Research Office

Research in the College of Liberal Arts is diverse and ranges from traditional research/scholarship to creative expression. Researchers, scholars and artists working in the humanities, the social sciences and the fine and performing arts explore the human condition - politically, economically, aesthetically, socially, culturally and historically, through methods such as textual analysis, field research and the statistical analysis of data. In addition, faculty are involved in artistic production and the study of artistic expression that reflect individual and social experience.

Anthropology

Human adaptation to changing environments (cultural, climatic, technological) from regional, national and international perspectives

Art

Creative and artistic expression in graphic design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking. Research in art history

Economics

Theoretical and applied research in econometrics, environmental economics, industrial organization, international economics, and in the core areas of microeconomics and macroeconomics.

English

Studies of literature, film and cultural history, creative work in fiction, poetry and the essay, and research in the teaching of composition

Ethnic Studies

The ways intersections of race, gender, ethnicity and class have shaped the experiences of people of color in the United States. Focus is primarily on Asian Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and Latino/as

Foreign Languages and Literature

Chinese drama, applied linguistics, Spanish literature and film, Medieval literary criticism, Spanish sociolinquistics, Latino/a Studies in the US, Latin American literature, Spanish American culture, European studies, French poetry , Francophone studies, North African Studies, Literary translation, Mexican women writers.

History

History of science, environmental history, medical history, and U.S., European, Latin American, African American, Middle Eastern and Asian social, intellectual, cultural and diplomatic history.

Music

Creative and artistic expression through performance and conducting. Also music history, music education, and composition

New Media Communication

the aesthetic qualities and social influences of digital media. For instance, the design and structure of video games is examined from an artist and storyteller’s perspective as well as with attention to the social psychological impact of game design on players.

Philosophy

Social and political philosophy; philosophy of science; philosophy of biology; philosophy of nature; moral philosophy, ethics, and applied ethics including environmental ethics, biomedical ethics, public health, philosophy of law, and research ethics; feminist philosophies; gender studies; peace studies; history of ideas; critical thinking; religious studies and philosophy of religion; aesthetics.

Political Science

Politics in Latin America, China and Russia, public administration and state and local government, public opinion, Oregon politics, comparative European and American political culture, electoral behavior, demographic politics and American constitutional history and theory.

Public Policy

As an interdisciplinary program, public policy faculty and students are involved in research that integrates groundbreaking science into emerging policies, practices and understandings of the world that will impact and influence local, regional and international policy decisions.

Psychology

Biological underpinning of behavior and emotion, attentional and cognitive process, self-regulatory and social behavior, developmental, cognitive, and environmental factors involved in health and welfare.

Sociology

Sociologists study the causes and effects of ongoing changes in communities, families, and organizations. Sociology faculty at OSU specialize in environment and natural resources, religion, medicine, poverty and inequality, immigration, crime and juvenile delinquency, and family relations, with a particular emphasis on social policy related to these topics.

Speech Communication

Natural resource conflict management, collaborative learning, political rhetoric, oral interpretation, parliamentary debate, rhetorical theory, theater and violence, theater history, language and social interaction. Creative expression through Theater Arts

Women Studies

Body image, weight bias, and physical activity; Transnational feminist theories and movements; Postmodern feminist theory and practice; Feminist teaching; Women and religion; Women of Color in the U.S. including Asian and Asian Pacific American women’s writings and experiences.