New & Noteworthy

• Why are serial killer stories so popular? In How “Media Looping” Keeps Serial Killers Alive and Victims Buried, Jordyn Wald explains how media industries reproduce and sensationalize stories of violence. {2 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Jan-Rose Davis for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Ashley Mears on men’s exploitation of women and girls in elite circles, Alex Law on social and cultural change in Scotland, Arie Sujito on the state of democracy in Indonesia and the impacts of digital technology, and Pepper Schwartz on the growing popularity of choosing domestic partnerships instead of marriage. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• The Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported more than 1,351 civilian deaths in Iran since President Trump first launched “Operation Epic Fury”. An opening wave of strikes demolished Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School, an elementary school in southern Iran, killing more than 100 children. This TROT by Brooke Chambers about selective empathy can help us conceptualize how the American public might respond to this devastation abroad. {3 min read}
• The primary elections for the 2026 midterms have begun amid heightened political tensions around redistricting and voting protections. This 2018 piece from Sociological Images covers research explaining how gerrymandering and voter suppression policies impact voter turnout. {2 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Engaging Sports

• Last week, Samuel M. Clevenger wrote an article on the contested meanings and politics of outdoor recreation and nature preservations. {5 min read}

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted research from the Texas Population Research Center on the impacts of exercise on elderly Americans’ risks of falling. {7 min read}

First Publics

• Marta Soligo wrote an article about her experiences integrating a public sociology approach into her teaching of a Sociology of Tourism class to encourage critical thought and constructive dialogue. {4 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• Why do people think some voices “sound gay”? There’s research on that! In What Sociolinguistics Tells Us About the “Gay Voice”, guest author Engin Yolcu unpacks how “sounding” straight or gay is rooted in masculine speech norms. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Jan-Rose Davis for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Angela Simms on racialized wealth disparities in the middle class, Leah Binkovitz on train safety, Rena Zito on misconceptions about Tourette syndrome, and Daniel Perez G. on fragile romantic relationships. {2 min read}

From the Archives

• A new bill passed in Kansas invalidates all driver’s licenses and birth certificates that list a gender identification other than people’s assigned sex at birth. The bill gives no grace period and forces residents to pay for updated documents out of pocket. Check out this 2018 TROT by Allison Nobles for research showing how gender and sex binaries are socially constructed and politically contested. {3 min read}
• With bipartisan support, Congress just approved $9.4 billion in spending on global health. However, instead of operating through USAID and linking with global NGOs, the proposed funding is planned to be spent in deals made directly with partnering countries’ governments. Revisit this 2012 article from Kendra Dupuy, James Ron, and Aseem Prakash for context on the complexity of NGOs and foreign aid. {9 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

• This week, Joe Eggers interviewed Jenny McBurney on the Save Our Signs project, which seeks to preserve historical signs, plaques, and monuments at national parks amid federal censorship and revision. {7 min read}

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted a briefing paper by Wen Fan and Richard J. Petts on the ways remote work both enhanced and hindered gender equality during the COVID-19 pandemic. {6 min read}

First Publics

• Bailey A. Brown reflected on her experiences using a variety of classroom activities to teach about education policy. {3 min read}

Backstage with TSP

• Jan-Rose Davis is stepping in to take the lead of the Media Report! With her at the helm, we’ll continue to bring you weekly highlights of sociology and sociologists in the news.

New & Noteworthy

• This past weekend saw the closing of a politically fraught Winter Olympic Games. TSP co-publisher Doug Hartmann penned a special feature on where politics and patriotism collided. {5 min read}
• How does your paycheck affect your parenting? When economic uncertainty arises, new research suggests that high- and low-income parents might adjust their parenting styles in contrasting ways. Read more in Parenting Under Financial Pressure by Tatum Anderson. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. This week, Leana Cabral on the persistence of anti-Black attitudes in schools; Michael Light on how citizenship status impacts criminal sentences; Celina McEwen, Alison Pullen, and Carl Rhodes on why DEI programs are failing; and a new book from political science and religion scholar Ryan Burge. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• A coalition of organizations sued the U.S. Department of the Interior following a Presidential executive order that removed an LGBTQ Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City and an exhibit about slavery at a national historical park in Philadelphia. Check out this 2016 TROT by Erik Kojola and Jacqui Frost, which contextualizes the importance of telling marginalized stories in the parks which have been shaped by unequal access, racial and cultural norms, and a colonial legacy. {3 min read}
• In the UK, King Charles’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following recent news about his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein. This is the first time a member of the UK royal family has been arrested since the 1600s. This 2019 TROT from Neeraj Rajasekar covers sociological research on the role of media and status in creating scandals. {3 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted a Psychology Today article on COVID-19’s gendered impacts on household labor, written by former editor of Gender and Society Barbara J. Risman. {6 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• In How Anti-ICE Organizing in Minnesota Reactivated Mutual Aid Networks Started After George Floyd’s Murder, republished from The Conversation, Gemma Ware interviews Daniel Cueto-Villalobos about the origins and scale of mutual aid organizing in the Twin Cities. {2 min read; 25 min listen}
• “I Love My Country, but I Hate the State” by Anastasia Dulle covers new research illustrating how political emigrants from Russia navigate complicated feelings toward their home and their government. {2 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Gopa Sabharwal on the legacy of the late Indian sociologist Andre Beteille; Meaghan Furlano on “heteropessimism”; Laura Maudlin on caregiving in romantic relationships; and more! {3 min read}

