Sociological snacks, academic dishonesty, perceptions of illegal immigration, incarcerated parents, the crime drop, exacerbating the education gap with Adderral, and when we care about economic inequality, all this week on The Society Pages. Also, be sure to check out our topics pages for Gender, Culture, Inequality, Race, Crime, Politics, and Teaching to get our graduate board’s latest picks from around the web!

Office Hours podcast:

“Michaela DeSoucey on Food and Cultural Authenticity,” with Matt Gunther. DeSoucey joins to discuss her work on food, culture, consumption, and politics.

Give Methods a Chance podcast:

“Shamus Khan on Historical Data,” with Kyle Green. The author of The Practice of Research, Shamus Khan says, “I love very micro-level analyses where you can see what one person is doing or what is happening on the ground…

“Chris Uggen on Academic Dishonesty and Public Sociology,” with Sarah Esther Lageson. Our co-editor Chris Uggen takes the mic to discuss recent sociology headlines around data and ethics.

Discoveries: (formerly The Reading List)

sar”Proving Perception Trumps Reality in Immigration Debates,” by Ryan Larson. New research in Social Problems teases out perceived threat as a driver of isolationist opinions.

Clippings: (formerly Citings & Sightings)

“Black Communities Hit Hard When Government Shrinks,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. When government jobs go away, so do economic mobility opportunities for black communities, says Jennifer Laird.

“Economic Recovery Highlights Economic Inequality,” by Caty Taborda. Sociologist Leslie McCall offers the NYTimes an explanation for why worries over inequality are higher after the Great Recession.

Teaching TSP:

“Replication and Extension Projects: Making Class More Interesting and Useful,” by Matthew Salganik. A guest post to help students and the field of sociology.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“What Children Experience When Mothers, Fathers, or Both Parents Are Sent to Jail or Prison,” by Allison Dwyer Emory.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Interpersonal Violence and the Great Crime Drop,” by Samuel Walker.

Contexts Magazine:

“Academic Doping?” by Angie O’Brien.

“Learning to Parent Transgender Children,” by Nicole Bedera.

“What Sells Women’s Soccer?” by Rachel Allison.

“Got Skills?” by Karen L. Kelsky.

“Words Burn Lips,” by Sylvia Pasquetti.

“Hiking the West Bank,” by Andy Clarno.

A Few from the Community Pages Blogs:

• Sociological Images: women graduate college at higher rates than men… unless they’re gay. Also: using OK Cupid to teach research methods, children’s pageants and the performance of gender, conservatives’ moral acceptance of homosexuality, and race, gender, and skin color dynamism in comic books (reprinted from Feminist Reflections). Finally, do not skip Grumpy Sociology (wait… no one skips grumpy sociology…)
• Cyborgology, meet SCOTUS. SCOTUS, meet Cyborgology. A new ruling allows for flexibility in understanding and punishing online harassment and threats.
• Education & Society looks at new research suggesting high-achievers’ reading comprehension grows just as well in the summer sun as in the classroom.
• Girl w/ Pen: Manly Musings’ C.J. Pascoe and Sarah Diefendorf consider sexual conservatives and the curious case(s) of the Duggars.

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As summer starts, sociology blossoms! There’s a new issue of Contexts magazine (all content is available for free from SAGE publications for 30 days!), new podcast episodes, and more for your summer reading list.

There’s Research on That!

“Pew Compiles Data on Pew Composition,” by Jack Delehanty. Are Americans becoming less religious or less organized when it comes to religion and spirituality? Delehanty looks to research from Richard Madsen, Michael Hout and Claude Fischer, Joseph O’Brian Baker and Buster Smith, and Chaeyoon Lim, Carol Ann MacGregor, and Robert D. Putnam.

The Editors’ Desk

“Grandmothers on the World Stage,” by Doug Hartmann. The Atlantic wonders if women like Hillary Clinton find age an advantage in politics, playing what they call “the granny card.”

