Book Talk
Recap
Published May 14, 2026
Benjamin Recht: “The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us”
Recorded on May 5, 2026, this video features a talk by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, focused on his book, The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us. Professor Recht was joined in conversation by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of […]
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published November 10, 2022
Matrix on Point: The Court and the People
On October 20, Social Science Matrix hosted a "Matrix on Point" panel featuring UC Berkeley experts discussing what the conservative turn in the Supreme Court means for the relationship between the Court and the people. Panelists included Erwin Chemerinsky, Thomas Biolsi, and Khiara M. Bridges, with Ronit Stahl, moderating.
Learn More >Matrix News
Matrix Communications Scholars
Published November 7, 2022
Inaugural Cohort of Matrix Communications Scholars Announced
Social Science Matrix is proud to announce our inaugural cohort of Matrix Communications Scholars, a group of six PhD students or candidates who will create podcasts, written interviews, or other features while developing social science communication skills throughout the year. The Scholars are Jennie Barker, a PhD candidate in Political Science; J.T. Jamieson, a PhD candidate in History; Aidan Lee, a PhD student in History; Daniel Lobo, a PhD student in Sociology; Nataliya Nedzhvetskaya, a PhD student in Sociology; and Tiffany Taylor, a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published November 3, 2022
Voices in the Code: A Story About People, Their Values, and the Algorithm They Made
Recorded on October 10, 2022, this “Authors Meet Critics” panel focused on the book Voices in the Code: A Story About People, Their Values, and the Algorithm They Made, by David Robinson, a visiting scholar at Social Science Matrix and a member of the faculty at Apple University. Robinson was joined in conversation by […]
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published November 3, 2022
Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics
Recorded on October 14, 2022, this Authors Meet Critics panel focused on the book "Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics," by Darieck Scott, Professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley. Scott was joined in conversation by Ula Taylor and Scott Bukatman, with Greg Niemeyer moderating.
Learn More >Podcast
Interview
Published October 25, 2022
Migration and Reform in Early America: An Interview with J.T. Jamieson
What role did American social and moral reformers play in managing human migrations? Listen to (or read) our Matrix Podcast interview with J.T. Jamieson, a PhD Candidate in UC Berkeley’s History Department, who examines how social reformers in the first half of the 19th century sought to control migration and insert their own understandings of morality, social benevolence, and humanitarianism into the lives and experiences of migrants.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
Recap
Published October 12, 2022
Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley
Recorded on September 30, 2022, this Matrix “Author Meets Critics” panel focused on the book "Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley," by Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Ethnic Studies. Professor Chen was joined in conversation by Arlie Hochschild, Professor Emerita in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology, and Morgan Ames, Assistant Professor of Practice in the UC Berkeley School of Information and Associate Director of Research for the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine and Society. The conversation was moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Director of Social Science Matrix. The event was co-sponsored by the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion and the Berkeley Culture Center.
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