Social Sciences
View a list of departments in social sciences & global programs.
Excavating the past to serve the future
Massey Award winner Steve Davis has dedicated his life to preserving the history of North Carolina’s Native American peoples for future generations.
Gig workers face more risks than most during pandemic
New York City is home to approximately 150,000 gig workers — independent contractors who perform odd jobs through online platforms like Rover, Task Rabbit, GrubHub, DoorDash, Uber, and Lyft. While an essential part of the economy, such workers are more exposed to the virus and often lack the protections afforded to permanent employees such as access to health benefits, paid … Read more
Calculating COVID-19’s educational costs
Cassandra R. Davis studies the impact of natural disasters on schools and communities. Now the public policy professor is turning her attention to the impact of another kind of disaster — a global pandemic — on first-generation college students.
One strange semester, part 2
More impressions, insights and lessons learned by faculty during spring’s historic shift to remote teaching.
Vulnerable workers, unsafe conditions
There have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in poultry and other meat processing plants in North Carolina, and over 10,000 cases across the United States. The industry is the subject of UNC-Chapel Hill anthropologist Angela Stuesse’s scholarly work.
Inequality amplifies African Americans’ COVID-19 risk
Recent data shows that minorities are more at risk for contracting COVID-19 and experiencing poor health outcomes. In particular, African Americans in COVID-19 hot spots are twice as likely to die from the virus than their white counterparts.
Broadband providers adjust as internet use spikes under COVID-19
Global stay-at-home orders in response to COVID-19 have shifted even more of people’s daily lives onto the internet, and providers have struggled to keep pace.