Friday Roundup

Hello everyone! Here’s a look at what TSP has been up to this week.

The Editors’ Desk:

“Thoughts on immigration policy and race,” by Doug Hartmann, on the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.

There’s Research on That!:

Discoveries:

“Higher Education Lowers Depression” by Sarah Catherine Billups. New work from Shawn Bauldry captures the difference a degree makes for disadvantaged populations.

Clippings:

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network:

“How Erratic Schedules Penalize Workers.” by Naomi Gerstel. “Just-in-time” scheduling is great for employers, but just not enough for working families that need a stable workday.

Contexts:

“Black in Black Rock City.” Steven Thrasher explores race at Burning Man.

And a Few From the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images on American gun laws and the tragedy of the false negative
• Cyborgology talks bad news on Facebook.
• Families As They Really Are looks at the new U.S. Department of Education college scorecard
• Sociology Lens looks at race and the politics of natural hair.

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

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.

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

Hello everyone! Our new graduate editorial board is settled in and doing big things at TSP this week. We launched a new topic tab devoted to covering health and medicine, TROT is back on the beat, and our newest members are already hard at work to bring you the latest in great social science.

The Editors’ Desk:

“Health Page Can’t Wait!” Chris Uggen introduces our newest topic page curated by Sarah Catherine Billups and Caty Taborda.

Office Hours Interview:

Peter Hall on Sociological Memoir with Matt Gunther. Peter M. Hall looks at the way personal memories help us understand place and history.

There’s Research on That!:

“The Social Life of Autism and ASD” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Social networks don’t just spread germs, they also help us make sense of sickness.

“Refugees and Social Instability” by Evan Stewart and Miray Philips. In the wake of Syria, we look to the social science on why refugees move and how they settle in.

Clippings:

“Civil Rights for the Poor” by Neeraj Rajasekar. New work by Doug Massey and Robert Putnam featured in The Atlantic. 

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“Online Friends Affect Relationship Status” by Joanna Pepin. Social networks shape the way you look at your spouse.
“Kids and Community Violence” by Megan Wilhelm. How do kids cope with trouble in the neighborhood?
“Marrying Social Activism and Spiritual Seeking” by Eve Fox. Interview with Elizabeth Lesser on the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. 

Council on Contemporary Families:

What Happens When Couples Marry after the First Baby? by Kelly Musick and Katherine Michelmore. Unlike earlier research, not divorce!

And a Few From the Community Pages:

• Families as They Really Are fills us in on the state of affordable child care.
• Education and Society looks at new research by Jonathan Pryor on the experiences of transgender college students.
• Cyborgology weighs in on recent debates over online advertising, saying “Full Communism is the Ultimate Ad Blocker“

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

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.

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

Hello, folks! Evan here, co-graduate editor for TSP along with Jacqui Frost. We’ll be bringing you the weekly roundup this semester. As classes start up and a new graduate editorial board rolls in here at the site, here’s a look at what we’ve been up to since ASA 2015.

Discoveries:

“E-I-T-C, Find Out What It Means to Me” by Lisa Gulya. Jennifer Sykes, Katrin Križ, Kathryn Edin, and Sarah Halpern-Meekin show how a small tax break is a big step toward giving low income families a sense of control.

There’s Research on That!:

The recent hubbub over marriage licenses for same-sex couples and a certain county clerk had us had us cheering “#TROT!” Check out “Marriage, Inequality, and Bureaucracy: The Devil’s in the DMV?”

Office Hours Interview:

Allison Pugh on The Tumbleweed Society with Lisa Gulya. Allison Pugh looks at how winds of change from the workforce blow into our personal lives.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“The Role of Racial Tensions in State Decisions To Cut Back Welfare” by Hana Brown.

“The Evidence Shows that ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Undermine Law Enforcement and Public Safety” by Robert J. Spitzer.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Gender Revolution and the Restabilization of Family Life,” by Frances Goldscheider.

Contexts:

Q&A with ASA President Paula England on her 2015 Presidential Address: “Sometimes the Social Becomes Personal: Gender, Class, and Sexualities.”

“Foreclosing on Diversity” by Angie O’Brien. New research in American Sociological Review shows how banks bolstered racial separation by foreclosing in communities of color.

“Saving Our Kids.” Sean McElwee sets the record straight by reviewing a reviewer of Robert Putnam’s Our Kids. 

Highlights from the Community Pages:

• Families as They Really Are talks overprotective parenting as the school year starts up.
• Sociological Images rounds up August posts and looks at research on what creeps us out.
• Cyborgology has thoughts on public scholarship from ASA15 and the politics of hacking.
• Thick Culture looks at trends in citizen journalism with grad board member Ryan Larson.

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

Since last we met…

In Case You Missed It:

“Same-Sex, Different Attitudes,” by Kathy Hull. A historical look at the push for marriage equality and the shifts in Americans’ attitudes toward civil rights for gays and lesbians.

“The Return of the Confederate Flag,” by C.N. Le. A 2008 piece examines the resurgence of the Confederate Flag and considers its changing meanings in changing macro-level contexts.

There’s Research on That!

“How Misdemeanors Maintain Inequality,” by Evan Stewart. Research shows that “misdemeanor justice” has a lot of unintended consequences.

Office Hours Podcast:

“Greta Krippner on the Politics of Financial Crisis,” with Erik Kojola. Discussing how the American economy became dangerously dependent on credit and speculation.

Discoveries:

“Political Power and Protest Can Undermine Crime,” by Evan Stewart. New Social Problems research shows that when protest leads to accrued political power, crime goes down in previously underserved communities. more...

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? more...

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. more...

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! more...

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.

Our Latest Book!

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup!

The Last Roundup!