Social Sciences Division

News and award announcements from the UW College of Arts & Sciences.

A philosopher and a statistician won an NIH competition that addresses the problem of bias in academic peer review.

Christopher Parker participates in a debate with a panel including Pulitzer Prize-winner George Will. They discuss the "toxic" American political atmosphere.

Heartthrob Ablajan embodies the tension between pop and politics in China's Xinjiang region. Darren Byler, graduate student in anthropology, is quoted.

A guest piece by Tyler Reny, a PhD student in political science, and a co-author look at minority representation in state and local legislatures.

Two self-described "philosopher cops" from the West Coast are leaders of an effort to train police and military in better social interactions with citizens and civilians. One of the "philosopher cops" is Jonathon Wender, lecturer in sociology.

Foreign policy looms large as the 2014 midterm elections approach. But traditional conservatives and their tea party counterparts may bring different concerns and motivations to the November ballot, according to a University of Washington political scientist.

Latino voting tends to drop in midterm elections, and that may prove all the more so next month, given deep frustration with the president. Matt Barreto, associate professor of political science, is quoted.

The UW has received a $16 million grant to offer scholarships to students studying less-commonly taught foreign languages.

KUOW talks with Jim Wellman, associate professor of American religion, about Mark Driscoll's resignation and what it could mean for the future of Mars Hill Church.

"New Day" talks with Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology and AARP's "Love and Relationship Ambassador."

A group of Italian American leaders this morning launched an aggressive campaign to fight the city's appropriation of Columbus Day, which on Monday the council renamed "Indigenous Peoples' Day." Adam Warren, associate professor of history, is quoted.

Herald columnist Julie Muhlstein looks at Columbus' history. Christopher Teuton, chair of American Indian studies, is quoted.

This fall, the University Honors Program welcomed a new director, Victoria Lawson, professor of geography, internationally-recognized scholar on global poverty and co-founder of the Relational Poverty Network.

A new study by the UW and the U.N. says by 2100, there could be an extra 4 billion people roaming the planet - making it difficult to discern whether Earth will have enough resources to support the birth of practically another planet-worth of people.