Race & Social Justice Lab

ABOUT US & OUR RESEARCH

The Race & Social Justice Lab is part of the Psychology Department at the University of California Santa Cruz, and is led by Dr. Courtney Bonam. Our research focuses on race as a social process, from both a social and community psychology perspective. We examine race as a fluid social construct shaping human imagination, perception of people and physical space, and social interaction. We are especially interested in race as it shapes the everyday experiences of individuals and communities in the United States, in ways that may perpetuate or alleviate racial inequality. READ MORE

We are interested in race as it relates to these broad topics:

Environmental Inequality & Environmental Justice

Social Justice Issues & Public Policy

Social Justice Education

Social Identity & Social Identity Threat

Social Stigma

Interracial Interactions & Intergroup Relations

Stereotyping, Prejudice & Discrimination

Social Perception (i.e., Person & Place Perception)

LAB NEWS

Dr. Bonam will be reviewing Social Psychology PhD Program applications during Fall 2024 (for students who will begin Fall 2025). Read more here.

Dr. Bonam is currently accepting applications for undergraduate research assistants. Read more here.

• CONGRATS to Jade Moore for joining the Race & Social Justice Lab (7/2024)

• CONGRATS to Ashlee Brown for joining the Race & Social Justice Lab (9/2023) 

• CONGRATS to Solana Segal for graduating with her bachelor's from UCSC and starting a full-time Research Coordinator position at Cortica (6/2023)

• CONGRATS to Abigail Rosales for graduating with her bachelor's from UCSC (6/2023)

• CONGRATS to Jada Cheek for completing her Master's Thesis titled Cultural Violence in News Coverage of the George Floyd Murder: Exploring Media Depictions of Police Brutality toward Black Americans (3/2023)

• CONGRATS to Jada Cheek for joining the Race & Social Justice Lab (4/2022)

MEDIA COVERAGE

Know Your History, SPSP [9/26/22]

How Trump used a centuries-old racist trope to attack Baltimore, Vox [7/29/19]

Updated: 10/03/24