Office Hours Podcast

“Susan Terrio on Children in U.S. Immigration Custody,” with Lisa Gulya. Discussing Terrio’s new book, Whose Child Am I?

Give Methods a Chance Podcast

“Devah Pager on Experimental Audits,” with Sarah Lageson. “The devil is in the details. Keep in mind that it sounds like a very simple approach, but there are a lot of complexities to carry it out effectively.”

Discoveries (formerly The Reading List)

“Catfights and the Catwalk,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Allyson Stokes finds fashion still shines its spotlight on male designers.

Clippings (formerly Citings & Sightings)

“The Persistence of White Supremacy,” by Caty Taborda. A PBS documentary, “American Denial,” explores the unfinished work of the Civil Rights Movement. Sudhir Venkatesh says, “…the narrative is ‘America gets better every day.’ Well, what if it doesn’t?”

“Sociology that Savors: Food and Collective Memory,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Jennifer Jordan on her work around meals and memory-making.

Scholars Strategy Network

“Why the United States Should Improve Support for Colleges and Universities Serving Hispanic Students,” by Anne-Marie Nuñez.

Council on Contemporary Families

“CCF Symposium on Housework, Gender and Parenthood: Overview,” by Stephanie Coontz.

“Women Not Enrolled in Four-Year Universities and Colleges Have Higher Risk of Sexual Assault,” by Jennifer Barber, Yasamin Kusunoki, and Jamie Budnick.

Contexts Magazine

Spring 2015 issue features research on cross-class marriages, a new Marketplace documentary on Cincinnati’s innovative Oyler Community School, an interview with Mexican-American celebrity chef Zarela Martinez, and limits to same-sex acceptance.

A Few From the Community Pages

• Education & Society recaps Leigh Fine’s latest research on educational attainment and sexual minority women.
• Feminist Reflections with a two-part piece, “Learning from Chris Norton Over Three Decades,” by Michael Messner and Gayle Sulik’s pink ribbon purge.
• Girl w/ Pen! on a fight for equality, drawn in the story of one woman’s life.
• Sexuality and Society on sensational sex-trafficking stories and how they negatively affect policy and the lives of sex workers.
• Sociological Images on race and terminology, Don Draper’s loneliness, the politics of facial hair, picturing class war, Catholics’ attention to poverty, and the relative legitimacy of violence.

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Since last we met…

The Editors’ Desk:

“Tie Day: R.I.P. Professor Gusfield,” by Doug Hartmann. Doug remembers Joseph R. Gusfield, author of Symbolic Crusade and The Culture of Public Problems.

“Research on a Potato Chip Budget,” by Chris Uggen and Doug Hartmann. TSP’s co-editors on the devastating effects of HR1806, the proposed reauthorization bill funding the National Science Foundation, which would strip 45% of the funding for social, behavioral, and economic sciences.

Office Hours Podcast:

“Joyce Bell on Social Work and the Black Power Movement,” with Matt Gunther. Bell’s work demonstrates the resources and tensions that radical social movements bring to civil society.

There’s Research on That!:

“Election 2016: Let the Sexism Begin!” by Caty Taborda and Sarah Catherine Billups, with research from Caroline Heldman, Lisa Wade, Susan J. Carroll, Stephanie Olson, Kathleen Dlan, Jennifer L. Lawless, Kathryn Pearson, Sheri Kunovich, and Pamela Paxton.

“When Women Lead,” by Caty Taborda and Sarah Catherine Billups, with research from Erin I. Demaiter, Tracy L. Adams, and Alexandra Kalev.

“Advanced Placement Testing Season,” by Amy August, with research from Grace Kao, Jennifer S. Thompson, Daniel G. Solorzano, Armida Ornelas, Joshu Klugman, Thurston Domina, Joshua Saldana, Saul Geiser, Veronica Santelices, and Wayne Au.

