The Consortium of Social Science Associations has released its 2017 College and University Rankings for Federal Social and Behavioral Science R&D, which highlights the top university recipients of research dollars in the social and behavioral sciences.

Reviewer Sarah Lewthwaite finds that in ‘100 Activities for Teaching Research Methods,’ Catherine Dawson offers an important and welcome addition to the emerging literature on the practical aspects of teaching research methods.

The claim that Thucydides’ account of the past is useful is often extended to historiography in general, rather than just to his specific – and idiosyncratic – approach. And that, suggests Neville Morley, may be the real trap of Thucydides.

UPDATED WITH HOUSE PASSAGE: A bill that was the latest version of the beloved America COMPETES — but which no longer authorizes funding for key federal science research agencies — looks likely to land on the president’s desk. The new version has lost a particularly toxic aspect of earlier versions.

T.S. Eliot said “April is the cruelest month.” This November has been pretty harsh, too, says blogger Howard J. Silver, who wonders what the new U.S. president will mean for a number of issues, including research funding.

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the U.S. National institutes of Health has released a new strategic plan to exploit the synergies between behavior and health.

Erich Bloch was the first non-academic to serve as director of the NSF. Although a computer engineer by background, he recognized the value of the social and behavioral sciences.

How will social science research and teaching evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities big data creates? How can we bring down barriers to make this new computational social science accessible for all social researchers? That was the subject of a panel discussion at last month’s ESRC Festival of Social Sciences 2016.