A monthly update on your
Social Sciences news and up-coming events


May Headlines

6th Annual Global Studies Conference held at UC Irvine
The North American Global Studies Association (GSA) hosted its Sixth Annual Conference, Contested Terrains of Globalization, on the UCI campus from May 17 to 20. Read on...

Graduate Student Becki Scola Recognized as Most Promising Future Faculty Member
Standing in front of a classroom of dozens of college students can be an intimidating factor of life for graduate student teachingassistants on any campus. ForBecki Scola, political science graduate student and mother of three, seeking to educate and inspire young people has been a part of her every day life for the past 16 years as a mother - 5 of those in the classroom teaching - and it is in this type of environment that she thrives.

Arriving on campus in 2002, Becki enrolled in the political science graduate program and has since made quite an impact on the faculty and students with whom she has worked. "Becki's commitment to teaching and research rivals that of the very best graduates I've had the privilege of training over the years," says Mark Petracca, professor and chair of the political science department, with whom Becki has worked as a teaching assistant for six courses. "Becki is the only graduate student I've heard undergraduates ask for by name when she was a teaching assistant for a given class." Read on...

Political sciences student wins Excellent Upper-Division Academic Writing Award
Kapil Dandamudi, political science major, has received the UCI Excellent Upper-Division Academic Writing Award for his paper titled "Public Opinion on the Environment," evaluated by political science professor Katherine Tate. Honoring both the student writer and the instructor, this award carries a $100 prize for its recipients.

Five Social Sciences staff members named to Living Our Values honor roll
The Living Our Values Awards honor members of the UC Irvine employee community whose actions best embody the university's values of respect, intellectual curiosity, integrity, commitment, empathy, appreciation and fun. Read on...

Professor White to receive Zelizer Distinguished Scholarship Award
Douglas White, anthropology professor and member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, is a recipient of the 2007 Viviana Zelizer Distinguished Scholarship Award for his jointly authored paper, "Network Dynamics and Field Evolution: The Growth of Interorganizational Collaboration in the Life Sciences" (2005 AJS 110:1132-1205), with W.W. Powell, K.Koput and J.Owen-Smith. Read on...

Bitler appointed as Research Fellow at National Bureau of Economic Research
Marianne Bitler, assistant professor of economics, recently received an appointment to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) as a faculty research fellow for the NBER's Program on Children, which focuses on economic behavior related to children, child health, and child economic and social well being. Bitler's appointment stems from her work on social insurance programs and their impact on vulnerable populations. She has written several papers about the effects of recent welfare reforms on women and children, and has also published work on the WIC program. Read on...

Matthew Seamon receives 2007 Nicholas Aeberhard Memorial Award
Matthew Seamon, a first-year political science major, has received the 2007 Nicholas Aeberhard Memorial Award from UC Irvine. Nominated by the School of Social Sciences, Matthew came to UC Irvine from Poway High School where he was a National Merit Scholar as well as a National AP Scholar with Distinction. Matthew is an active member of the UC Irvine campus community through his involvement with the UCI Sustainability Coalition, the Intergenerational Outreach Club and the Young Democrats. He plans to pursue a degree in law upon completing his undergraduate degree. Read on...

Varzi awarded competitive fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin
Roxanne Varzi, anthropology professor, has been selected for a competitive fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin) for the 2007-2008 academic year. The program, Europe in the Middle East and the Middle East in Europe, is funded by the German Fritz Thyssen foundation, an organization that supports international scholarship and research in universities. Varzi will be conducting research on cultural production conceived in Iran and produced in Europe. Varzi's research follows a study documented in her book, Warring Souls: Youth, Media, and Martyrdom in Post-Revolution Iran (Duke University Press, May 2006), in which she provides an ethnographic account of the beliefs and experiences of young, middle-class, urban Iranians coming of age after the nation's Islamic Revolution.

Valerie Dao receives 2007 Dan and Jean Aldrich Scholarship
Valerie Dao, third-year political science student, has received the 2007 Dan and Jean Aldrich Scholarship from UC Irvine for excellence in academics, leadership, and community service. Dao currently serves as the Executive Chair of Global Connect, a high school outreach program designed to prepare students to become more informed global citizens. She is also the program's Associate Editor of Curriculum. Read on...

Center for Asian Studies supports scholarship and research
The Center for Asian Studies at UC Irvine promotes the study of the many countries and cultures of Asia while providing a forum for discussions across geographic and disciplinary boundaries both within UC Irvine and the larger community. Read on...

