Social Sciences

Deeper Investigations

New building and lab expand capabilities for forensic anthropology training and identification services at UT. UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) took a substantial leap forward this spring with the opening of the new Forensic Anthropology Laboratory, adding much-needed space and capability that strengthens its already renowned international legacy of research, teaching, and service. The laboratory…
Hunter Seeks Answers Through Political Science Research

Kevin Hunter’s curiosity about American political behavior led him to UT courses in not only political science but history, sociology, psychology, and Africana studies. Growing up in a military family that moved every few years, Kevin Hunter observed the world around him and became curious about what shapes people’s political behavior. As an undergraduate at…
Students’ Geographic Data Aids Costa Rican Village

Equipped with drones, thermal cameras, and more, members of UT’s GIS in the Community course traveled to Costa Rica for a real-world lesson in how geographic information science and technology can make lives better. GIS Course Serves Communities Through the course GIS in the Community, Geography 420, UT students have worked with state and local…
Scholar Spotlight: Andrew Taeho Kim

“I study how labor markets create inequality and what social forces shape people’s economic opportunities.” Andrew Taeho KimAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Sociology Using large-scale survey data and quantitative methods, I study how factors such as education, occupation, household work arrangements, and geographic context shape economic inequality. Much of my work examines racial and ethnic stratification in…
Scholar Spotlight: Yangseung Jeong

“I study human remains to reconstruct identity, life history, and circumstances of death.“ Yangseung JeongAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Anthropology My research aims to improve the accuracy of forensic anthropological analyses by developing population-specific standards for biological profile reconstruction and integrating 3D technologies. In particular, my recent work focuses on developing methods to sort commingled skeletal remains…
Geography Professor to Study Data Centers’ Impact

Assistant Professor Gabe Schwartzman is leading interdisciplinary research into how data centers are driving energy demands, and the economic, environmental, and societal implications for communities in the South. With data centers driving increased demand for electricity, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is part of a collaborative interdisciplinary research project into their planning and impact on…
Endowment Boosts International Democracy Studies

An estate endowment by former history and political science faculty members supports student research on democracy in the Middle East. The Louay Bahry and Phebe Marr Middle Eastern Democracy Studies Endowment will establish a scholarship to reward the best undergraduate or graduate student essays on topics of democracy in the Middle East. Bahry served as…
Scholar Spotlight: Mojca Kuplen

“I explore various ways that art engages our minds and, thereby, fosters self-understanding and empathy for others.” Mojca KuplenTeaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy My research reflects overlapping interests in the philosophy of art, contemporary aesthetics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. I am interested in how and why we come to appreciate artistic (and aesthetic)…
Scholar Spotlight: Anna Marshall

“As a fluvial geomorphologist I study how rivers shape the landscape and how people, in turn, shape rivers.” Anna MarshallAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Geography and Sustainability My research explores physical processes that sustain ecosystem functions in rivers and what it means for rivers when those processes are lost due to legacies of human activity. I identify…
McClanahan is Critical Criminologist of the Year

Bill McClanahan has been recognized as Critical Criminologist of the Year for his published research and teaching. Assistant Professor Bill McClanahan, Department of Sociology, is a co-recipient of the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology & Social Justice (DCCSJ), 2025 Critical Criminologist of the Year Award. McClanahan’s contributions was honored at the DCCSJ…