Clippings

Clippings | February 2nd, 2026 | TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on February 2, 2026

Nicole Bedera (Affiliated Educator at the Center for Institutional Courage and co-founder of Beyond Compliance) wrote an opinion piece for MS Now about how ICE Watch is an effective tool to de-escalate violence. She describes how “the vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence.” ICE Watch can de-escalate situations by clearly expressing disapproval for violence. Bedera’s research was also covered by MPR News.

Nicole Bedera

Sociology faculty at Florida International University are speaking out against their department’s requirement that they use a state-approved textbook to teach introductory courses. Matthew Marr (Associate Professor of Sociology at FIU) described the textbook as “scraped out” and “sanitized.” Marr described how the textbook omits key sociological concepts–such as structural racism: “Not only are these omissions an incorrect representation of the field, but they also fail to prepare students for majors and graduate education that require or recommend Introduction to Sociology.” This story was covered by Inside Higher Education and WLRN Public Media.

Matthew Marr

Cynthia Miller-Idriss (Professor of Public Affairs at American University) appeared on The Contrarian, discussing the connections between violence and masculinity. Miller-Idriss describes how people may gravitate toward a “protector” narrative of masculinity in times of economic hardship (when a “provider” narrative of masculinity is less achievable). Miller-Idriss notes that we are in a cultural moment of “hyper masculinity that associates being a man with being violent” and this image appears in recruitment for federal agencies.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Tressie McMillan Cottom (Professor at the University of North Carolina’s School of Information and Library Science) appeared on PBS News Hour to discuss how to fight political exhaustion. McMillan Cottom describes how we often feel tired from passively taking in negative news: “We are tired then, not from doing too much, but from doing too little.” She suggests that political action, rather than disengagement, is the antidote to political exhaustion: “People who feel agentic aren’t as tired; they are not as easily overwhelmed.”

Tressie McMillan Cottom

Clippings | October 13th, 2025 | TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on October 13, 2025

While efforts to censor children’s media were common during the mid-20th century, they focused on targeting violent or sexual content and were often bipartisan. Recent research from Michael Macy (Professor of Sociology at Cornell University), Adam Szetela (Writer; Ph.D. in English), and Shiyu Ji (Ph.D. Candidate at Cornell University) finds that censorship efforts are now more focused on political ideology (the political left targeting media that reinforces racism, sexism, and homophobia; the political right targeting media that promotes diversity or challenges traditional gender / sexuality norms). “When each side attacks cancel culture on the other side, the attacks do not cancel out – they additively contribute to the restriction of freedom of expression,” Macy commented. “When people see ‘freedom of expression’ as just another weapon to use in the culture wars, it contributes to the problem of censorship by demeaning free expression as a core societal value.” This story was covered by the Cornell Chronicle.

Michael Macy, Adam Szetela, and Shiyu Ji

Emine Fidan Elcioglu (Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto) wrote an article for The Conversation discussing YouTube’s role in the political education of young people in Canada. Elcioglu found that “young people now form political beliefs through two competing knowledge systems: a hollowed-out university, and YouTube’s attention economy.” While universities tend to highlight structural explanations for inequality, conservative influencers on YouTube tend to offer simple narratives and emotionally charged content that feels true.

Emine Fidan Elcioglu

A Georgetown University lecture series on Gaza featured Martin Shaw (historical sociologist and Professor Emeritus of International Relations and Politics at the University of Sussex) to discuss the process of defining genocides in legal courts. Shaw noted that “the relationship of war to genocide is a central paradox: Genocide must be distinguished from war, but it typically occurs within the context of war.” He also discussed how the United States and Israel are very influential in international courts, making it difficult to resolve issues without the support of Western nations. “The problem here is not non-intervention, but deep intervention on Israel’s side,” Shaw said. “International courts have been unprecedentedly active in this case, but they have also been unprecedentedly attacked by the United States and Israel and barely defended by Europe.” This story was covered by The Hoya.

Martin Shaw

Andreas Reckwitz (Professor of Sociology at Humboldt University of Berlin) wrote an op-ed for the New York Times on modernity and loss. Reckwitz describes that “the ideal of modern society is freedom from loss” and we presume constant innovation and increasing well-being in modern societies. However, Reckwitz argues that loss–environmental loss, economic loss, and regressions of geopolitics–is a “pervasive condition of life in Europe and America.”

