TSP’s Weekly Roundup: November 30, 2018

It’s a snowy Friday at TSP headquarters, but that won’t stop us from bringing you the latest sociological takes. This week we’ve got social science research on the social construction of gender and sex, colorblind racism in the constitution, and a new teaching exercise using voter fraud to teach students how to evaluate evidence. And don’t forget TODAY is the deadline to send in submissions for The ‘Teach with TSP’ Contest!

Teaching TSP:

“Teaching How to Evaluate Evidence using Voter Fraud,” by Meghan Krausch. An exercise using TSP materials on voter fraud and the voting rights act to teach students how to evaluate evidence.

There’s Research on That!:

“The Social Construction of Gender and Sex,” by Allison Nobles. In light of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to change the definition of gender to one that is solely biological, we rounded up research on the social construction of gender and sex.

Discoveries:

“Colorblind Racism in the Constitution,” by Caity Curry. New research in Social Problems finds that covert, colorblind racism was present as far back as the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

Clippings:

“Secrets of the Rich Highlight the Plight of the Poor,” by Isabel Arriagada. In a vivid account of her research in The Guardian, Brooke Harrington explains that wealth managers not only preserve and expand the rich’s fortunes, but also cover up drug addictions, promiscuous behavior, secret love affairs, and laziness at work.

“Diversity Debates in College Admissions,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. 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.