The UC Davis Library has honored Rianna Herrera, a major in sociology, with a 2026 Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research. She placed third in the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences category for her honors thesis that explores the college experiences and aspirations of Filipina and gender-non-conforming Filipinx Americans.

While structural racism can be measured across an entire neighborhood, city or county, its impact on people’s lives might be more localized. A recent study in sociology found that people most impacted by structural racism died more than two years sooner than the average American adult.

On January 27, a UC Davis Global Migration Center expert panel discussed Solito, the 2026 UC Davis Campus Community Book Project Selection, and how different research disciplines explore complex questions about immigration in the U.S.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a global crisis that showed the fragility of democracy in Taiwan, where misinformation threatened the three pillars that define the nation’s government and civil society.

Welcome to Books of the Month, where once a month, we select works from our Bookshelf of authors within the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. January is often a time for self-reflection and goal setting, so this month’s list features books that touch on both. 

Melissa Segura is among the 38% of undergraduates enrolled this fall who — when they complete their studies — will be in the first generation of their family to earn a four-year degree. When she crosses the stage at the UC Davis Fall Commencement, the senior from Lakewood, California, will be the first in the family to have a four-year degree: a Bachelor of Arts in sociology with an emphasis in law and society.

As the U.S. government turns its attention to drug cartels in Mexico, new research suggests that violent competition among criminal organizations increases the risks migrants face at the northern border.

This month, explore how connections are formed, maintained and shared with letters and science authors. In this collection of books, our authors and scholars mine their own families as their inspiration for memoirs, poetry, fiction and analyses.

Under the leadership of Cecilia Tsu, associate professor of history at UC Davis, students whose fields included sociology, history and English in 2024 began delving into Yolo County history. Tsu sought with her cohort of students to uncover diverse histories of Yolo County to share with K-12 teachers and their students.

The American Dream as both idea and ideal, for all its complications, has had an undeniably powerful role in shaping values and aspirations in the U.S. and far beyond its borders. We spoke with faculty and students in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis who represent a wealth of knowledge and perspectives that help us think about American society’s past, present and continuing potential.