Andreas Reckwitz

Clippings | October 6th, 2025 | TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on October 6, 2025

Tressie McMillan Cottom (Professor at the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) appeared on an episode of The Opinions – a New York Times podcast – to discuss how Donald Trump has become America’s first “meme President.” McMillan Cottom commented on how Trump’s use of humor and embodiment of internet mediums has had his communication style politically effective: “We have really struggled with this in polite, elite discourse, where we associate humor with being a low form of communication, but humor resonates deeply with a cross section of people, and especially among younger people.”

Tressie McMillan Cottom

Martin Eiermann (Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) published a new book, The Limiting Principle: How Privacy Became a Public Issue, tracing the evolution of the concept of privacy and discussing conundrums of privacy in the digital age. Eiermann notes that “institutions that know a lot about our personal lives are able to comply with the letter of the law without offering informational privacy in a more substantive sense” and that people “suffer different consequences when their data is collected and analyzed.” This story was covered by UC Berkeley News.

Martin Eiermann

In response to the Department of Justice’s push to investigate the Open Society Foundations (philanthropies funded by the billionaire George Soros), several sociologists discussed the state of civil society in the United States:

Christopher Justin Einolf (Professor of Sociology at Northern Illinois University) wrote an article for The Conversation on the impact of civil society, ”the dense network of groups, communities, networks and ties that stand between the individual and the modern state”, on democracy. He explains that America has had a historically strong civil society, which helps account for our success of long term democracy. However, authoritarian leaders tend to crack down on or defund civil society organizations.

Dylan J. Riley (Professor of Sociology at Berkeley) was interviewed in Dissent Magazine. Riley highlighted the differences between the current period and interwar Europe, such as the size of civil society networks, the role of social media, and leader’s approaches to foreign policy.

Christopher Justin Einolf and Dylan J. Riley

Laura Hall’s (Associate Professor of Sociology at Carlton University) new book, Bloodied Bodies, Bloody Landscapes: Settler Colonialism in Horror!, examines the influence of settler colonialism on common tropes of the horror genre. “Who, and where, are Indigenous people in horror?,” Hall writes. “The answer: everywhere and nowhere at once. Both disappeared but also obsessed over, the imagined Indian is projected to reinforce settler colonialism.” This story was covered by Quill & Quire.

Laura Hall

Clippings | April 21st, 2025 | TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on April 21, 2025

Musa al-Gharbi (Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University) wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post on the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education. Al-Gharbi argues that the administration undermined its own efforts after Columbia University complied with its directives: “[I]t responded to Columbia’s show of weakness by turning the screws further [… and] ratcheted up demands on other universities as well.” This shows other universities that quick compliance is not rewarded, giving them little choice but to fight back. “And now that Harvard has chosen the path of resistance, other institutions will probably follow its lead.”

Musa al-Gharbi

The Atlantic ran a story discussing how America is in a phase of “grandparenthood,” in which grandparents play a significant role in raising their grandchildren. The article featured research from Madonna Harrington Meyer (Professor of Sociology at Syracuse University), describing how some grandparents want to be involved in their grandchildren’s lives, but are attempting to set boundaries on that involvement. They may use strategies such as committing to help on certain days (“I’m a Wednesday grandma.”) or committing to “fun time.” However, boundary setting often fails, and grandparents take on a significant parenting workload. Harrington Meyer also describes how some grandparents delay retirement or take on debt to financially support their grandchildren.

Madonna Harrington Meyer

Near the end of 2024, Walmart released a handbag similar to the luxury Hermès Birkin bag. Aarushi Bhandari (Assistant Professor of Sociology at Davidson College) and Parul Bhandari (Director of Studies in Sociology University of Cambridge) appeared on The Conversation Weekly podcast to discuss conspicuous consumption and the Birkin bag as a cultural symbol. “You need to have a record of spending tens of thousands of dollars even before you’re offered to buy one. But spending that money doesn’t automatically mean you get a bag,” Aarushi Bhandari explained. “You have to develop a relationship with a sales associate at a particular Hermès store and the sales associate really gets to decide, if there’s availability, whether or not you get offered a bag.” Parul Bhandari described how owning a Birkin bag is a “ticket of entry into the global elite” and–for many women–a way to display their husband’s affection: “ Not only from the point of view of money, because obviously this bag is extremely expensive, but also because it is difficult to procure.” The bag becomes a symbol of both wealth and effort within a marriage. Aarushi Bhandari became fascinated with responses to the “Wirkin” (Walmart Birkin) bag. Many online commenters critiqued spending thousands on handbags and praised the Wirkin as an accessible alternative. Bhandari sees this as an example of anti-elitism.

