UCSB Division of Social Sciences

05/21/2026

05/21/2026

The Blueprint for 2035: Why Climate Action Needs Social Science with Paasha Mahdavi
Welcome to Episode 2 of Social Science Matters! 🌎 Paasha Mahdavi, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Energy, Governance & Political Economy Lab at UC Santa Barbara, discusses the vital role of social science research in transitioning away from fossil fuels. Using Santa Barbara’s own history with offshore oil as a case study, Mahdavi explains how the The 2035 Initiative at UC Santa Barbara bridges the gap between scientific models and politically feasible, socially desirable policy.

🎥 Watch the entire video on our YouTube via the LinkTree in our bio!
🖥️ Subscribe to the NEW YouTube Channel for the UCSB Division of Social Sciences, link in bio!
🗞️ Read our latest periodic reports by visiting the LinkTree in our bio under “News”

05/19/2026

✨NEWS SPOTLIGHT! Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky has established himself as a notable scholar of global history. 
As an Associate Professor of Global Migration and Forced Displacement in the Department of Global Studies, his pioneering research on historical refugee crises is fundamentally reshaping how scholars understand modern displacement.
Visit the LinkTree in our bio under “News” to read more!

05/12/2026

Four Invasions, One Ongoing Fight: Indigenous Resistance in Guatemala with Dr. Giovanni Batz
Welcome to Episode 1 of Social Science Matters! 🌎
Dr. Giovanni Batz, an assistant professor of Chicana/Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara, is documenting the ongoing struggle of the Ixil Maya peoples in Guatemala.
His latest books, La Cuarta Invasión and The Fourth Invasion, trace the historical roots of violence and displacement in the region. Batz identifies four major “invasions,” beginning with Spanish colonization and extending to the modern era’s influx of mining and infrastructure projects. His research emphasizes the severe dangers Indigenous communities face globally when defending their ancestral lands against economic and state interests.
“For me, this isn’t just an academic exercise,” Batz says. “This is real life.”
The Division of Social Sciences is proud to support this critical, real-world research.

🎥 Watch the entire video on our YouTube via the LinkTree in our bio!
🖥️ Subscribe to the NEW YouTube Channel for the UCSB Division of Social Sciences, link in bio!
🗞️ Read our latest periodic reports by visiting the LinkTree in our bio under “News”

05/11/2026

✨NEWS SPOTLIGHT! More than 70 representatives from community organizations across the region joined UCSB faculty, researchers, and staff at the university’s inaugural Central Coast Community Summit on Friday, May 8.
The summit, held at OASIS in Goleta and organized by UCSB’s Coalition for Publicly Engaged Social Sciences (CoPES), was designed to forge meaningful, lasting partnerships between the university and organizations working on the Central Coast’s most pressing challenges.
Attendees represented a wide cross-section of the region’s civic life, including organizations working in community health, housing, labor, food justice, environmental advocacy, education, and local government.
🗞️ Visit the LinkTree in our bio under “News” to read more!
🎥 Video courtesy of KEYT News

05/06/2026

Welcome to Social Science Matters!🌎
In this inaugural message, Dean Charlie Hale
shares how the UCSB Division of Social Sciences is addressing today’s critical societal issues through innovative research and hands-on learning. From civic education to frontline community impact, see how our students and faculty are making a tangible difference where we live and work.
🖥️ Subscribe to the NEW YouTube Channel for the UCSB Division of Social Sciences, link in bio!
🗞️ Read our latest periodic reports by visiting the LinkTree in our bio under “News”

05/06/2026

Welcome to Social Science Matters!🌎 In this inaugural message, Dean Charlie Hale shares how the UCSB Division of Social Sciences is addressing today’s critical societal issues through innovative research and hands-on learning. From civic education to frontline community impact, see how our students and faculty are making a tangible difference where we live and work.
🖥️ Subscribe to the NEW YouTube Channel for the UCSB Division of Social Sciences, link in bio!
🗞️ Read our latest periodic reports by visiting the LinkTree in our bio under “News”

04/30/2026

2026 Pahl Making a Difference Award Winners Announced!
Three outstanding students have received 2025 Louise A. and Stephen D. Pahl “Making a Difference” Awards from The Pahl Center for the Study of Critical Social Issues. According to Pahl Center Director Dr. Sastry, the awards were made possible with the support and oversight of the Social Sciences Divisional Leadership; in particular, Associate Dean Walid Afifi, who worked to identify and select the projects. 
“The award provides a maximum of $5,000 per recipient and was designed to support a Social Sciences undergraduate who is leading (or co-leading) a community-centered research project,” Dr. Sastry said. “We interpret “community-centered” broadly to encompass projects that involve substantive dialogue and collaboration with an organized group of community members that have a role in shaping the research methods and objectives of the project.”

Becky Chen, 22, who received her award for “Extracted and Exposed: Student Tenant Conditions in Isla Vista. Chen is a senior double majoring in Sociology and Film and Media Studies at UCSB. Her research documentary will eventually be published on the BLUM Center website: https://guidetoucsbhousing.org/

Asher Rose, 22, who received his award for “Room For Nuance: Dissent and Jewish Student Experiences Since October 7, 2023.” Rose is a UCSB senior majoring in Sociology with a minor in Jewish Studies. 

Emma Hirsh 23, who received her award for “Limits of the “Green Republic”: Agroecology, Land Sharing, and Food Sovereignty at Mojojoy Agri-Cultura in Costa Rica.” Hirsh graduated from UCSB in June 2025 with a double major in Global Studies and Environmental Studies. 

Read the rest of the story at The Pahl Center website! https://pahlcenter.ucsb.edu/news/2026-pahl-making-difference-award-winners-announced

04/28/2026

✨NEWS SPOTLIGHT! UCSB’s Waverly Duck is an urban ethnographer and the North Hall Chair Endowed Professor of Sociology. For the first time in the journal’s history, a UC Santa Barbara professor sits at the helm of Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, a flagship publication and the most widely read outside the discipline.
Visit the LinkTree in our bio under “News” to read more!
Photo courtesy of Matt Perko