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.
For 2025, five of the nine total Lang Prize honors were awarded to students majoring in the College of Letters and Science for their research across the social sciences and humanities.
A new book co-authored by UC Davis sociologist Erin Hamilton charts the lives of 34 women and men who have returned to Mexico in the last two decades after years living in the U.S. Their stories convey the deep sense of loss they feel as they struggle to rebuild their lives.
This month’s "Books of the Month" features works authored or edited by L&S faculty from the arts, humanities and social sciences and have been selected in honor of Asian American Pacific islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. From the poetic to the analytical, L&S scholars unearth untold stories from the U.S., China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and beyond.
Cognitive migration describes when our imagination guides us through potential futures. It’s a process through which we work out the emotional, cognitive and social problems of traveling to a new location by putting ourselves in a future time and space.
Emiliano Rosales picked up volleyball last spring year after his first two quarters at UC Davis were harder than he ever would have believed. After connecting with mentors, he discovered what he truly wanted his life to be. In his second year now, he mentors first-year students facing the same struggles he did.
Our February 2025 "Books of the Month" selections honor Black History Month. Get familiar with some lesser known aspects of American history, celebrate song and dance, or immerse yourself in someone else’s story. This month’s reads include cultural and historical analyses as well as two memoirs, a biography and a novel.
With the start of the new year and upcoming presidential inauguration, we’ve chosen to focus on politics, advocacy and community organizing. At the College of Letters and Science, we’re thinking deeply about these topics and the work of our faculty and lecturers demonstrates just that.
For Katie Cohen, part of undergrad life is made up of “the grind.” Now in her second year on campus, Cohen, a sociology major and L&S Ambassador, has also learned that friendships are what make for more than just the basic college experience.
