Social Sciences

Explore faculty and student work in economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other disciplines shaping our understanding of society.

FAS Overhaul Brings Deep Cuts to Social Sciences, Phillips Brooks House

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

by Lydialyle Gibson

When Farmers Met Foragers

A question mark has long hovered over human transitions from hunting and gathering to farming: did agriculture spread by communication—in...

by Jonathan Shaw

Litmus Test for a Law

Until the mid 1980s, victims of domestic abuse who called the police could expect the officers to do little more than tell the abusive spouse to...

Taking Stock of Celebrity

For Anita Elberse, whose latest research investigates the impact of big-name stars on films’ revenues, pop culture and rigorous analysis...

by Elizabeth Gudrais

Girl Power

When Dan Kindlon watches the Tigers play softball, he sees the legacy of feminism for girls. “My daughter’s concentrating on...

by Harbour Fraser ...

The Rise of Faculty Centrism

Politically, U.S. professors are less liberal than many people believe, but their ranks also include fewer conservatives than in the early...

Bruce Western

Photograph by Jim Harrison Bruce Western His interest in prisons began “almost by accident,” says the new director of the Kennedy...

Making a Case against the Courts

How will Americans know that their Supreme Court is truly dedicated to interpreting the Constitution as the Founding Fathers would wish?...

The fight to preserve biodiversity in the American West

Gilbert Gale uses all tools at his disposal to fight invasive plants in Western grasslands.

by Jonathan Shaw

The Slave Rebellion in New York City

Historian Jill Lepore explores the lives of slaves during an alleged eighteenth century uprising

by Jonathan Shaw

Public-health response to gun fatalities: make weapons less lethal

The public-health response to gun casualties: make the weapons less lethal

by Craig Lambert