UMKC School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Our school leadership helped move in new Roos yesterday! Welcome to campus!

Thanks to our partnership with the Kansas City Royals, students in film and media arts and communications departments got to work on a UMKC commercial for the Crown Vision! There's still time to catch the commercial at Kauffman Stadium. It airs before Friday home games for the rest of the Royals regular season, so be sure to get there early!

Associate professor of history Matthew Osborn is super! He just presented at this year's San Diego Comic Con about his upcoming book, "Night Hawk: A Nineteenth Century Superhero and the Dawn of American Mass Culture." Turns out Night Hawk, the very first superhero, predates Superman by a century! Learn more in his book, available Sept. 8.

History student Emily Shoemake was selected for the extremely competitive Smithsonian Rural Internship! She shares it's been quite the experience:

"My internship at the Hillwood Museum has been an incredible journey. Collaboration with my fellow interns has been seamless, and exploring the Interwoven exhibit curated by the talented staff here in Washington, D.C., has been a highlight. The evening dress by Berhdorf Goodman, likely crafted from a single fabric panel, left both my supervisor, Laura Johnson, and me in awe. The sheer back with a keyhole opening was stunning for the time period. Additionally, having the flexibility to work on my capstone research at the Library of Congress has been invaluable. This experience beautifully balances my Smithsonian duties and academic pursuits." - Emily Shoemake

Criminal Justice and Criminology student Alexa Omorodion got the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad in Japan! "Special thanks to the UMKC Globetrotter program for facilitating my journey abroad," Omorodion said. "I look forward to seeing you all in the fall, and tell KC Roo I said hi!"

The Critical Materials Crossroads Engine, led by UMKC, has officially been selected as one of 12 winners of the $160 million U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines award.

While critical materials may evoke images of laboratories and manufacturing facilities, the humanities play an essential role in understanding their broader cultural, economic and social impacts. Kansas City's history in the manufacturing and transportation of critical materials helped strengthen the proposal and underscored the value of an interdisciplinary approach.

"Technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” says Brian Frehner, Ph.D., chair of the UMKC history department. “Every advancement has cultural, economic and social consequences. If we’re not thinking about those impacts, we’re missing half the picture. Projects like Critical Materials Crossroads don’t just benefit from having humanities at the table. They require it."

Learn more about Critical Materials Crossroads: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/july/umkc-led-critical-materials-crossroads-engine-selected-for-160-million-nsf-award.html

Join us for KC’s Summer of Global Goals! From 6 to 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 at Strange Days Brewing Co., several UMKC faculty, including SHSS’s Stephen Dilks and David Freeman, will discuss the history, cultural shifts and environmental impacts of the World Cup on Kansas City. This International Relations Council event is free and open to the public! Register here: https://www.irckc.org/what-we-do/irc-events-calendar/ =10840&cid=1742&wid=2201

At UMKC, students like Sharae Shaheed (B.A. ’25) are redefining what success looks like and proving it’s never too late to expand your world. Shaheed is a first-generation college student, mother and recent Spanish graduate who discovered study abroad isn’t just for traditional students; it’s for anyone ready to say yes to opportunity.

Meet Shaheed: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/june/study-abroad-is-possible-a-non-traditional-students-journey-to-spain.html

We're excited to announce we are an academic partner of the US Department of State Diplomacy Lab!

Students in Terrorism and Political Violence, a political science class this fall, will work on a project commissioned by the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs to analyze the effectiveness, challenges and opportunities for reform within and among key counterterrorism focused multilateral organizations!

Throughout the semester, students will meet occasionally with a civil service officer from the State Department for guidance and check ins before presenting their findings and policy recommendations to the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

A group of UMKC students, including several from SHSS, just returned from the first-ever UMKC Study Abroad and Global Engagement-led trip to Québec City, Canada! The program was designed to encourage more students to travel internationally and geared toward first-time international travelers looking to take their first step into global learning.

For First Gen Roo student Katelyn Kays, a dual major in English and criminal justice and criminology, the trip provided the perfect balance of different and familiar for her first experience abroad. Communications student Karina Galeas encouraged others to consider studying abroad, noting that scholarships, resources and support systems are available to help students access these life-changing experiences.

Read how UMKC is creating accessible opportunities for students to see the world, one passport stamp at a time: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/june/umkc-program-introduces-students-to-study-abroad.html