“May Day Part I: The U.S. and Inequality,” by Erik Kojola, with research from ChangHwan Kim, Arthur Sakamoto, Bruce Western, Jake Rosenfeld, Winfried Koeniger, Marco Leonardi, and Luca Nunzjata.

“May Day Part II: Global Labor,” by Erik Kojola, with research from Tamara Kay, Jamie K. McCallum, Gay W. Seidman, Jill Louise Esbenshade, Janice Ruth Fine, Ching Kwan Lee, Biju Matthew, Ruth Milkman, and Ed Ott.

“May Day Part III: Social and Political Movements,” by Erik Kojola, with research from Wolfgang Rudig, Georgios Karyotis, Ruth Milkman, Penny Lewis, Stephanie Luce, Cesar Guzman-Concha, and Ernesto Castaneda.

“The Time Trials of Good Parents,” by Anne Kaduk, with research from Melissa Milkie, Kei Nomaguchi, Kathleen Denny, Amy Hsin, Christina Felfe, Ann Meier, Kelly Musick, Sharon Hays, Annette Lareau, Karen Christopher, Liana Fox, Wen-Jui Han, Christopher Ruhm, and Jane Waldfogel.

Citings & Sightings:

“Sociologists Begin to Talk Baltimore,” by Caty Taborda. As Baltimore ruled Freddie Gray’s death a homicide, Taborda took a quick look at sociologists’ engaged in media conversations.

“Of Microbrews and Methodists,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. If Smokey and the Bandit had been made in 2015, apparently they would have been high-tailing it through the Bible Belt with a truck full of craft beers.

“Sociologists Becoming ‘The Marrying Type’?” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Since ’50s-style marriage is long-since gone, it makes sense that scholarly outlooks on the institution are evolving.

“The Social Norms of Facial Hair,” by Caty Taborda. It may not be popular with politicians (see the Scholars Strategy Network below), but facial hair is nowhere near neutral.

Reading List:

“Held Back,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Megan Andrew on the scarring effects of being held back in grade school.

“Drinking and Dating as Serious Business: Post-Recession Performances of Global Masculinity,” by Lisa Gulya. Kimberly Hoang’s new research on Vietnam’s hostess bars as sites of global gender and racial hierarchies.

Teaching TSP:

“Active Learning Exercise: There’s Research on That!” by Evan Stewart. The editor of the #TROT! blog on TSP, Stewart explains how students and professors alike can benefit from a simple writing exercise aimed at identifying an issue and the best relevant research.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Andrew Billings on Quantitative Content Analysis,” with Kyle Green. “Coding for sarcasm can be really tricky.”

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Sexual Assault on Campus,” by Elizabeth Armstrong and Jamie Budnick.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Why Beards and Mustaches Are Rare for Modern American Politicians,” by Rebekah Herrick.

“Why Universal and Life-long Higher Education Is the Next Stage in Advancing the Social Contract,” by Patrick Blessinger.

“Varieties of Civic Engagement in Contemporary America,” by Paul Lichterman.

A Few From the Community Pages:

• Education & Society shares new research on shrinking schools and wonders who’s teaching the best teachers?
• Families As They Really Are explains that same-sex parents seem to spend more time with their children.
• On Feminist Reflections, Amy Blackstone returns to an interview with Gillian Ayers on her study, “I Could Be a Father, But I Could Never Be a Mother.”
• Cyborgology’s David Banks shares and likes, “What Can Feminism Teach Facebook Researchers? A Science Studies Primer.”
• Sociological Images asks whether the finance industry benefits society, looks at data suggesting men value independence more in daughters than in wives, remembers New Orleans’ Chinatown, explores increasing partisanship in the House of Representatives, and rounds up April 2015.

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This week, Cyborgology reported from the #TtW15 conference (that’s “Theorizing the Web 2015” for those not down with the hashtags), while we all wished Max Weber and Emile Durkheim happy birthdays, celebrated the Riot Grrrl movement, and considered guns, privacy, and presidential politics. Dive on in!

