UC Davis anthropologist Manvir Singh explores the enduring relevance of shamanism in his new book, revealing how ancient rituals still shape modern life. The book offers a sweeping analysis of shamanic practices across time and cultures, reframing them through cognitive science and modern human behavior.

In The Small Matter of Suing Chevron, Suzana Sawyer chronicles the decades-long litigation process surrounding a 2011 judgment by an Ecuadorian court that held Chevron liable for $9.5 billion in damages for environmental contamination in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

In our first edition of "Books of the Month," the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis celebrates L&S authors researching issues related to Chicana/o and Latin American studies in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Find more L&S authors on our "Bookshelf."

The book Father Time is a personal investigation into the deep history of male care, beginning with the very first caretakers, male ones among fish over 400 million years ago, through eons of mammalian and primate evolution.

As technology blurs the line between science fiction and science fact, now more than ever it’s imperative to equip students with the skills to address the world-changing effects of scientific and technological revolutions. The Science and Technology Studies (STS) program at the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis aims to accomplish this by unifying the humanities and social sciences with the science, tech and medical fields. We asked some STS faculty for their top science fiction recommendations for the eager reader. Check out their recommendations below. 

In the prologue for their book At Every Depth: Our Growing Knowledge of the Changing Oceans, UC Davis scientist Tessa Hill and writer Eric Simons open with an astute observation about humanity’s relationship with the ocean. While so much of the big blue is still a mystery to us, the beauty and life within it are being affected by our choices as a species. In some ways, the oceans are changing faster than we can study them.

Knowledge about the Earth and its environment is woven throughout these new books, including two from College of Letters and Science faculty, that came out in 2023 or are about to be published. From oceans, fire and evolution to transportation and sustainability, these books inspire action on the world’s most pressing environmental issues.