Social Sciences

Rice sociologist available to discuss how the religious will 'gather' on holidays amid COVID-19

Psychologists to public: Here's how to stop touching your faces and #flattenthecurve

Annual Kinder Institute luncheon to go virtual May 18

This year's event, originally scheduled for May 18, will now be presented as a virtual "Lunch-Out" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Way I See It: Religion and science need each other, now more than ever

Nearly 120 million Americans attend religious services at least once a week, according to the Pew Research Center, and as many as 50% of Americans belong to some religious organization.

Obama's 2008 election improved mental health of black men, research shows

HOUSTON – (March 24, 2020) – Barack Obama's election to the nation's highest office in 2008 improved the mental health of black men, according to new research from Rice University.

Coronavirus and the classroom: How Rice is tackling the move to remote learning

Rice students, faculty and staff are finishing the spring semester in unprecedented circumstances, responding to the threat of COVID-19 by hunkering down and delivering classes online.

Analyzing patients shortly after stroke can help link brain regions to speech functions

HOUSTON – (March 23, 2020) – New research from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine shows analyzing the brains of stroke victims just days after the stroke allows researchers to link various speech functions to different parts of the brain, an important breakthrough that may lead to better treatment and recovery.

Rice U. experts available to discuss COVID-19's wide-ranging impact

HOUSTON – (March 23, 2020) – As the COVID-19 pandemic grows and impacts the lives of people across the globe, Rice University experts are available to discuss various topics related to the disease. 

Oswald named national associate for NASEM

Fred Oswald, professor of psychological sciences and Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences at Rice University, has been named a national associate by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Turning to small business loan programs amid crisis makes economic, political sense, says Rice U. expert

HOUSTON – (March 23, 2020) – President Trump's decision to utilize the Small Business Administration’s grant and loan programs as means of stabilizing local economies amid the shock of the coronavirus pandemic is motivated by their ability to pump money into local economies quickly — and their popularity in Congress — according to an expert at Rice University.

How stress and loneliness can make you more likely to get COVID-19

What do stress, loneliness and lack of sleep have in common? They are all factors that can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to COVID-19, according to Rice University's Christopher Fagundes, an associate professor in the department of psychological sciences who studies the link between mental and immune health.

'A lexicon for troubled times'

It's no secret that human behavior is altering the world around us. This geologic era is referred to as the Anthropocene, the age dating from the beginning of significant human impact on Earth and its ecosystems, and is explored in a new book edited by a Rice University anthropologist.

Blacks' views on racism affect likelihood of self-employment

HOUSTON – (March 18, 2020) – Working blacks who believe racism has a major impact on their lives are more likely to seek self-employment than those who feel less strongly about its effects, according to new research from Rice University.

Rice dedicates Kraft Hall for Social Sciences: 'An important new phase of increased visibility and opportunity'

On a crisp, sunny winter day, members of the Rice University community gathered to officially dedicate the newly constructed Patricia Lipoma Kraft ’87 and Jonathan A. Kraft Hall for Social Sciences.

Ex-CBS News president talks future of news at Social Sciences anniversary lecture

What does the future hold for journalism?