Social Sciences Division

Amazon wants to cut carbon emissions by 2040 through its no-strings-attached pledge program. The UW’s Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, are quoted.

During the first several months of the pandemic — when communities locked down, jobs were lost, PPE was scarce and store shelves were cleared — thousands of people turned to online crowdfunding to meet their needs. But a new University of Washington analysis of requests and donations to the popular crowdfunding site GoFundMe, along with Census data, shows stark inequities in where the money went and how much was donated.

“As an increasingly vaccinated world emerges from lockdowns, lots of people are talking about whether the fight against the pandemic was too strong or too weak. Some people argue restrictions did not go far enough; others maintain the attempted cures have been worse than the disease. One reason for these conflicting views is that the answer depends on both facts and values,” writes the UW’s James Long, associate professor of political science; Mark Smith, professor of political science; and Victor Menaldo, professor of political science.

For more than 50 years, the UW Awards of Excellence have celebrated outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni whose achievements exemplify the University’s mission. This year, 20 people were honored with the new Together We Will award, which celebrates outstanding staff contributions made during the challenges of 2020.

Vicky Lawson, Professor of Geography and Director of the UW Honors Program, teaches a class on understanding the sources of poverty and houselessness in Seattle.

The 2021 Husky 100, a group of 100 students making the most of their time at the UW, have been announced.

Three youth leaders advocated for environmental protection, legislation to ban Native mascots and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis Friday afternoon, June 11, during the Seattle CityClub’s digital series “Civic Boot Camp.” The Zoom event was moderated by Owen Oliver, who graduated from the UW in 2021 with a degree in American Indian Studies and Political Science and is of Quinault and Isleta Pueblo heritage, and featured UW student and athletic advocate Rosalie Fish of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. [This story appeared in multiple outlets]

Doctoral student in computer science and Jewish Studies Graduate Fellow Ben Lee explains his use of machine learning to navigate large digitized collections.

Three youth leaders advocated for environmental protection, legislation to ban Native mascots and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis Friday afternoon, June 11, during the Seattle CityClub’s digital series “Civic Boot Camp.” The Zoom event was moderated by Owen Oliver, who graduated from the UW in 2021 with a degree in American Indian Studies and Political Science and is of Quinault and Isleta Pueblo heritage, and featured UW student and athletic advocate Rosalie Fish of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. [This story appeared in multiple outlets]

Longtime UW donors and alumni S. Rao and Usha Varanasi have gifted $100,00 to support students studying India.

According to new research from Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, GOP lawmakers have been reducing the “democratic performance” of states they control for the better part of two decades. Grumbach is interviewed on the show "On the Media."

Dr. Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history, explains the history of interracial marriage in Washington.

As Congress considers expanding voting rights legislation and some Republican-led states restrict access to voting, faculty from institutions around the country are calling for national election standards. In an open letter on the New America website, a growing list of signatories — more than 175 as of June 8 — warns of the dire threat to democracy posed by efforts to curb voter access and alter election oversight. Jake Grumbach, an assistant professor of political science at the UW, explains the situation, which he says has reached "a crisis level."

“When U.S. President Joe Biden meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in June 2021, cybersecurity is certain to be a key topic of discussion ... He says he told Putin in a phone call ‘we could have gone further’ with the sanctions, ‘but I chose not to do so.’ This leaves open the question of what ‘further’ might mean — and could it be any more effective than past sanctions at changing Putin’s behavior?” writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.

Ginny Burton, who is graduating with a degree in political science and was the 2020 Truman Scholar for the state of Washington, shares her story about recovering from addiction.