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Sociologist links poverty and employment to racial identity

Andrew Penner studies how social status shapes ethnicity

Losing your job or doing jail time can affect how people perceive your racial background, according to a recent study co-authored by Andrew Penner, UC Irvine sociology associate professor. His research shows people who were identified by others as white were significantly less likely to be seen in the same way over time if they had fallen below the poverty line or spent time in prison. Participants who self-identified as white also were less likely to see themselves the same way if they encountered those hardships. The study suggests that racial identity is fluid and changes with one's position in society.

UCI stakes claim to flagship journals in social and behavioral sciences

Newest addition: Philosophy of Science

When it comes to good sources on cutting edge research, academic journals are a great place to start and at UCI, you won't have to go far to find them. Between the Schools of Social Sciences, Social Ecology and Humanities, UCI is currently the host university to some of the top - and oldest - journals in the social and behavioral sciences. The most recent addition: Philosophy of Science, the Philosophy of Science Association's flagship journal since 1934. Beginning July 2009, the top journal will call UC Irvine home when Jeff Barrett, logic and philosophy of science professor, takes the reigns as editor for a five year term.

Demographic doom for world's most populous country?

Sociologist receives grant to continue studying economic and social consequences related to China's one-child policy

China's controversially successful one-child per couple birth control policy has added fuel to the fire of a looming healthcare and labor shortage crisis expected to hit the country within the next decade, says UCI sociologist Wang Feng. His findings have been the subject of several published studies, the most recent appearing in the April 2007 issue of Population and Development Review. With a newly awarded three-year, $500,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation, Wang and his research team will further explore the policy's social and economic implications in hopes of impacting change on an international level.

Some words of wisdom from Anteater alumni

Economics alumni share insight on careers in financial services

With commencement just around the corner, a number of hopeful college graduates will soon be entering a markedly tough job market due to steadily increasing unemployment numbers. On Tuesday, a group of eager Anteaters took the opportunity to hear some words of wisdom from four seasoned economics alumni, who, with more than 100 years combined experience, have weathered similar economics times and their fair share of bumps and curves along their pathway to successful careers in the financial services industry.

Gridlock puts brakes on job growth

Economics graduate student Kent Hymel studies traffic, economy  
 
Southern California commuters well versed in the physical and psychological tolls of traffic congestion can now add an economic effect to the list. Kent Hymel, a UC Irvine doctoral candidate in economics, found that sluggish commutes - usually indicative of high employment levels - lead to slowed job growth. His findings, published online in the Journal of Urban Economics, suggest that more efficient public infrastructure can spur local economic growth.

'Eaters' eyes on the Capitol

UCI students, faculty and staff cover presidential inauguration on campus blog  
 
President-elect Barack Obama said that he wants his inauguration to be the most open and accessible in the nation's history, and some Anteaters have taken him at his word. UCI students, faculty and staff joined the throngs of onlookers in Washington, D.C. for the parade, swearing-in ceremony and other inaugural festivities, and they reported on the historic events in the Anteaters at Inauguration 2009 blog.

Race and equality in America

Past presidents of ASA and APSA weigh in  
 
Race and equality in America served as the timely topics of January's Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture. Co-hosted by the School of Social Sciences' Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and Department of Sociology, the talk also kicked off the inaugural annual Robin M. Williams, Jr. Lecture series established to honor the research and teaching of Robin M. Williams. A distinguished visiting professor who devoted much of his career and writing to studies of intergroup tensions, race and ethnic relations, and war and peace, Williams spent the last 16 years of his life pursuing his love for research, teaching and service at UCI.

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - Life in a Virtual World

SPOTLIGHT EVENT - American Politics and Presidential Campaigning