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...

Mobile App Challenge Reproduces the Entrepreneurial Experience

After six months of intense planning and programming, the winning team of the Mobile App Challenge at the University of California, Merced, will be announced during a showcase finale April 26. The...

Two Students Win Slots in Prestigious Assembly Internship Program

Students Leanne McKenzie and Mustafa Nawabzada are getting an up-close look at the legislative process as the first-ever UC Merced interns in the California State Assembly chief clerk’s office. The...

Emotional Flexibility of Infant Sounds Proves Critical to Language Development

The squeals, vowel-like sounds and growls made by infants are critical to the development of human language, according a recent paper coauthored by a cognitive scientist at the University of...

Book Reveals Sobering Consequences of the Party Pathway

Many large state universities fail in their mission to create social mobility, instead perpetuating inequality by catering to privileged students rather than focusing on student success, according...

Campus Hosts Two Commencement Ceremonies to Accommodate Growth

Retired astronaut and engineer Jose Hernandez and acclaimed author and organic farmer David Mas Masumoto will deliver keynote addresses at the University of California, Merced’s eighth commencement...

Pioneering Economics Graduate Student at Tech Think Tank

For alumnus Justin Hicks, graduate school at UC Merced was a trailblazing experience. Like many UC Merced students, Hicks was pioneering a path as he worked towards his Ph.D. in economics from 2007...

Psychological Sciences Grad Group Provides Diverse Research Opportunities

Graduate students Kristynn Sullivan and Chris Fradkin took distinctly different routes to UC Merced. Sullivan left northern Virginia for the University of California’s newest campus after...

Acclaimed Authors to Speak at Symposium, Conference

A pioneering American novelist and a former California Poet Laureate will be the keynote speakers at two April events being organized by graduate students and faculty in World Cultures. John Rechy...

Research Week Highlights Cutting-Edge Work

Researchers at the university in your backyard are delving into issues of great importance to the San Joaquin Valley, the state, the nation and the world. You can learn more about their work at the...