It’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon…

As this week, stretching out from Christmas to the New Year, generally is. But that isn’t to say that The Society Pages has gone dark; perhaps just a bit dusky, enjoying this still moment before the New Year comes on with its full force. Here’s a bit of what we were up to this week.

Editors’ Desk:

“2012: Your TSP Favorites,” by Letta Page. In which we learn which 2012 posts got the most views in every section of our site. Surprise! Y’all have good taste. Actually, we knew that.

Citings & Sightings:

“Distorted Discourse on Islam,” by Andrew Wiebe. In which sociologists Christopher Bail and Penny Edgell consider American media and post-9/11 perceptions of Muslims.

Reading List:

“Beyond the Ribbons,” by Sarah Shannon. In which Rachel Kahn Best looks at medical research funding, stigma, and disease awareness campaigns.

Teaching TSP:

“Understanding the Causes of Genocide,” by Kia Heise. In which we share discussion ideas on a tough topic.

From the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images. Family Unequal’s Philip N. Cohen shows a seemingly obvious but overlooked aspect of infant mortality, Mary Hart-Landsberg looks at the social safety net and one way to repair it, and Lisa Wade shows Geico getting gender wrong and makes everyone shift in their seats by revealing the swastika’s history as a symbol of good luck. Most prominently, though, we invite readers to check out Soc Images’ “Best of 2012.” Dare you not to read them all!
• Cyborgology. It’s almost time for the third annual Theorizing the Web Conference (this year in NYC!) and you have two days left to submit an abstract. Get on it! This week, Nathan Jurgenson also started a conversation on public soc with his “‘Smart Parking’ and the Robert Moses Mistake,” Jenny Davis reconnected with waste, and David Banks reviewed Coding Freedom.
• Sexuality and Society. From the Komen controversy to condoms in Philly schools, gay marriage votes to Penn State, Kari Lerum rounds up the year in sex stories. Add your ideas in the comments!