Happy Friday! Be sure to stop by TSP and check out what we’ve been up to this week.

There’s Research on That!:

“Prescription Drug Use on the Rise,” by Caty Taborda. How pharmaceutical companies convince us we need pills for problems we didn’t even know we had.

Discoveries:

“Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Raises Gun Sales,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. “In short, anti-immigration legislation and rhetoric can shape public attitudes, and social anxiety can predict the likelihood that locals ‘lock and load.'”

Clippings:

“The Sociology of North Carolina Barbecue,” by Eamon Whalen.  John Shelton Reed talks to The New Yorker and explains how “barbecue is to the American south what wine and cheese are to Europe.”

“Racial Profiling? There’s an App for That,” by Eamon Whalen. Leslie Hinkson talks to The Washington Post about the potential consequences of crime monitoring apps.

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Why America’s Women of Color Have Lost Ground Since the Great Recession,” by Marion Johnson. Limited access to health insurance, minimal representation in the government, and discriminatory voter ID laws all contribute to this troubling trend.

Contexts:

“College Men Having Sex With Men: Are They Exclusively Tops or Bottoms? (No),” by Eliza Brown and Paula England. Research shows that most men are “versatile” rather than always one or the other.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Feminist Reflections reflects on rape culture and pop music.
• Cyborgology asks why we don’t like our neighbors and peeks at Mizzou’s Yik Yak.
• Sociological Images looks at resistance to trans-friendly public bathrooms and asks who gets to break the rules.
• Give Methods a Chance talks to Clifton Evers about mobile video ethnography.

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Happy Halloween weekend all! Before you put on your costumes, turn on your favorite scary movies, and embark on a self-induced candy coma, check out the treats we have for you over at TSP this week.

There’s Research on That!:

“#ShoutYourAbortion Shouts Back at Stigma,” by Amber Powell and Jacqui Frost. Sociological research details why women have generally felt compelled to stay silent about having abortions and the potential benefits of speaking up.

“Fantasy Sports and the Culture of Fandom,” by Evan Stewart and Alex Snidarich. Thinking of trying your luck on a fantasy sports website? Find out what they offer beyond the promise of money.

Clippings:

“The Context of Cult Violence,” by Miray Philips. Bernadette Barton talks to Broadly Vice about the recent violence in an upstate New York church and how isolated religious groups get away with and justify abuse.

“The Missing Women of Wikipedia,” by Eamon Whalen. Julia Adams talks to The Atlantic about the gender imbalance of Wikipedia’s editors.

Discoveries:

Check out “The Personal (Financial) is Political” by Evan Stewart to put Wednesday’s Republican debates in context.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“Regulating Unpredictable Schedules to Cut Down the Chaos.” Naomi Gerstel and Dan Clawson suggest much needed changes to shift some of the burden of unpredictable schedules off of employees and onto employers.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Can Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Activists Recognize the Socioeconomic Realities of Abortion?” by Hannah Phillips. Why the two sides of the abortion debate need to come together and agree to be “pro-women.”

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Promoting Marriage among Single Mothers: An Ineffective Weapon in the War on Poverty,” by Kristi Williams. What is effective? Supportive social and economic family policies.

And a Few From the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images gets into the Halloween spirit with a sociology of zombies, a look at Halloween as an alcoholiday, and their annual “Sexy What?!” Halloween post.
• Sociological Lens talks the sociology of debt and finance.
• Feminist Reflections reflects on man buns and feminist mentoring.
• Cyborgology turns 5 and revisits how Black Lives Matter hacked the social system.
• Families As They Really Are reports on the state of women’s reproductive health.

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Happy Friday everyone! We’ve got lots of great new stuff on the site this week, so be sure to stop by and check it out!

There’s Research on That!:

In “The Politics of Pink,” Sarah Catherine Billups reviews research that complicates the “pink culture” surrounding breast cancer awareness campaigns.

Discoveries:

“‘Traditional Women’ and Modern Migration” by Allison Nobles. Anju Mary Paul finds that, despite what looks to be a break from traditional gender norms, migrant women often frame their movement as a means to fulfill their roles as mothers and wives.

