Archive: Mar 2019

Welcome back! This week we’ve got research on how constructions of merit help reproduce inequality, how brain injuries involve changing identities, and the relationship between health and missing utility payments.

There’s Research on That!:

“Constructing Merit in College Admissions,” by Jean Marie Maier. In light of the college admissions scandal, we rounded up research on how constructions of merit help reproduce inequality.

“Reconstructing Identity after a Brain Injury,” by Allison Nobles. To mark Brain Injury Awareness Month, we delve into social science research on how recovery from a brain injury involves changes to identity, social relationships, and everyday routines.

Discoveries:

“When Poor Health Means Past Due,” by Allison Nobles. New research in Sociological Perspectives finds that changes in health predicts missed utility and housing payments more than changes in income.

Clippings:

“Artificial Intelligence, Empathy and Moderating Online Communities,” by Allison J. Steinke. The Verge interviews Katherine Cross about artificial intelligence technology as a way to moderate online communities.

“False Meritocracy in the Elite Workplace,” by Jean Marie Maier. The Atlantic talks with Daniel Laurison about how the culture and personnel of professional firms benefit upper-class workers.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“Forging New Paths,” by Evan Stewart.

Contexts:

“Ethnographers in Cars with Guns,” by Steven Lubet.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Children and Happiness: Are Parents in the U.S. Becoming Happier over Time?” by Jennifer Glass.

And from the Community Pages:

• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies reflects on the Never Again Education Act and historical naming in Minnesota.
• Dispatches from a Dean ponders cashless retail.

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Hello and happy spring! This week we’ve got tips on teaching immigration, social science research on how the Irish became white, and “hot off the press” research about how personality predicts who you know.

Teaching TSP:

“Why Don’t Immigrants “Just Line Up”? Teaching Immigration in a Hostile Climate,” by Meghan Krausch. In this post, Krausch details how to have a productive discussion about immigration by starting with how the U.S. immigration system actually works.

There’s Research on That!:

“The Luck of the Irish,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. For St. Patrick’s Day, we rounded up research on how the Irish became white in the United States.

Discoveries:

“Does Your Personality Predict Who You Know?” by Amy August. New research in Social Psychology Quarterly finds that your personality traits can predict who is in your social network.

Clippings:

“Measuring American Indian Identities,” by Lucas Lynch. NPR talks with Carolyn Liebler and Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear about how determinations of American Indian identities have changed over time.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“Forging New Paths,” by Evan Stewart.

“Gender, Confidence, and Who Gets to Be an Expert,” by Jean Marie Maier.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Are Family Courts Therapeutically Just?,” by Cindy Brooks Dollar.

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Welcome back! This week on TSP we’ve got social science research on intimate partner violence, male victims of sexual assault, and how lynchings matter for current punitive attitudes. We’ve also got sociological takes on unplanned pregnancies and civil justice.

There’s Research on That!:

“The Pervasive Problem of Intimate Partner Violence,” by Mark Lee.  With the release of Jordan Peele’s recent documentary about Lorena Bobbitt, who retaliated against her husband John after years of alleged abuse, we rounded up social science research on intimate partner violence.

“When Boys are Victims of Sexual Assault,” by Amber Joy Powell. HBO’s airing of Leaving Neverland got us thinking about an often-neglected group of sexual assault survivors — adolescent boys. We gathered sociological research examining how masculinity and heterosexuality shape boys’ experiences of sexual victimization.

Discoveries:

“The Legacy of Lynchings,” by Caity Curry. New research in Criminology finds that in places where lynchings were historically more common, white residents report increased punitive sentiments toward Black people.

Clippings:

“Why Access to Civil Justice Matters,” by Caity Curry. The New York Times talks with Rebecca Sandfeur about why access to civil justice matters.

“When Unplanned Doesn’t Mean Unwanted Pregnancy,” by Javiera Lamoza Osorio. The New York Times discusses the important difference between “unplanned” and “unwanted” pregnancies with Heather Rackin.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“What Makes “Green Book” an Unusual Oscar Winner,” by Andrew M. Lindner.

