The Latino Social Science Pipeline Initiative (LSSPI) is a UC Berkeley program to advance Latino social science research, training and mentorship, and community engagement. The LSSPI addresses the need for more social science research on the history and current conditions of Latino populations and the underrepresentation of Latina/o/x scholars in the academy.
The LSSPI is a three-pronged, long-term project that (1) supports Latino Social Science research via workshops and faculty and student support programs; (2) develops a training pipeline for future Latino-focused scholarship through a predoctoral and postdoctoral program; and (3) utilizes strategic communications to disseminate research efforts and institutionalize opportunities for further funding and training initiatives.
1. Faculty and Student Latino Social Science Research and Training Development
The core of this component is to support Latino social science scholars, both faculty and students, to develop further their training in the history and contributions of Latinos to social scientific knowledge and analysis, including empirically-based investigations that can inform community engagement and local policy. These activities include:
- An annual Latino social science junior scholars and graduate student symposium will be held in the summer of 2024.
- A university-to-community partnership and training program.
- An undergraduate/graduate and faculty mentorship and research methods initiative.
- A monthly Latino social science research workshop at UC Berkeley.
Participants in these efforts learn how to use existing data to build new Latino social science datasets and receive methodological training on diverse approaches to research, including quantitative, qualitative, archival, digital methods, and community participatory action research.
2. Pipeline for Future Scholarship, Predoctoral/Postdoctoral Program
Predoctoral and Postdoctoral fellowships have recently become vital for building a community for underrepresented scholars and providing a critical opportunity for graduate students to develop their work and prepare for the job market. Pre/postdoctoral scholars support, and mentor graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars will teach courses on Latino racial justice at UC Berkeley.
3. Strategic Communications
This component encompasses communications strategies to promote Latino social science research scholarship more effectively by synthesizing often-complex content into more accessible products and formats and disseminating these widely to academic and mainstream audiences through the media, higher education institutions, museums, and other venues.
Collaborating with UC Berkeley scholars, students, and staff, the LSSPI contributes to training and developing the next generation of social scientists, data analysts, policymakers, and public intellectuals focused on Latino communities. In addition, it uses academic research to shed light on the U.S. and transnational Latino population to improve their socioeconomic conditions and advance racial justice.