People. The School of Social Sciences focuses on how people think and act as individuals and in society. Just as scientists seek to uncover facts about the natural and physical worlds, social scientists seek to uncover facts about the social world. Across our school you will find our faculty and students are generating solutions for people, with people.
The School of Social Sciences at Rice is the smallest of the main divisions on campus, but it serves the largest number of undergraduates, with over a third of Rice undergraduates choosing a major in the social sciences. Our undergrads have the opportunity to be involved in prestigious faculty research as well as begin research projects on their own through the Social Sciences Research Enterprise (SSURE). At the graduate level, four of our five departments have Ph.D. programs, and the fifth will have one beginning in fall 2011. All of these programs achieve excellence by concentrating on selected areas for education and research.
The School of Social Sciences contains five departments: Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. In addition, there are three interdisciplinary programs: Cognitive Sciences, Managerial Studies, and Policy Studies. Students in Cognitive Sciences are engaged in the multidisciplinary study of the mind. Managerial Studies provides an understanding of the environment in which business and other organizations exist, and on the tools used by managers. Policy Studies students learn to analyze and evaluate public policy and gain an understanding of the policy-making process.
The School of Social Sciences also houses four research centers: the Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life (CORRUL), the Shell Center for Sustainability, the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI), and the Urban Research Center. Each center positively affects people’s lives in different ways. CORRUL aspires to understand urban life and improve relationships among the many racial, ethnic, and religious groups that make cities their home. The Shell Center for Sustainability supports the efforts of Rice University's faculty, staff and students to better our planet's environment and economy. The SSRI acts as a think tank to bring together Rice social scientists with social scientists around the globe to work on cutting edge-research. The Urban Research Center of Houston is the permanent home of the Houston Area Survey which tracks Houston area residents’ experiences and perceptions of life in the Houston area.
There are approximately seventy-five faculty in the school. One of the reasons many students choose Rice is because of faculty who really take an interest in students and enjoy teaching. Nowhere on campus is that more evident than the School of Social Sciences, where our faculty consistently exhibit their student commitment by winning teaching awards and creating such a fascinating learning environment that students frequently change their majors to one of the Social Sciences.