activities · 16
what they do
direct service · 3
- Host annual academic conferences Member Meetings and ConventionsOrganizes and hosts an annual conference for social scientists, held in different cities across the western United States. Events have been conducted in-person, virtually (e.g., 2020, 2021), and in hybrid formats (e.g., 2022), with upcoming conferences scheduled through 2027.
- Organize and host annual conferences Member Meetings and ConventionsThe organization hosts annual conferences for social scientists, which have been held in various formats including in-person, hybrid, and virtual, across different locations such as Albuquerque, Denver, Seattle, San Antonio, Tempe, and San Diego.
- Organizes annual academic conferences Member Meetings and ConventionsHosts an annual conference for social scientists, held in different U.S. locations each year, including in-person, virtual (e.g., 2020, 2021), and hybrid (e.g., 2022) formats. Recent and upcoming conferences include locations such as Albuquerque (2026), Seattle (2025), San Antonio (2024), Tempe (2023), and San Diego (2019).
research · 9
- Administer annual research awards Early-Career Research AwardsRecognizes excellence in social science research by awarding the Distinguished Book Award and the Larry Gould Best Article Award annually, as well as honoring outstanding student papers and dissertations each year.
- Honor emerging scholars Early-Career Research AwardsRecognizes up to three Outstanding Emerging Scholars annually at its conference, with recent honorees including Dr. Dory Quinn, Dr. Jussi Laine, and Dr. Montse Feu Lopez in 2019.
- Publish The Social Science Journal Conference Proceedings & Scholarly PublicationsThe organization publishes scholarly work in the social sciences through its official publication, The Social Science Journal, and provides members with free online access to it.
- Publish conference abstracts Conference Proceedings & Scholarly PublicationsThe organization publishes official abstracts for its annual conferences, such as those held in 2019 and 2018.
- Publish conference abstracts Conference Proceedings & Scholarly PublicationsProduces and publishes official abstracts for its annual conferences, including those from the 2018 and 2019 meetings.
- Publish scholarly research in The Social Science Journal Conference Proceedings & Scholarly PublicationsProduces and publishes peer-reviewed scholarly work through its official publication, The Social Science Journal, providing members with free online access after the annual conference.
- Publishes and disseminates scholarly research Conference Proceedings & Scholarly PublicationsPublishes peer-reviewed scholarly work through its official publication, The Social Science Journal, and provides members with free online access to the journal following the annual conference. Also publishes official conference abstracts from past meetings.
- Recognize outstanding scholarly contributions Early-Career Research AwardsThe organization annually honors three Outstanding Emerging Scholars, presents a Distinguished Book Award and the Larry Gould Best Article Award, and recognizes outstanding student papers and dissertations with prizes.
- Recognizes scholarly excellence through awards Early-Career Research AwardsPresents annual awards for outstanding research, including the Distinguished Book Award, the Larry Gould Best Article Award, and recognition for up to four outstanding student papers and one outstanding dissertation paper. Also honors three Outstanding Emerging Scholars each year.
capacity building · 4
- Maintain organizational governance infrastructure Bylaws and Governance DocumentationDeveloped and adopted formal organizational documents including a constitution, operations manual, and bylaws (formally adopted in 2022) to guide governance and operations.
- Provide job announcement spaceThe organization offers free space for universities and education-related entities to post position announcements.
- Support academic recruitment and communication Occupation-Specific Job Board ManagementProvides free online space for universities and educational institutions to post position announcements and supports editorial transitions by announcing searches for new editors of The Social Science Journal.
- Supports academic and professional development Occupation-Specific Job Board ManagementProvides free space for university and education-related job announcements, supports editorial transitions by announcing searches for new editors of The Social Science Journal, and maintains organizational governance through a constitution and operations manual.
strategies · 7
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Disseminate research through member-focused academic channels research_disseminationShares research and academic content via a quarterly publication and member-driven resource platforms to strengthen the social science community and support scholarly engagement.
- Disseminating Research and Supporting the Social Science Community research_disseminationThe organization disseminates research and member-focused content through a quarterly publication and supports academic recruitment by providing free space for education-related position announcements, thereby strengthening the social science community.
- Fostering Interdisciplinary Social Science Scholarship interdisciplinary_scholarshipThe organization promotes interdisciplinary scholarship, service, and collegiality as core values, and supports diverse research methodologies and broad scopes of impact (national, international, regional, local) to advance social science knowledge and world opinion.
- Integrate membership with conference participation and organizational governance conference-integrated_membershipStrengthens organizational engagement by linking membership to conference presentation and structuring governance through a formal constitution and evolving bylaws.
- Integrating Membership with Conference Participation conference-integrated_membershipThe organization confers automatic membership to presenters registering for its annual conference, integrating membership with conference participation to encourage engagement and broaden its member base.
- Promote interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse scholarship interdisciplinary_scholarshipAdvances interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusivity in research approaches by welcoming diverse methodologies and scholarly perspectives across social sciences, both theoretical and applied.
- Structured Governance and Evolutionary Policy Development governance_through_constitutionThe organization uses a formal constitution to define its governance structure and operational principles, and develops organizational policies incrementally by integrating operational guidance into formal bylaws over time.
named programs · 4
what they call their work
Annual Conference
Hosts an annual academic conference featuring presentations, panels, and discussions on social science research across various disciplines
Best Book Award
Annual award for the best book in the social sciences published during the previous year
Graduate and Undergraduate Paper Competitions
Competitions recognizing outstanding research papers written by graduate and undergraduate students
Outstanding Emerging Scholars Award
Recognizes early-career scholars for significant contributions to social science research
relationships · 10
who they work with
- Arizona State University Partner — Collaborates on academic position announcements, including for Director of American Indian Studies and Director of the Center for Indian Education.
- Autonomous University of Baja California Partner — WSSA is coordinating with the Autonomous University of Baja California for a seminar.
- Autonomous University of the State of Mexico Partner — WSSA is coordinating with the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico for a seminar.
- California State University, Long Beach Partner — Collaborates on academic position announcements, including for Assistant Professor of Sociology, Digital Technology and Culture.
- El Colegio de Jalisco Partner — WSSA is coordinating with El Colegio de Jalisco for a seminar.
- LASCIC, Latin American Studies & Chicano-Iberian Culture Network Partner — WSSA is coordinating with LASCIC for a seminar.
- Northern Arizona University Partner — Collaborates on academic position announcements, including for Assistant Teaching Professor in Applied Indigenous Studies.
- University of Colima Partner — WSSA is coordinating with the University of Colima for a seminar.
- University of Guadalajara CLACSO (Latin American Council of Social Sciences) Partner — WSSA is coordinating with the University of Guadalajara CLACSO for a seminar.
- World Social Science Association Partner — The Social Science Journal is the official journal of the World Social Science Association.