Aarushi Bhandari and Parul Bhandari

The New York Times ran a story on how most people go to civil court (for example, in family law, housing, or debt cases) without legal representation. “Courts were not designed for people,” Rebecca Sandefur (Professor of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University) commented. “The processes that you have to navigate to use [the court system] were implemented for a very narrow part of the population that invented them and speaks in Latin and knows what pleading is.” The article cited Sandefur’s research showing that having a lawyer increases odds of success in civil court and that many people with problems they could address in court often don’t make use of the legal system.

Rebecca Sandefur

“In every relationship, there’s one person who loads the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect, and one who loads it like a raccoon on meth.” In an article for the Atlantic, Ellen Cushing explores this common sentiment and why there are so many conflicts over how to properly load the dishwasher. Michelle Janning (Professor of Sociology at Whitman College) commented that “our homes and our home possessions and what meaning we ascribe to them is one of the most personal things we can experience.” Our homes are a sacred place and a representation of ourselves–this extends to the technologies within our homes. “The strong opinions associated with how to [load the dishwasher] could be people trying to retain some semblance of control in a world where technological devices are doing things so much for us,” Janning commented. “I do wonder if there’s a little bit of fear of losing the humanity associated with our domestic lives.”

Michelle Janning

Clippings | March 31st, 2025 | TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on March 31, 2025

Charlie Eaton (Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California-Merced) wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times discussing how many universities–fearing retribution or sanction–have attempted to appease the Trump administration (particularly by altering or removing DEI initiatives, expelling or suspending student activists, or placing entire departments under review). Eaton argues that “top universities must instead exercise the financial independence afforded by their endowments, which are commonly valued in the tens of billions. Their leaders should collectively declare they will not suppress lawful free speech, diversity programs or campus research to appease any president.” Eaton notes that universities often limit endowment spending to ensure future generations of students have comparable resources, but argues that “in this climate, intergenerational equity is little more than a fallacy. If those universities fail to defend free speech and scientific research now, future generations could lose their treasures to creeping authoritarianism.”

Charlie Eaton

Stephen de Weger (Lecturer in the Center for Justice at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia) recently gave a webinar sponsored by the Archdioceses of St. Paul and Minneapolis on the topic of clergy sexual misconduct with adults. “Since 2002, all bishops in the United States have known exactly how to address an allegation if a cleric sexually abuses a child. It’s black and white,” de Weger said. “But the manner in which allegations of sexual misconduct of adults are handled looks nothing like those clear procedures. Bishops everywhere find themselves vexed — and frequently — about exactly how they should handle allegations of clergy sexual misconduct involving adults, and generally they just want to push them aside.” This story was covered by OSV News.

Stephen de Weger

Los Angeles Sentinel ran a feature on Karida L. Brown’s (Professor of Sociology at Emory College) forthcoming book, The Battle for the Black Mind. The book examines the historical struggle to control the education of African Americans in the United States, questioning: What is a ‘colored’ school? “This book looks at a system that attempted to oppress and subjugate Black minds that were designed not for us, not by us, and not about us,” Brown explains. “But the part I love the most is [that] I interrogate that, despite all this, what did Black teachers and parents do? What did Black youth do to organize, dream, and imagine futures where they could see themselves? How did they use education as a vehicle for economic and social mobility? This book is a history, a road map, and a call to action because our education system is again under attack.”