There’s Research on That!

“Lil’ Ladies and the Gendering of Legitimacy,” by Caty Taborda and Anne Kaduk. When Rush Limbaugh calls Sociological Images‘ Lisa Wade (a tenured professor and, ironically, the author, with Myra Marx Ferree, of Gender) a “professorette,” he’s devaluing her expertise by referencing her gender. Same goes for the many “info babes” and “anchorettes” he spots on the evening news.

“Drought and Social Division,” by Evan Stewart and Rebecca Farnum. Looking at natural resource politics, distribution, contention, and solutions as California curtails water use with research from Viviana A. Zelizer, Daniel Jaffee, Nicole Harari, and Riley E. Dunlap and Richard York.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Helen B. Morrow on a Tripartite Methodological Design and Collaborative Research,” with Kyle Green. “Psychology thinks about contact as direct, face-to-face contact. But often in sociology and political science, we are thinking about contact as a broader and more macro level.”

“Keith N. Hampton on Visual Content Analysis of Urban Space,” with Sarah Lageson. “We can hang out in a public space for months, or maybe even a year, but doing that for two or three decades is simply impossible. So, for any large scale, longitudinal study of urban public spaces, I think this is probably the only method that is available to us.”

Citings and Sightings:

“‘Culture of Poverty’ a Poor Explanation for Racial Disparities,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. University of Maryland sociologist Philip N. Cohen tells Vox that academics are leaving Moynihan’s argument behind because it simply doesn’t hold up.

“Unstable Sexual Identities Could Increase Risk of Adolescent Depression,” by Caty Taborda. Bethany Everett tells The Economic Times “There is a certain amount of stigma attached to sexual fluidity that may impact mental health during this developmental period.”

“Safety Nets and Success: America’s Culture of Risk-Taking,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. In a TIME roundtable, Zulema Valdez, sociologist and author of The New Entrepreneurs: How Race, Class, and Gender Shape American Enterprise, says American risk-taking comes from the common belief that the U.S. is a land of opportunity.

“Sweden Sees Progress in New Pronoun,” by Amy August. Lann Hornscheidt, a professor of Scandinavian languages and gender studies, believes hen, the new, non-gendered Swedish pronoun, really will help fight sexism and gender biases.

“Cuban American Political Shifts Could Spell Trouble for GOP,” by Caty Taborda. Sociologist Guillermo Grenier says American-born Cubans have broadened their political horizons.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Why U.S. States Vary in the Rights and Protections They Offer to Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Residents,” by Rebekah Herrick.

“The Impact of Family Obligations on Women’s Willingness to Seek Election to and Serve in U.S. Legislatures,” by Rachel Silbermann.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“America’s Fragmented Child Care and Early Education System,” by Sara Gable.

“‘Daddy’s Home!’ Increasing Men’s Use of Paternity Leave,” Ankita Patnaik.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Cyborgology reports from #TtW15!
• Sociological Images explains why rich people think they’re middle class; how gay, black, and male is an odd occurrence of intersectionality leading to a positive consequence; learn what gun experts believe about guns; and consider culture and privacy in the architecture of the shotgun house.
• The Contexts blog commemorates Riot Grrrl Day with “Love You Like a Sister,” speculates on sociology’s next hot topic, and considers the “triple crisis of sociology.”
• Families As They Really Are gets the scoop on spring break and sexual assault with Pepper Swartz.
• Sociology Lens continues its series on graduate student life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (or maybe a job).

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As always, we’ve got a little something for everyone… dive in!

Feature:

“Can We Race Together? An Autopsy,” by Ellen Berrey. Starbucks’ Race Together program sure seemed to unite people, but not necessarily around the need to abandon social constructions of race.

The Reading List:

“Caught in the Culture Wars’ Crossfire,” by Jack Delehanty.

