Social Sciences Division

Take a look back at the last year of the UW's research of and adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate banking committee on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the economy is “a long way from the Fed’s employment and inflation goals.” As Congress debates the next round of coronavirus relief funding, some prominent economists have raised concerns about its potential impact on inflation. Fabio Ghironi, professor of economics at the UW, is interviewed.

Sam Colgan, junior majoring in English and Economics; Natasha Lavides, sophomore majoring in Psychlogy; and Nuria Alina Chandra, freshman majoring in biochemistry are the 2019-2020 UW President's Medalists.

Smadar Ben-Natan, a postdoctoral fellow in Israel studies in the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, Holly Arsenault, director of engagement for the School of Drama, and José Alaniz, professor of Slavic languages and literatures have all recieved recent honors.

This week at the UW, join music history Professor Dr. Anne Searcy for a lecture about the dance of Hamilton, and visit UW museums that have recently reopened.

"In early February, The Seattle Times published a report that provides a preliminary glimpse at who has had access to the first set of COVID-19 vaccines that were doled out. As much as I want to tell myself that this is an incomplete picture and that the first set of vaccines is reflective of a strategy to inoculate first responders and medical personnel, I still feel that the preliminary rollout failed to address a key consideration: namely, the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on people of color and economically marginalized folks," writes Oscar Rosales Castañeda, a lecturer in American ethnic studies at the UW.

David Bonderman, who graduated in 1963 with a degree in Russian languages, is part-owner of the Kraken, Seattle's new hockey team. Another Husky, Ryan Minkoff, who graduated in 2015 with a BA in economics, has played for a professional hockey team in Finland.

Devin Naar, professor of Sephardic studies and history and faculty at the Stroum Center for Jewish studies, explains the history for Seattle's Sephardic community of the recently demolished Seattle Curtain factory.

A bust of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, has appeared in Mount Tabor Park in Portland. In an interview from the program "Oregon Experience: Searching for York," UW history professor Quintard Taylor talks about York’s role in the expedition.

It feels like the pandemic is changing everything, but as vaccine rollout progresses and we squint at what appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, the question to ask now is whether any real changes we’ve had to adopt during a year of pandemic life will stick around in the years to come. The UW’s Steve Goodreau, professor of anthropology, and Fabio Ghironi, professor of economics, are quoted.

“In practice, monetary sanctions have emerged as a ‘predatory’ punishment imposed by the criminal legal system with a varied set of penological aims to punish, generate local and state revenue, and expand social control,” writes UW sociology Professor Alexes Harris.

One and done. That’s been the story of late when it comes to the number of terms Seattle mayors serve. Seattle Met asked three experts, including UW history professor Margaret O’Mara, to offer their takes.

"Black History Month is a chance to recognize that Black history is American history. It’s an important time to reflect on the ways in which Black people, their stories and their impact have so often been elided and erased from our shared understanding of ourselves as a nation and a people," writes UW President Ana Mari Cauce.

UW theater student Jarrett Johnson is among an entire class of emerging theater artists — fresh from drama programs, hustling between part-time jobs and busy audition schedules, or about to make their big breaks — whose careers have been stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UW's Odai Johnson, professor of theater history, and Stefka Mihaylova, assistant professor of theater theory and criticism, are quoted.

This week at the UW, attend Fermented Face with Candice Lin, the School of Drama's dis/re/connection, and more.