UC Irvine immigration expert to testify before Congress
//enter info here Read on...

Sociology Lecturer Chuck O'Connell Recognized as Outstanding Professor
Possesses charming charisma. Has a talent for making students enthusiastic. An ability to present a new perspective on societal needs. Citing these traits, among many others, the graduating senior class at UC Irvine has selected Chuck O'Connell, sociology lecturer, as this year's Outstanding Professor in the Social Sciences. Read on...

Washington Post Managing Editor Speaks With Local High School Students
Over 300 students from local Costa Mesa, Estancia, Laguna Hills, and Newport High Schools and Te Winkle Middle School gathered at UC Irvine on Friday, May 11, 2007 to dialogue with Washington Post assistant managing editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran and special correspondent Omar Fekeiki. As keynote speakers at the fifth annual Global Connect Yearend Celebration, the journalists talked with students about their experiences in Iraq. Read on...

Fourth Annual Wan-Lin Kiang Lecture
The fourth Annual Wan-Lin Kiang Lecture, on the topic "China's Left Tilt: Pendulum Swing or Mid-Course Correction?", was held at University of California, Irvine this Wednesday, May 9th. The talk was delivered by Barry Naughton, Professor of Chinese and International Affairs at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego. During the talk, he discussed in detail the Chinese economic transition, political economy, and the current economic and public policies, and answered questions from the earnest audience. Prof. Karen Leonard, Director of Center for Asian Studies, Dr. Barbara Dosher, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Prof. David Brownstone, Chair of the Department of Economics, Prof. James Jing, Deputy Director of Wan-lin Kiang International Financial Research Center from Zhejiang University, and many other faculty members, students and community leaders attended the event. Read on...

2007 Jeff Garcilazo Undergraduate Paper Prize winners announced
Established in honor and memory of the late Chicano/Latino Studies and History professor, the Jeff Garcilazo Fellowship/Scholarship Fund provides opportunities for students to examine the historical and contemporary experiences Chicano/Latino communities. The Jeff Garcilazo Prize is awarded annually to undergraduate student author(s) of the best research paper(s) in Chicano/Latino studies. Read on...

Jordan Kraemer awarded UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies Fellowship
Jordan Kraemer, anthropology graduate student, received a UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies Fellowship Award for her project titled "Translocally Imagined Community: Digital Media and Youth in Contemporary Europe." Read on...

Social Sciences in the News

Obama supporters multiply on campuses
Katherine Tate, Political Science Professor, is quoted in The Washington Times, May 29, 2007. Read on...

TV shows reflect diversity
Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino Studies Department Chair, was quoted in The Baltimore Sun, May 25, 2007. Read on...

Immigration in America, now
Ruben Rumbaut, Sociology Professor, appeared as a speical guest on On Point (WBUR) (Boston), on May 23, 2007. Read on...

Gas tax moratorium questioned
Kenneth Small, Economics Professor, is quoted in The Hartford Courant (Conn.) on May 21, 2007. Read on...

O.C. reflects on Falwell legacy
Cecelia Lynch, Political Science Professor, is quoted in the OC Register on May 16, 2007. Read on...

Immigrant assimilation examined in US Congress
Ruben Rumbaut, Sociology Professor, is quoted in Voice of America on May 16, 2007. Read on...

Pull Chamber's Funding, Anaheim Councilwoman Says
Mark Petracca, Political Science Department Chair, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times on May 7, 2007. Read on...

Sunday Story: The Spector of Deportation
Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino Studies Department Chair, was quoted in the Daily Pilot on May 5, 2007. Read on...

Former President Carter Lecture media coverage
Former President Jimmy Carter's visit to the UC Irvine campus on May 3, 2007 was featured in the following publications: Read on...

Immigration Protest Coverage
Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino Studies Department Chair and Political Science Professor, is quoted in the following publications concerning the May 1 immigration protests: Read on...

Latino-Americans Become Unofficial Face of Politics Abroad
Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino Studies and Political Science Professor, was quoted in the PBS Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on April 27, 2007. Read on...

A Governor's Postpartisanship: Old-Fashioned Politicking?
Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino Studies and Political Science Professor, is quoted in the New York Times on April 27, 2007. Read on...

Gas taxes could fuel reforms
Kenneth Small, Professor Emeritus of Economics, was quoted in the San Fransisco Chronicle on April 29, 2007. Read on...

If you have a good idea for a feature story or would like to post a news item to the School of Social Sciences website, please contact your department manager or Heather Wuebker, hwuebker@uci.edu.