There’s Research on That!

“Rights and Rights: Religion at Work,” by Jacqui Frost and Evan Stewart. “Restoring Religious Freedom Acts” affect the rights and freedoms of more than business owners and LGBTQ customers. Frost and Stewart look to scholars Amy Adamczyk and Cassady Pitt; Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis, and Douglas Hartmann (hey! We know that guy!); András Tilcsik; Michael Wallace, Bradley R. E. Wright, and Allen Hyde; and Bradley R. E. Wright, Michael Wallace, John Bailey, and Allen Hyde.

Citings & Sightings:

“XXX’d Out: What if Porn Disappeared,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals, author of the forthcoming book Exposure: A Sociologist Explores Sex, Society and Adult Entertainment, on why shutting down mainstream porn would harm performers.

“Parenting: QT Better than OT,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Melissa Milkie and Kei Nomaguchi share the findings of their recent study with the Washington Post: “I could literally show you 20 charts, and 19 of them would show no relationship between the amount of parents’ time and children’s outcomes… Nada. Zippo,” says Milkie.

“Spitting and Suspicion,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. On the racialization of low-level crimes in a large midwestern city (hey! We know that city!) with Nancy Heitzeg and community consultant William W. Smith IV.

“Toking While Black,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Sociologist Pamela E. Oliver on the larger patterns that have resulted in disproportionate drug arrests of African Americans even in states with legalized marijuana.

“For Gay Black Men, Negative Stereotypes May Have One Positive Consequence,” by Caty Taborda. When David Pedulla‘s research team sent out resumes for identical job candidates and descriptions of jobs they were perfect for, but manipulated whether their hobbies suggested they were gay, gay black men won out. Why?

“An Eye-Clopening Workforce Trend,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. As small-staff shops move to having the same workers open and close the store, wociologist Gerhard Bosch tells the New York Times about the European Union’s required 11-hour rest period between shifts.

“Money Talks,” by Jack Delehanty. New apps for payments and money transfers are nice and easy, but the record of your spending might say more about you than you’d like.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Keith N. Hampton on Visual Content Analysis of Urban Space,” with Kyle Green:

“I think the biggest strength is that this is truly the only way to do a longitudinal study of public space. We can hang out in a public space for months, or maybe even a year, but doing that for two or three decades is simply impossible. So, for any large scale, longitudinal study of urban public spaces, I think this is probably the only method that is available to us.”

“Daniel Sui on the Methodological Advantages and Limitations of Big Data,” with Sarah Shannon:

“In terms of the applications of big data, it is limited by only your imagination. That is why big data has attracted interest by industry, government agencies all over the world, and, of course, academics and scholarly researchers.”

The Editors’ Desk:

“Holy Week, Hoops, and Hoosier State Law,” by Doug Hartmann. Last week, the eyes of the nation were on Indiana for two reasons: the contentious “Restoring Religious Freedom Act” and the NCAA Men’s March Madness basketball tournament. Turns out, that’s not such a surprising cross-over (even if Wal-Mart and NASCAR’s calls for repeal of the law may have been).

Scholars’ Strategy Network:

“How Educational Opportunities Can Help Disabled Americans Break out of Low-Wage Occupational Ghettos,” by David Pettinicchio.

“Why Historically Black Colleges and Universities Remain Vital in U.S. Higher Education,” by C. Rob Shorette II.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“‘Daddy’s Home!’ Increasing Men’s use of Paternity Leave,” by Ankita Patnaik.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images rounds up the month of March and takes another look at the data on moms’ time spent with kids. They also highlight data on U.S. police officers’ citizen kill rates, wonder if marijuana is a gateway drug (maybe to no), look at Devah Pager’s research on race and job applicants, and show that the vast majority of college presidents believe rape is “some other school’s problem.”
• Cyborgology reviews Beautiful You, considers Rolling Stone’s failures, augurs the augmented present, and warns that good encryption doesn’t mean good government.
• Sociology Lens kicks off its “advice for grad students” month with five things they wish they’d known before entering a grad program, five tips for applying to a doctoral school, and a light-hearted warning for those who would love a grad student.
• Education & Society looks at Howard Bloom and Christina Weiland‘s new work on Head Start Programs, Sarah M. Ovink‘s work on Latina college-goers, and Fabian T. Pfeffer’s work on social mobility, affluence, and higher education.

