Social Studies
‘Steering Your Own Ship’: Committee Concentrations Forge Unique Paths for Students and Faculty
In addition to the full departments under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 10 nondepartmental degree programs overseen by Standing Committees of the FAS offer undergraduate concentrations. Both faculty on these committees and students under these concentrations acknowledge the unique characteristics of pursuing one’s studies under such an administration.
Some Departments Delay Senior Thesis Deadlines Due to Covid-19 Disruptions
In light of challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, some academic departments extended deadlines for College seniors to submit their theses this spring.
Economics Remains Most Popular Concentration for Class of 2023
Economics remained the most popular concentration for the Class of 2023, with 186 declared sophomores. Computer Science and Government also retained the second and third spots, with 120 and 111 declared sophomore concentrators, respectively.
President-elect Joe Biden Nominates Harvard Affiliates to Top Executive Positions
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has appointed several Harvard affiliates to serve on his cabinet, including former assistant professor Janet L. Yellen, Harvard College alumni Antony J. Blinken ’84, Vivek H. Murthy ’98, and Medical School professor Rochelle P. Walensky.
Harvard Government Professor Carpenter Calls for Federal Job Guarantee in White Paper
Government professor Daniel P. Carpenter called for a "new New Deal" to jumpstart the American economy in a white paper published in late April.
Why I Declared 2019: Social Sciences
To get some perspective on concentration declaration, we asked Flyby sophomores studying the social sciences why they declared.
Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer Discusses Award-Winning Work with Harvard Students
Economics Professor and 2019 Nobel Laureate Michael R. Kremer ’85 shared insights into his personal journey as an economist with Harvard students during an event Tuesday afternoon at the Smith Campus Center.
Gov. Students Discuss Recent Survey, How to Move Forward at Post-Dominguez Town Halls
Government students discussed department culture, course offerings, and responses to allegations of sexual misconduct against Government Professor Emeritus Jorge I. Dominguez at consecutive town halls Friday.
A Third of Female Harvard Gov Students Report Limitations Due to Gender
Roughly a third of female respondents to a Government Department climate survey reported that their work or study within the department was “limited” by their gender, according to a report released Wednesday.
Winthrop Dean Sullivan Defends Fryer, Criticizes Harvard Investigation
Winthrop House Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr. sharply criticized Harvard’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against Economics Professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr. in a Jan. 29 RealClearInvestigations article that identifies him multiple times as Fryer’s lawyer.
Devah Pager, Harvard Sociology Professor and Pioneer, Dies at 46
Harvard Sociology Professor Devah I. Pager, a groundbreaking researcher, advisor, teacher, and mother beloved by her students and family, died on Nov. 2. She was 46 years old.
‘A Leader of Growing Stature in the Art World’: Sarah Lewis Makes Her Mark
Lewis holds a joint assistant professorship in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of African and African American Studies.
As Social Studies Juniors Begin Thesis Process, Some Have Second Thoughts
Faculty and staff say that the Social Studies’ mandatory thesis is an intense project that likely requires summer research, though some upperclassmen worry about lost opportunities during their junior summer.
Symposium Brings Together Experts on Inequality
Professors and researchers from across the country delivered interdisciplinary talks on problems of inequality at the first-ever Inequality in America Symposium, held at Loeb House on Friday.
More than 100 Harvard Faculty Signed Petition to Support Strike
Over the past several weeks, Harvard faculty have shown their support for striking dining hall workers, bringing their classes to the picket lines and signing a petition calling on Harvard to reach an agreement with its employees.
Advising Fortnight
Kate Brady ’19 makes conversation with a Social Studies concentration adviser at the Social Studies Ice Cream Social Tuesday afternoon. The event was one of the many events being hosted by all 49 concentrations as part of Advising Fortnight, a two-week period of events, panels, and office hours intended to help freshmen discover more about their possible future concentrations.
Dominance of Western Perspectives Troubles the Social Sciences
American and Western European foci and schools of thought continue to dominate social science fields at Harvard, frustrating some students and faculty even as other perspectives and methods grow.
William James Hall
The social studies department, located in William James Hall, has been criticized by those looking to study non-Western perspectives.
William James Hall Upgrades Elevators, Causing Delays
The elevator is not broken but is undergoing renovation as part of a larger upgrade process begun last July. Each elevator car takes 14 weeks to update and all three elevators should be operational again in May.
Five Harvard Seniors Win Rhodes Scholarship
Five Harvard undergraduates are winners of the 2016 Rhodes Scholarship, up three from last year when two Harvard students won the award.
For Off-Cycle Seniors, Thesis-Writing Concludes
Most Harvard seniors edit, toil over, and finally turn in their theses in a communal flurry in the weeks leading up to spring break and Housing Day each spring. But for the College’s off-cycle seniors, the affair is less standardized and a bit more lonely, they say.
Professor wins "genius" grant
Associate professor of sociology and social studies Matthew S. Desmond recently won a MacArthur “Genius” Grant. As an ethnographer and social scientist, he studies the connections between poverty and eviction.
Two Harvard ‘Geniuses’ Win MacArthur Grants
Associate sociology and social studies professor Matthew S. Desmond studies eviction and poverty, and assistant Medical School professor Beth Stevens researches brain cell functions.
Snow Days by Concentration
Now that everyone has frolicked sufficiently, snow days have become a time for learned contemplation. FM considers how students of various concentrations can best use their time off.
Social Studies To Move to William James Hall
The move from the committee's current location in the Radcliffe Quad will officially take place on Jan. 5, 2015, in preparation for the start of the spring semester.