From the Archives

• A measles outbreak at the University of Florida has reached 60 cases. Measles are preventable by vaccines, and were declared eradicated in 2000. This 2015 TROT by Caty Taborda examines how vaccinations have become viewed as a personal choice, to the potential cost of public health. {2 min read}
• Valentine’s Day was this past weekend! Here’s a 2024 roundup from TSP on sociological research related to love, relationships, and Valentine’s Day itself.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted an article from The Conversation on the mental load mothers experience from managing family life. {5 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• It Takes More than Just Concern to Participate in Climate Action by Luna Iman spotlights new research on the most motivated mindsets to tackle climate change.

From the Archives

• This week, the Department of Justice took down thousands of recently released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that contained identifiable information about nearly 100 victims. Survivors issued a statement calling the release of their identities “outrageous,” saying they should not be “named, scrutinized, and retraumatized”. This 2018 Discovery from Amber Joy Powell unpacks how perceptions of risk often keep victims of sexual assault from reporting what happened.
• This February marks the 100th year since the earliest observances of Black History Month. Amidst federal dismantling of Black history exhibits and an anti-DEI climate, this 2017 piece by Neeraj Rajasekar underscores the importance of calling attention to the history of race and racism in the United States.”

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reposted a brief by Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan on when aspiring to perfect parenthood becomes counterproductive.

New & Noteworthy

• Murder at Home, Police Violence at Work by Sara Kadoura details a new study that reveals how homicide in white police officers’ neighborhoods impacts their use of force on the job. {2 min read}
• Market Transition and Materialism in China by Tianhe Chen covers new research showing how economic reform reshaped Chinese cultural values. {2 min read}
• In An Update from TSP in the Twin Cities, TSP’s editors give some initial reflections and updates regarding ICE presence in Minnesota. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Nicole Bedera on how ICE Watch can de-escalate violence; Matthew Marr on a Florida state-required sociology textbook; Cynthia Miller-Idriss on violence and masculinity; and Tressie McMillan Cottom on how to fight political exhaustion. {2 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• Alicia M. Walker talked to Nina Bandelj about her new book, Overinvested: The Emotional Economy of Modern Parenting for CCF’s “3Qs” series. {7 min read}
• Also for CCF’s “3Qs” series, Alicia M. Walker talked to Fatima Suarez about her new book, Latino Fathers: What Shapes and Sustains Their Parenting. {7 min read}
• In January, CCF reprinted research by Raquel Delerme on the costs of mothers’ care work for their incarcerated adult children. The study was published last year in Gender & Society. {4 min read}
• At the beginning of the year, a CCF brief by Jean Choi, Sae Hwang Han, Yee To Ng, and Elizabeth Muñoz detailed their findings on how neighborhood cohesion shapes cognitive health. Their study was previously published in The Journals of Gerontology. {5 min read}

First Publics

• This week, First Publics reposted a piece from Victor Ray that contextualizes ICE’s occupation of Minnesota. {7 min read}
• In Teaching Methods in Times of Crisis, the First Publics board recounted takeaways from a webinar with sociologists Steve McKay, Patricia Richards, and Naomi Sugie. The professors answered questions about how, and why, to teach research methods in abnormal times. {8 min read}

Give Theory a Chance [podcast]

• In this episode, Chris Conner joins host Kyle Green to discuss Conner’s research on the electronic music scene and gay dating apps. {43 min listen}

Backstage with TSP

• TSP is easing back into regularly scheduled programming while our board continues to manage stressors related to federal presence in the Twin Cities. Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate new developments.
• Anastasia Dulle is our newly minted Graduate Editor. She joins Doug and Chris leading TSP operations.
• The alliteration is back! The “TSP Friday Roundup” is rebranding as “TSP Tuesdays” to accommodate board members’ schedules this semester.
• Anastasia will work with board member Sara Kadoura to bring you the latest from TSP and our partners every week.

Happy New Year!🍾

New & Noteworthy

• Countries with generous parental leave policies are thought to be good for women and mothers; but a study from Jennifer Hook and Meiying Li cautions that long paid parental leaves might exacerbate the inequalities they purport to address. Read more in Jordyn Wald’s Where “Good” Work-Family Policies Go Wrong. {5 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• Can parenting techniques affect children’s relationship with state authority? Herbert Rodrigues discusses his research in When Harsh Discipline Backfires: What Brazilian Teens Teach Us About Parenting and Authority. {6 min read}
• In a brief of her 2024 Social Problems article, Vanessa Delgado writes, U.S. parents financially support their adult children. But in immigrant families, it’s the reverse. {3 min read}

Semester Roundup & Behind the Scenes

We’ve had a great fall semester at TSP, welcoming five new board members who share our mission to publish high-quality public sociology. 