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As TSP sends its crew off to Kansas City for the Midwest Sociological Science meetings, things keep buzzing along at HQ! Here’s what we’ve been up to:

The Reading List:

“Rating Your Corporate Peers,” by Erik Kojola. Amanda Sharkey and Patricia Bromley investigate certification programs’ influence on corporate social and environmental responsibility in the American Sociological Review.

There’s Research on That!

“The Politics of Peeing,” by Caty Taborda. Research from Suzanne Kessler, Wendy McKenna, Laurel Westbrook, Kristen Schilt, Betsy Lucal, Sheila Cavanagh, and Tey Meadow paints a picture of gender binaries and public space—and, as SocImages puts it, who goes where.

“47 Senators: Cultural Performance and Politics,” by Jack Delehanty. Why an open letter to Iran isn’t really about Iran, with research by Jeffrey C. Alexander, Jonathan Wyrtzen, Craig Calhoun, and Rhys H. Williams.

The Editors’ Desk:

“Our Hero,” by Doug Hartmann. The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik is still a champion of sociology.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Dale C. Spencer on Observant Participation and Becoming a Mixed Martial Artist,” with Kyle Green. “When you are an observant participant, you are at stake. You have a vested interest in succeeding. But the reality of the matter is, you are also open, very clearly, to fail in that world.”

Citings & Sightings:

“Sigma Alpha Epsilon: A Symptom of a Larger, Older Problem,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. The Washington Post looks to research by UConn sociologist Matthew Hughey on southern fraternity chapters and the problem with revering “tradition”.

“Retiring with Your Parents,” by Anne Kaduk. Phyllis Moen tells the New York Times about a new phenomenon: dual-generation retirees.

“For Successful Kids, It’s Family Stability Over Family Structure,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Sociologists Jamie Seabrook and William Avison’s Canadian family research proves provocative.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Why Historically Black Colleges and Universities Remain Vital in U.S. Higher Education,” by C. Rob Shorette II.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Moynihan’s Half Century: Have We Gone to Hell in a Handbasket?” by Philip N. Cohen, Heidi Hartmann, Jeffrey Hayes, and Chandra Childers.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images asks, “What is Creole?“, “Why do Southern states lead the nation in the consumption of gay porn?“, “Does love brainwash women?“, and “Are economics majors anti-social?“, among other questions, as always!
• Education & Society talks to Joanne Golann about the cost of order in “no-excuses” schools and looks at how gender parity in education has been found to lower divorce rates.
• Public Criminology features TSP-alum Sarah Shannon’s account of attending an execution vigil (alongside Sister Helen Prejean) in Georgia.
• Girl w/ Pen! looks in on the slow, but converging march toward human rights and women’s rights.
• Sociology Lens wonders why people tune in to teens’ parenting, what’s up with quinoa, and just who “invented” the Interwebz after all?

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Welcome, spring! Here’s some fresh soc to start the season off right.

Office Hours Podcast:

“Victor Rios on Policing Black and Latino Boys,” with Sarah Shannon. A TSP-alum, Shannon talks with Rios about his award-winning book Punished.

The Editors’ Desk:

“Education & Society,” by Chris Uggen. Welcoming TSP’s newest Community Page, under the direction of Rob Warren.

“Midwest Sociological Society Meetings: Register Now!” An update from MSS president Doug Hartmann on the meetings, which will feature Dalton Conley and Lisa Wade.

