Social Sciences Division

In response to the question of whether Twitter damaged free speech by suspending Donald Trump, the UW's James Long, associate professor of political science, and Victor Menaldo, professor of political science, write "As critics of 'cancel culture' and similar attempts to stifle dissent and debate, as well as experts on liberal democracy and electoral integrity, we offer a simple, if surprising, answer: No."

Robert Crutchfield, an emeritus professor of sociology and co-author of a new study has found that Black youth who have police contact at a young age may be more likely to have more contacts with police later in life.

We have a new President, and he’s betting big on our ability to work together. The “Seattle Now” podcast digs into the tricky parts of uniting the not-so-United States with Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW.

A book co-edited by Robert Pekkanen, Professor of International Studies, is available soon in paperback and is now available online through the UW libraries.

For six minutes on Wednesday at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, all eyes were on Amanda Gorman. The 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate combined a message of hope and promise as she read, “even as we grieved, we grew.” Hanson Hosein, co-director of the UW’s Communication Leadership program, is interviewed.

President Joe Biden acknowledged the “uncivil war” festering in the United States in his first address Wednesday, but did so in a way that largely avoided the pessimism of his predecessor’s “American carnage.” That was the assessment of political scientists, former speech writers, language and history experts who took in Biden’s speech. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Concerned it would threaten their cultural preservation, history and treaty rights, 40 tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska joined a Jan. 4 lawsuit with Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson to stop the federal government from selling the National Archives facility in Seattle and shipping its millions of boxes of records to California and Missouri. Alexandra Harmon, professor emerita of American Indian studies and of history at the UW, is quoted.

Steve Herbert, the Mark Torrance professor with the department of law, societies, and justice, discusses his podcast "Making Amends," in which he speaks with men from the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Many professors addressed the recent coup in their class, including assistant professor of political science Jake Grumbach.

Victor Menaldo, a UW political science professor, and Rebecca Thorpe, an associate professor of political science, explain the importance they see in a Trump impeachment.

Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, joins other experts to share her thoughts on the legacy of President Trump.

In honor of MLK Day, the UW asked Black students, staff, and faculty to respond to the prompt, “What does MLK Day mean to you in 2021?”

UW senior Owen Oliver grew up on the UW campus. Now he wants others in his community to feel at home at the University.

John Wilkerson, Chair of the Department Political Science, responds to the current political landscape that we face and shares insights on the student response.

The breakdown of the neoliberal consensus creates an opening for a more progressive China policy —while also increasing the danger of war. Daniel Bessner, associate professor of international studies at the UW, is quoted.