• Back in October, a small but mighty crew got into the Halloween spirit for our Friday meeting. 
• Last weekend, we showed off our bowling skills (some more than others) with friends and family at our TSP winter party.
• While we look ahead to the next semester, we also say farewell and thank you to our long-time managing editor Jake Otis. Read more about Jake, including some of his TSP highlights, in Best of Jake Otis.

A Look Ahead

• As TSP board members finish up finals and wind down for winter break, here’s what you can expect from us:
  • A new installment of our flagship “Discoveries” series every other week
  • “Best of TSP” spotlights, featuring the board’s favorite articles we published this year
  • A slower weekly roundup schedule, keeping you up to date on fresh content from TSP, our partners, and community pages
• Friday board meetings will reconvene in late January, and with them our regularly scheduled programming.

From Minneapolis, the TSP board wishes you a happy and restful holiday season.❄️

New & Noteworthy

• Disability and (In)Accessibility in American Churches by Anastasia Dulle presents social science research on the legal and theological justifications for ableism in Christian churches. {3 min read}
• Who’s to Blame for Climate Change? by S. Ericson details a new survey study that reveals how media framing can shape perceptions of climate change. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Scott Schieman on the state of AI attitudes in the workforce; Musa al-Gharbi on higher education’s “awokening”; and Murat Haner, Justin Pickett, and Melissa Sloan on the shifting target of political violence. Plus, reflections on the life and career of medical sociologist Alice Wong. {4 min read}

From the Archives

• The president’s xenophobic remarks this week renewed political attacks on Somali-Americans. The population is also a target of increased ICE actions in the Twin Cities. This piece – #BlackMuslimsResist: Minnesota Somalis Fight Back – from our partners at the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies places this moment in historical context, reminding us how the president’s 2017 “Muslim ban” caused pain and inspired resistance in the Twin Cities. {3 min read}
• Another TSP article from 2023 highlights how immigration arrests affect the children who witness them, shaping their future relationship with law enforcement. {3 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• Contexts is turning the page on its print magazine, moving to online-only publications. The outgoing editors, Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn, reflect on the big change and offer a sneak peek at what’s inside the Fall 2025 issue. {4 min read}

Give Theory A Chance 

• In the latest episode of Give Theory A Chance, Kyle Green speaks to Christopher R. Matthews about radical honesty in the methods section, Simone Weil, and conceiving research as sacred. {79 min listen}

Council on Contemporary Families

• This week, CCF reprinted a report by Renee Ryberg and Arielle Kuperberg on the thin landscape of financial assistance for student parents enrolled in colleges and universities. The study was published earlier this year in The Journal of Higher Education. {7 min read}
• Last week, a CCF brief by Zhe (Meredith) Zhang detailed the author’s findings on differences in unpaid caregiving work by gender and sexual identity. The study, by Zhang, Madeline Smith-Johnson, and Bridget K. Gorman, was published last year in Demography. {7 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• In Violence and Detained Immigrants’ Access to Justice, Anastasia Dulle presents new research from Mirian G. Martinez-Aranda detailing the unique barriers to justice faced by detained immigrants marked for deportation in America. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. This week, Francesco Duina on why we tolerate inequality; Stephen Whitehead on a masculinity non-crisis; Bailey Brown on parental stress caused by school choice decisions; Willy Pedersen on the link between alcohol consumption and earning potential; and Victor Onyilor Achem on the violent consequences of a cattle-grazing ban in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. {4 min read}

From the Archives

• Trump has signed a bill to release the Epstein files after months of controversy and legal fighting. Our article from 2019 looks at how laws and legal proceedings shape cultural understanding of what constitutes sexual assault or harassment. {3 min read}
• Wicked: For Good hits theatres today. Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are on a press tour to publicize the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Wicked. This 2015 piece from our partners at Sociological Images discusses how big publicity might inflate the movie’s long-term success in theatres. {5 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• Contexts published an essay by Laurel R. Davis-Delano and Stephanie A. Fryberg responding to the publication’s summer 2025 cover design. The authors write that the cover image – a tipi – and accompanying title – “Erasures and Defiance” – contribute to the “elimination, erasure, and dehumanization” of Native Americans. Contexts has issued an apology for the cover. {9 min read} 

Council on Contemporary Families

• Alicia M. Walker talked to Christina J. Cross about her new book, Inherited Inequality: Why Opportunity Gaps Persist between Black and White Youth Raised in Two-Parent Families for CCF’s “3Qs” series. {5 min read}