School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

Depression Due to Politics: the Quiet Danger to Democracy

July 7, 2025

UC Merced Professor Christopher Ojeda and his book "The Sad Citizen"

On laptop screens, televisions and social media feeds across the nation, images and words fueled by a fractured political landscape spout anger, frustration and resentment. Clashing ideologies burst forth in public demonstrations, family gatherings and digital echo chambers. Red-hot rhetoric and...

Love of Music Continues to Drive Alum’s Career in Social Media

Shavone Charles is combining her love of music and technology to blaze a new trail in social media. Charles graduated from UC Merced in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Cultures,...

Study: Skewed Academic Expectations Linked to Sexual Risk

Scholars and educators alike believe raising expectations leads to higher achievement and self esteem among adolescents. But new research from the University of California, Merced, shows that when a...

Project Aims to Fight Breast Cancer One Message at a Time

Research indicates that obesity can increase a woman’s risk of developing and dying from breast cancer. But while communication about healthy eating has proven to be effective, a growing and...

Anniversary Exhibit Documents History of Campus

A group of UC Merced history students put their knowledge and skills to good use this summer on a project that hits, quite literally, close to home. The students — Josh Melendez, Adam Brown, Ramon...

Costume Designer’s Career Captured in Digital Collection

In a decades-long career, UC Merced Professor Dunya Ramicova has designed thousands of memorable costumes for stage and screen. Soon, her renderings of those costumes will be available in the digital...

Event Connects High School Girls with Female Scientists

While many young women her age are thinking about their favorite shoes or who they’ll go with to the winter formal, Callie Nance, 15, is thinking about her favorite science organizations and her...

Standout Sociology Program Earns Approval for Grad Degrees

Current and prospective graduate students have new degree options at UC Merced, which recently received approval from the UC system and the WASC Senior College and University Commission for both...

Despite Constraints, UC Merced Enrollment Continues to Grow

Enrollment at the University of California, Merced, this fall has climbed to another all-time high of 6,685 students — an increase of 6.7 percent over Fall 2014, according to headcount figures...

Humanities Center Aims to Bring Depth to Water Issues

Open any newspaper — or news website — and you’re likely to see at least one article about California’s water crisis. From climate change to wildfires to groundwater to El...