Office Hours:

Joanna Kempner talks to Matt Gunther about the “Gender Politics of Migraine.”

Clippings:

“Discrimination Harms Transgender Health,” by Allison Nobles. Lisa R. Miller and Eric Anthony Grollman talk to US News about the disproportionate discrimination trans people experience and how that relates to poor health outcomes.

“Can Being Buried Alive Be a Good Thing?” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Margee Kerr talks to ABC News about the benefits of overcoming our fears.

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Are Gender Stereotypes A Problem For Female Candidates?” by Nichole Bauer.

Contexts:

“Pete Wells: Nytimes Food Critic, Accidental Sociologist,” by Josh Page.

“What 5 Disciplines (Not Sociology) Say About Ex-offender Re-entry,” by Brittany Dernberger

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Education and Society on the social construction of first generation college students.
• Girl w/Pen chooses mercy for Planned Parenthood.
• Cyborgology talks Playboy putting clothes on and the social nature of computer programming.
• Feminist Reflections points to powerful women in politics.
• Sociological Lens uses Bourdieu to analyze literary fiction awards.

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Happy October everyone! As it (finally) starts to cool off outside, cozy up with some great reads from our grad board, partners, and community pages.

There’s Research on That!:

“A ‘Blank Space’ for Women in Music?” by Jacqui Frost. Reviews of Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989 highlight how gender affects who gets credit for creativity in the music industry.

Discoveries:

“‘New Governance’ and Privatization Increase Inequality” by Neeraj Rajasekar. George Wilson, Vincent Roscigno, and Matt Huffman find that the privatization of the public sector has led to increased inequality in both the public and private sectors.

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Unworkable Immigration Proposals From Donald Trump – And Other Republican Presidential Contenders” by Anna O. Law.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Remember the Men” by Virginia Rutter.

And a Few From the Community Pages:

• Education and Society talks education for the incarcerated.
• Cyborgology debates the pros and cons of trigger warnings.
• Families As They Really Are discusses gender discrimination in parental leave policies.
• Sociological Lens makes sense of the “social” in social media and the “angry” activist.
• Feminist Reflections reflects on Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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Hey everyone! Check out what’s new (and not as new but still timely) on TSP this week. Our grad board is hard at work putting together some great new pieces, so be sure to keep checking back!

Discoveries and There’s Research on That!:

Still reeling from the Republican debate Wednesday night? These oldies but goodies from our grad board are sure to pique your interest.

“Caught in the Culture Wars Crossfire” by Jack Delehanty. Delia Baldassarri and Amir Goldberg find that many American voters are choosing an “alternative” to the standard Democrat-Republican divide.

Jacqui Frost highlights research on the politics of reproductive rights, a hot topic in the debates, in “Religion, Reproduction, and the Supreme Court.”

Also, check out our Roundtable, “Is the (Tea) Party Over?,” by Jack Delehanty and Erik Kojola. They talk to Meghan Burke, Robert Horwitz, Ruth Braunstein, and Andrew Perrin about the continued influence of the Tea Party.

Clippings:

“Good Morning God, Good Night Moon,” by Caty Taborda. Bradley R.E. Wright and colleagues use an app to track the ways in which spiritual awareness fluctuates throughout the day.

“Buying a Viral Speech,” by Caty Taborda. Panicking about the speech you are supposed to give at your friend’s wedding? Now you can hire someone else to do it. Lisa Wade from Soc Images comments on the growing business of “toast whispering.”

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network: 

“What Happens When Women Planning Abortions View Ultrasounds?” by Katrina Kimport.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Health Care is a Family Stressor – So There’s Good News,” by Philip Cohen.

And a Few From the Community Pages:

• Education and Society interviews Kelly Nielsen and Nicole Deterding on the value of community college.
• Feminist Reflections charts Twitter activity surrounding the refugee crisis
• Girl w/Pen! talks Kim Davis and anti-gay politics.
• Cyborgology stands with Ahmed Mohamed and reflects on the changing needs of Intro to Soc students.
• Sociological Images critiques sexism in Disney movies and media coverage of violence against police.

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