching funds, the...

Psychologist: Show Troubled Kids Peter Parker, Not Spider-Man

Before Spider-Man became Spider-Man, he was Peter Parker, an orphan living with relatives of modest means, and a bullying victim forced to cope with the murder of his uncle. Not many kids in...

UC Merced Shares in Three of Four UC Catalyst Grants

University of California President Janet Napolitano announced this week the 2016 recipients of the President’s Research Catalyst Awards, and professors from UC Merced are contributors to three of the...

Student-Professor Team Publishes Book on Literary Pioneer

UC Merced alumna Beth Hernandez-Jason and Professor Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez have teamed up to create a compilation of essays devoted to the works of author John Rechy. “The Textual Outlaw: Reading...

Hmong Anniversary Celebration Kicks Off at UC Merced

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and with it, the beginning of the Hmong, Lao and other Southeast Asian migration from Laos and Thailand to the United States. To...

Spatial Analysis Center Expands Training, Research Tools

UC Merced’s innovative Spatial Analysis and Research Center is mapping the next chapter in its development with a new faculty co-director and efforts to show imaginative uses for geographic...

Kids Under 2 Can Spy Deception in Others, Study Shows

In its most positive form, deception — when used in moderation — can be critical to maintaining social relationships. The ability to recognize and use deception is considered point of demarcation in...