Sociology

Conference of California Sociologists Engages UC Merced Undergrads

December 3, 2025

More than a dozen undergraduate students in UC Merced’s Sociology Club were immersed in the discipline’s breadth of research and professional possibilities during the California Sociological Association’s annual conference. The two-day gathering, held in Berkeley in early...

Alicia Garza speaks during a virtual event to honor her with the Spendlove Prize.

Alicia Garza, Civil Rights Activist and BLM Co-Founder, Honored with Spendlove Prize

While this year's ceremony looked quite different from years past due to the coronavirus pandemic, the presentation of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and...

Undergraduate Experience: Keanu Velasquez

Name: Keanu Velasquez Major: Sociology Major and Psychology Minor Year: Graduating May 2021, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Commencement Student Speaker Hometown: San...

Alicia Garza is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Alicia Garza is 13th Recipient of Spendlove Prize

Alicia Garza, civil rights activist and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, will be honored as the 13th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in...

Undergraduate Experience: Michael Aquino

Name: Michael David Aquino Year: Fourth Major: Sociology Hometown: Los Angeles What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? A memorable project that I...

Undergraduate Experience: Erika Estrada Rodriquez

Name: Erika Estrada Rodriguez Year: Third Year Major: Sociology Hometown: Panorama City What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced...

New Study Shows Immigration Policies Impact Student Success

A new report from the UC Collaborative to Promote Immigrant and Student Equity (UC PromISE) that summarizes results of a study of children of immigrants attending the University of California...

New Diversity. Striving for Prestige. Limited Money. Meet the ‘Broke’ Research Universities

Sociology Professor Nella Van Dyke is an expert on social movements in relation to hate crimes and has studied far right-wing movements.

Q&A: Sociologist with Specialty in Right-Wing Movements on Free Speech and the First Amendment

Social justice movements and conspiracy theories have become a hallmark of our time, but how do we know which inflammatory statements are legally protected and which are not? Sociology Professor...

Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the good work being done on campus.

Eight Stories to Read for Black History Month

Black History Month may feel different this February, after a year of the coronavirus and historic protests for social justice. While coming together couldn’t be more important, under current...