Social Sciences Division

W. Royal Stokes, who received a bachelor’s degree in history in 1958 and a master’s degree in classics in 1960 from the University of Washington and later taught classics at the UW, has passed away.

Racial covenants prohibited people of certain races, nationalities and religions from living in Seattle neighborhoods. A recently passed bill provides funding for the UW to search for these covenants and notify property owners. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is mentioned.

This week at the UW, attend a Sports & Civil Rights History Panel, Drive-In at On the Boards, and more.

A bill state lawmakers passed this month directs UW and Eastern Washington University to search for racial covenants in home deeds and notify property owners when their homes are affected. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Imagine a world where high-speed internet blankets every corner of the globe, transforming the way people access health care, education and entertainment. That’s the promise of up-and-coming satellite broadband — an ambitious and controversial plan to connect far reaches of the planet. Saadia Pekkanen, professor of international studies at the UW, is interviewed on the “2025: Tomorrow, Today” podcast.

As a group, Asian Pacific Islander Americans contain multitudes: East Asians, South Asians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Melanesians. We come from wildly different regions and distinct cultural backgrounds. How did we get grouped together in the first place? And will we always remain this way? Rick Bonus, professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

"Bill Gates has published an important book on an urgent topic, How to Avoid Climate Disaster. It’s mostly about energy, as it needs to be, so I want to discuss it," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.

Washington state Rep. Jesse Johnson, who majored in African American history when he attended the UW, explains his experience learning Black history in schools.

Fighters in Burkina Faso are putting their faith in traditional spiritual practices to protect them as attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State ravage the West African nation, killing thousands and displacing more than 1 million people. Daniel Hoffman, professor of international studies at the UW, is quoted.

Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science, is quoted in this article discussing whether the Democratic party should focus on race or class when trying to build support.

"Biden’s credibility [on climate] with the international audience depends on whether he can show a domestic policy pathway to the promised 50% reduction. Moreover, he needs to make sure that the climate targets do not get tied to other issues that might invite strong domestic opposition," write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

Glennys Young, professor of history and of international studies at the UW, writes of sanctions against Russia, "But are they the United States’ best option if the goal is, as Biden has put it, to avoid a 'cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia' and instead to create a 'stable, predictable relationship'? ... My answer is sanctions aren’t the only option. The U.S. needs to offer Russia positive incentives, too."

The story of the U.S. population is one of fluidity. Of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, more than half jumped ahead or fell behind others this year, despite state population totals that showed the nation’s slowest population growth since the 1930s. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

This week at the UW, watch the play Rosmersholm, attend a book talk, and more.

Techniques such as “location spoofing” and deepfake geography present significant risks for our increasingly connected society. Because of this, a team of researchers at University of Washington are working to identify ways to detect these fakes, as well as proposing the creation of a geographic fact-checking system. Bo Zhao, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.