There’s Research on That!

“Joke’s on You: The Italy/ISIS Twitter Exchange,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. With research from Christie Davies, Elise Kramer, Karen Parkhill, and more.

“Race and the Classroom,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. With research from Sylvia Hurtado, Josh Packard, Lisa M. Nunn, and more.

“How Hate Crimes Count,” by Evan Stewart, Jack Delehanty, Ryan Larson, and Stephen Suh. With research from Ryan King, Jack Glaser, Louise Cainkar, and more.

The Reading List:

“Misdemeanors as a Form of Social Control,” by Ryan Larson. New work from Issa Kohler-Hausmann.

“Egalitarian Dreams, Unequal Marriages,” by Anne Kaduk. Research from David S. Pedulla and Sarah Thebaud.

“Talking Trash: High Status Explanations for Watching Low Brow TV,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Charles Allan McCoy and Roscoe Scarborough in Poetics.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Matthew Hughey on His Tripartite Methodological Approach to Understanding Film,” with Kyle Green. TSP alum Green interviews UConn’s Hughey.

Citings & Sightings:

“Subsidizing the Suburban Commute,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Alexandra Murphy on why social programs must extend to transportation.

“Old Dogs, New Tricks,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Christine Whelan on SMART goal-setting.

“‘Treat Yo’Self’ to Some Sociology,” by Caty Taborda. Comic and actor Aziz Ansari teams up with sociologist Eric Klinenberg. The rest is… a new book!

“D8TR Dilemma: Millennials ‘Just Talking’, ‘Hanging Out’,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Kathy Hull on the new terminology of budding relationships.

“Unsurprising Stats: Hollywood Lacks Diversity,” by Caty Taborda. UCLA’s Darnell Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramon see hope for diversity in new entertainment production platforms like Netflix.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Financial Reforms Alone Cannot Reduce Household Debts for Americans Facing Low Wages and Insecure Jobs,” by Sara M. Bernardo.

“The Harm Done by Media Coverage of Political Disputes about Public Health Measures,” by Erika Fowler and Sarah Gollust.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“An Analysis of New Census Data on Family Structure, Education, and Income,” by Shannon Cavanagh.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Education and Society debuts its new interview feature with three questions with Josipa Roksa.
• Sociological Images rounds up the best of February, revisits Skull-Face, and talks Irish dance and changing ideas of race.
• Sociology Lens on pronouns, gender policing, and a new(ish) acronym: PGPs.
• Girl w/ Pen! and its latest Manly Musings: Beyond “Bossy” or “Brilliant”? Gender Bias in Student Evaluations.

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February may be a short month, but we’re never short on sociology to share.

Roundtables:

“Is the (Tea) Party Over?” by Erik Kojola and Jack Delehanty. Scholars Meghan A. Burke, Ruth Braunstein, Andrew Perrin, and Robert Horwitz weigh in on the past, present, and future of a young political movement.

The Editors’ Desk:

“Oscar Winners Put Social Issues Center Stage.” A look at some accessible research on four big social issues raised in Academy Award speeches last weekend.

“Contexts: New Issue, New Site,” by Doug Hartmann. New editors Philip Cohen and Syed Ali have put out their first issue and launched the revamped contexts.org, hosted by thesocietypages.org.

There’s Research on That!

“Extra! Extra! Read All about It, All the Time!” by Sarah Catherine Billups. A look at media saturation with research from Sara Goldrick-Rab, Lauren Schudde, Jennie E. Brand, Fabian T. Pfeffer, Matthew Curry, Yu Xie, Mina Dadgar, Madeline J. Trimble, Christopher Jepsen, Kenneth Troske, and Paul Coomes.

“Who—and How—Community College Helps,” by Anne Kaduk and Amy August. A sociological primer on Obama’s plan to make two years of community college free, with work from Kenneth T. Andrews, Neal Caren, Rachel Best, Arnout van de Rijt, Eran Shor, Charles Ward, Steven Skiena, Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, and Stephen Ostertag.

