Social Sciences Division

The University of Washingtons graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Reports 2026 Best Graduate Schools released late Monday.

"New technologies today often involve electronic devices that are smaller and smarter than before. During the Middle Paleolithic, when Neanderthals were modern humans neighbors, new technologies meant something quite different," Ben Marwick, professor of anthropology at the UW.

Any institution with a depository of Indigenous items that receives federal funds must notify a tribe if it has the tribes property and obtain informed consent. But a staggering number of institutions have ignored the law. Sven Haakanson, chair of anthropology at the UW and curator of Native American anthropology at the Burke Museum, is quoted.

Ben Marwick, a University of Washington professor of archaeology, was part of a team of researchers that uncovered a complete Quina technological system in the Longtan site in southwest China. The discovery challenges the widely held perception that the Middle Paleolithic period was mostly static in East Asia.

Believe it or not, Republicans love renewable energy. How its packaged matters, though. Just dont mention climate change. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

When Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, launched BlackPast in 2007, he didnt realize attacks on history would make the site as necessary as it has proved to be.

The Conversation turned to Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, to explain what the war has cost and where it could turn now.

Things were a little bit different at Town Hall on March 4. Things were a little bitwarmer. Activist and educator Margo Okazawa-Rey was in the house.Linh Thy Nguyn, assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musks rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.

The event commemorated the 1886 expulsion of 350 of Seattles Chinese residents, who were forced to board a ship for San Francisco, where they were then deported to China. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

DEI policies have been in the crosshairs since President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House. Many corporations have been proactively choosing to downsize their DEI programs or eliminate them completely. But one company is facing a unique level of backlash: Target.Timeka Tounsel, associate professor of Black studies in communication at the UW, is interviewed.

After President Donald Trump canceled a report on the state of nature in the United States, the scientists working on it many from the Seattle area say theyll continue their work and build on it. Phil Levin, professor of practice in environmental and forest sciences at the UW; Dr. Howard Frumkin, professor emeritus of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW; Devon Pena, professor of anthropology at the UW and Josh Lawler, professor of environmental and forest sciences at the UW, are quoted.

People are increasingly falling for their favorite chatbots, spending hours each day building relationships with their artificial lovers. Chatbot site Janitor AI told Semafor that users have started 2.1 million conversations with its Valentines Day bots since they went live on Tuesday, representing about a quarter of all interactions on the site and breaking the companys all-time daily user record. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

For Valentine's Day, UW News asked 12 University of Washington researchers to share their love stories: What made them decide to pursue their career paths?

"In my research on marketing campaigns aimed at Black women, Ive examined how the struggle for consumer citizenship complicated the dynamic between Black entrepreneurs and consumers. On the one hand, businesses have long leveraged Black ownership as a unique selling proposition in and of itself, urging shoppers to view Black brand loyalty as a path to collective racial progress," writes Timeka Tounsel, assistant professor of Black studies in communication at the UW.