Karida L. Brown

Cristobal Young (Associate Professor of Sociology at Cornell University) and Erin Cumberworth (Sociology Researcher at Cornell University) recently published a new book, Multiverse Analysis: Computational Methods for Robust Results, that explores how multiverse analyses can lead to more robust empirical research. “ In physics, the multiverse refers to parallel universes – alternate realities where things unfold differently,” Young explained. “Research is a garden of forking paths: Every study involves dozens of decisions, such as how to define variables, which controls to use, what statistical model to run. Statistical theory provides only rough guidance, and reasonable researchers could make different choices.” Young describes how studies that describe one, polished analysis create a gap in information between researchers and readers. “Our goal is to use computational power to inform the reader, not just the analyst,” Young said, emphasizing that multiverse analysis can help readers understand how researcher choices impact results. This story was covered by the Cornell Chronicle.

Cristobal Young and Erin Cumberworth

Clippings – February 19th, 2024 TSP Media Report

Mallory Harrington on February 19, 2024

Scott Schieman (Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto) wrote an article for The Conversation on how accurately the ‘unhappy worker’ narrative reflects American workplace satisfaction. Schieman identified “perception glitches” (the difference between how people felt about their own job and how people believe most American workers feel about their jobs) in job satisfaction, stress, compensation, management-employee relationships, and putting in ‘above-and-beyond’ effort. Schieman’s research suggests an “everything is terrible, but I’m fine” mindset, both “ch

Boris Kagarlitsky (prominent Russian sociologist and editor in chief of the Marxist online publication Rabkor) was recently sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine. Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s director for Russia, characterized the sentence as an “abuse of vague anti-terrorism legislation,” commenting that “by targeting Boris Kagarlitsky, a distinguished sociologist known for his critical stance against government policies, the Russian authorities are showing, once again, their relentless assault on all forms of dissent.” This story was covered by The Washington Post.

Christina Ciocca Eller (Assistant Professor of Sociology and Social Studies at Harvard) recently published a study modeling a new potential rating system for U.S. higher education institutions. “Essentially, the [current] rankings don’t account for anything that happens after students walk through the college gates,” Eller argues. Eller’s proposed system focuses instead on the equalizing effect of colleges (how much schools are “leveling the playing field” across students). This story was covered by The Harvard Gazette.

Tina Fetner (Professor of Sociology at McMaster University) recently released a new book, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North. As the first national survey of sexual behavior of the general population of Canada, Fetner’s work fills a gap in national research. “If we move away from the taboos and shame, we can see that our sexual behaviour is much like any other social behaviour,” Fetner commented. “It is shaped by social norms, regulated by social institutions, and influenced by our cultures.” This story was covered by Brighter World and Vancourver is Awesome.

Diversity Debates in College Admissions

Neeraj Rajasekar on November 30, 2018

Photo of a large university building. Photo by Prayitno, Flickr CC

The high-profile lawsuit filed against Harvard University has reignited debates about race, college, and inequality. The plaintiffs claim that admission practices at Harvard have led to discrimination against Asian-Americans, but their arguments reflect a long line of litigation that claims such practices have led to discrimination against whites. A key point that gets lost in this debate is the pursuit of diversity in college student bodies, which colleges highlight as essential to their students being able to compete in the globalizing, modern world. In a recent article in The Washington Post, Anthony Chen and Lisa M. Stulberg discuss how the pursuit of diversity has a long history in higher education.

The use of race in admissions policies is often linked to the famous Supreme Court case Bakke v. University of California in 1978. There, the Court ruled in favor of universities’ right to consider applicants’ race in admissions as part of a holistic attempt to increase diversity at campuses. This case set the precedent for a diversity rationale in race and admissions, but Chen and Stulberg contend that such frameworks date back even further. They name several notable university figures in mid-20th century America who discussed diversity as an important part of a college experience, such as Harvard’s dean of admissions William J. Bender in 1961 and City College psychologist Kenneth B. Clark, who highlighted the benefits of diversity and multiracial environments in an era were several colleges still practiced racial segregation.

This discussion of the educational benefits of diversity — as well as corresponding changes in admissions practices at some colleges — dates back to at least the 1960s. Yet, Chen and Stulberg argue these ideas are still relevant for society today:

“The world is a big place full of people who are different from one another, and going to a school with a diverse study body is one of the best ways to prepare for it. That common-sense lesson from American history is still worth remembering today.”

High GPA, Low Likability for Women in STEM

Jasmine Syed on April 24, 2018

Having a high college GPA should strengthen the appeal of a job candidate’s resume. However, for women who majored in STEM fields, this is not necessarily the case. An article in Science Daily features Natasha Quadlin’s recent study, which found disparities in callback rates between men and women who majored in math.