Citings & Sightings:

“Cheap Gas Has Pricey Consequences,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Guangqing Chi on the way pump prices change driving habits.

“God and Good Citizens,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Penny Edgell on the perceived tie between religion and morality.

“Orphaned by Incarceration,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. When Sesame Street adds a character with a parent behind bars, Christopher Wildeman, Sara Wakefield, Kristin Turney, and John Hagan talk to The Nation.

“Happily Never After? The Challenges of ‘Marrying Up’,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Scholar Jessi Streib discusses how cross-class marriages aren’t as common as they seem in the movies, but they certainly can, and do, work out in the real world.

Give Methods a Chance Podcast:

“Naomi Sugie on Using Smartphones for Research,” with Sarah Esther Lageson. Naomi Sugie tells GMAC, “Smartphones have their limitations, but they… can expand the realm of empirical investigation for researchers to consider questions and ideas we just weren’t able to think about before…”

Contexts Magazine:

The Winter 2015 issue is brimming with goodies! Some are available on contexts.org, but the full issue is out from behind its paywall for another three weeks at contexts.sagepub.com.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Equal Pay? Not Yet for Mothers,” by Shelley J. Correll.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“The Promising Launch of Community-Oriented Charter Schools in New Orleans,” by Brian R. Beabout and Joseph L. Boselovic.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Speaking of kids with incarcerated parents, Sociological Images takes a look. They also ask, who’s harmed by pesticide drift? Taking a turn, they consider the social construction of chest hair, pharma companies’ spending, and how strawberries caught on in the U.S.
• Sociology Lens asks, “Why are we obsessed with what teens are doing on social media?“
• Cyborgology checks out a new ad campaign, “#SpeakBeautiful: Reinforcing a dangerous metric,” and wonders “Why Do Many Reasonable People Trust Science?“

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1. Equal Pay for Equal Work: The Council on Contemporary families offers aportfolio of research on 50 years since the Equal Pay Act, and we suggest checking out the pieces on how the wage gap narrows among high earners and how the wage gap is affected by race and ethnicity.
2. Awareness of Diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s: A 2012 American Sociological Review article by Rachel Kahn Best outlines how awareness campaigns bring more funding to medical research on some conditions, but add to the stigma associated with others.
3. Voting Rights: The Scholars Strategy Network presents an overview of research on steps forward and back since the Voting Rights Act of 1963.
4. Mass Incarceration: Sarah Shannon and Chris Uggen offer a starting point with their time-lapse visualizations of changes in American punishment, including the disproportionate incarceration of black men.

This week on TheSocietyPages.org…

Office Hours Podcast:

“Hahrie Han on Organizing Political Activists,” with Evan Stewart. Dr. Han discusses her latest book and the shaping of political movements.

Teaching TSP:

“Intro to Sociological Methods Using the Reading List,” by Amy August. An exercise—with worksheets—designed to help students learn methods by distilling academic journal articles.

The Reading List:

“The KKK’s Living Legacy,” by Evan Stewart. New research from Rory McVeigh, David Cunningham, and Justin Farrell shows the Klan’s activities in the ’60s continue to affect today’s Southern politics.

Citings & Sightings:

“Self-Segregation in San Francisco Schools,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Studies find school choice works through parents’ social networks to segregate schools.

“Working for the Long Weekend,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Long weekends make a great treat, but one sociologist argues adopting the schedule full-time wouldn’t help work-life balance.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“Does Public Education Improve When Urban Districts Manage a ‘Portfolio’ of Schools?” by Katrina Buckley.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Men against Women, or the Top 20 Percent against the Bottom 80?” by Leslie McCall.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images goes to Mardis Gras!
• Cyborgology on the exclusive aesthetic of writing—long-hand.
• Sociology Lens on the influence of Facebook in UK elections.

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