Contexts:

“Cedric Herring’s Lasting Legacy: A Tribute,” by Hayward Derrick Horton and Loren Henderson.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“The Real Mommy War Is Against the State,” by Caitlyn Collins.

And from the Community Pages:

• Cyborgology reflects on the history of corporate greenwashing and data privacy.
• Dispatches from a Dean highlights a recent Vox map showing how the racial makeup of neighborhoods changes throughout the day.

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Hello sociology-fans! This week we’ve got new research on how gender matters for beer ratings, why senior citizens are spending more to help their grandchildren, and how The Great British Baking Show can help you give effective feedback.

Teaching TSP:

“The Great British Baking Show and Improving Student Feedback,” by Andrea Krieg. Krieg reflects on how judges from The Great British Baking Show can help teachers and mentors provide effective feedback.

There’s Research on That!:

“Bias and Transgender Personnel in the U.S. Military,” by Lucas Lynch. We rounded up social science research on military attitudes towards transgender personnel and misconceptions about the effects of transgender personnel on military readiness.

Discoveries:

“The Beer Glass Ceiling,” by Mark Lee. New research in Social Forces finds that female entrepreneurs must pass a high bar if they want to enter traditionally masculine fields, while men who make traditionally feminine products are given the benefit of the doubt.

Clippings:

“Seniors Tap Savings to Help Grandchildren,” by Amy August. In an interview for The Atlantic, sociologist Kathleen Gerson explains that sometimes grandparents provide help to the younger generations, even if doing so comes at a cost to themselves.

“U.S. Intervention and the Crisis in Venezuela,” by Lucas Lynch. In a recent article in The Nation, sociologists Tim Gill and Rebecca Hanson reflect on the importance of the chavistas in Venezuela’s presidential crisis.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“High-Class Hoaxes,” by Evan Stewart.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Not All Stepgrandparents are the Same: Long-term Versus Later-Life,” by Lawrence Ganong and Marilyn Coleman.

And from the Community Pages:

• Cyborgology reflects on work and the value of data maintenance and narratives about the future.
• Dispatches from a Dean highlights a CityLab article on race, class, and bike-friendly cities.

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Welcome back! This week we’ve got sociological takes on the meaning of prison tattoos, how gender matters for regretted hookups, and masculinity in a recent Gillette ad. To wrap up Black History Month, we reflect on three Black women who contributed to sociology in its early days.

Teaching TSP:

“Are Women People? Teaching Simone de Beauvoir with Sociological Images,” by Meghan Krausch. This class activity uses a Sociological Images post to discuss Beauvoir’s concept of woman as “other.”

There’s Research on That!:

“Unearthing Black Women’s Early Contributions to Sociology,” by Amber Joy Powell and Caity Curry. As Black History Month draws to a close, we reflect on the contributions of three influential Black women.

“The Meaning of Prison Tattoos,” by Isabel Arriagada. We rounded up social science research on the social meaning and function of prison tattoos.

Discoveries:

“How Gender Matters for Regretted Hookups,” by Allison Nobles. New research in The Sociological Quarterly finds that gendered power relations, combined with social norms and beliefs about sex, contribute to who regrets casual sex.

Clippings:

“Masculinity and The Gillette Ad Controversy,” by Javiera Lamoza Osorio. Vox talks with Tristan Bridges about the Gillette Ad controversy and masculinity.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“‘People of Wealth’ in Politics,” by Evan Stewart.

Contexts:

“Reaching Out, An Interview with Mario Luis Small,” by Fabio Rojas.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Does Cooperative Divorced Coparenting Matter?” by Jessica Troilo, Jonathon Beckmeyer, and Melinda Markham.

Social Studies MN:

“Comments and Imagined Audiences on News Websites vs. Facebook,” by Allison J. Steinke.

And from the Community Pages:

• Cyborgology reflects on the need to talk about disability in our conversations about climate change.

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