In the study, Quadlin created 2,106 resumes for math, English, and business majors, and sent two applications — one man and one woman — to 261 hiring managers for entry-level, non-major-specific jobs openings. There were no discrepancies in callback rates for business or English majors with GPAs in the A and A- range. For math majors, men had similar callback rates regardless of GPA, but women with high GPAs actually had lower callback rates than those with moderate GPAs. Quadlin explains,

“Men were more likely to get a call back if they were seen as having more competence and commitment, but only ‘likability’ seemed to benefit women… And likability is associated with moderate academic achievement… [Also,] there’s a particularly strong bias against female math majors — women who flourish in male-dominated fields — perhaps because they’re violating gender norms in terms of what they’re supposed to be good at.”

In other words, employers perceived high-achieving women — particularly those who did well in male-dominated fields in college — as unlikable. In response, Quadlin urges these women to seek out employers who value their achievements, but more importantly, she argues that hiring managers must reevaluate their biases, however unintentional they may be.

How Wealthy Parents Reproduce College Success

Jasmine Syed on April 19, 2018

Parents of all backgrounds want their children to receive the best education possible, but what sets wealthy “helicopter parents” apart is that they have the resources to ensure it happens. A recent article in The Washington Post describes the role of “college concierges” — affluent parents that meticulously map out important college opportunities for their child — in widening the gap between their own children and children from working-class families, whose parents may not know how to guide their child through the college process.

The article draws from a study by social scientists Laura Hamilton, Josipa Roksa, and Kelly Nielsen about the role parents play in college students’ lives. The authors find that female students from wealthy families graduate at a rate of 75 percent, while their counterparts from low-income families only graduate at a rate of 40 percent. To explain this discrepancy, the authors give an example of two students interested in dentistry — one from a wealthy family accepted into her top-choice dental school, and the other from a poorer family who was not admitted.

“[The] one from an affluent family…had reviewed applications years earlier and knew what she needed to do to get in…. [The other student’s] parents didn’t know what was required — such as job shadowing — nor did they realize her slipping grades would disqualify her from getting admitted. She ended up as a dental assistant making $11 an hour, a job that didn’t even require a bachelor’s degree.”

Instead of criticizing affluent parents’ behavior, the article’s author suggests we should direct our energy towards providing guidance to students without it, in order to close success gaps like the one illustrated in this study.

“Simply providing more aid or more help in getting admitted isn’t enough…. Schools also need to put in place programs — and pay for them — that help middle- and lower-income students find the right mentors, get spots in study-abroad programs and internships, and navigate the often confusing and tricky journey to graduation.”

Do College Degrees Mean Less Disease?

Chloe Hendrix on March 22, 2018

We know that a college degree can often help ensure employment, creating pathways to better opportunities and resources in someone’s career and even one’s personal health. A recent article in The Washington Post shows that the health benefits of higher education are more nuanced than scholars originally believed. Drawing from the work of sociologists Andrew J. Cherlin and Jennifer Karas Montez, the article demonstrates that location, race and ethnicity, and even expectations all shape the relationship between a college degree and health.

College degree attainment is related to many health benefits, including longevity. In recent years, White Americans without college degrees faced increasing mortality rates, while Black and Hispanic Americans showed overall advancements in their longevity, even among those without a degree. Andrew Cherlin argues that expectations are particularly important for understanding why there are clear racial differences in the link between degrees and health benefits. As the article outlines,

“It wasn’t long ago that white working-class Americans could count on leading a comfortable life with just a high-school degree. Middle-aged men and women, the very group falling ill and dying, are the first generation without that guarantee. They compare themselves with their parents and find their lives falling short. For black and Hispanic Americans, if you haven’t got as much to hope for, you might just have less to lose.”

Geography and economic differences add more complexity to unpacking the causes of health disparities. Living without a degree in areas that are heavily impacted by economic shifts and with inadequate medical resources like the rural United States can further exacerbate health problems. As Jennifer Karas Montez suggests, tackling these issues on a large scale is even more difficult given that public policies are created at state and local levels. In short, the relationship between health and college attainment is complex. Having a college degree does not directly translate into health benefits and vice versa — those without a college degree are not fated to poor health.

higher education