Friday Roundup

A Digression on Writerly Fitness:

I’ve been reading and writing a bit about fitness lately, and I’ve noticed two trends come up again and again: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and “body confusion.” What does this have to do with TSP and writing you ask? Excellent question.  more...

What Does the Letta Say?

EEP! There was no Friday Roundup. Guess who’s fault that is? Mine-oh-mine. But to make it up to you, here’s some fresh Monday morning reading!

In Case You Missed It:

“The Fascination and Frustration with Native American Mascots,” by Jennifer Guiliano. A look at the history and fight over mascots, as the Redskins go 1-4 in the NFC East.

Editors’ Desk:

“Sketch #4: TSP @ White House,” by Chris Uggen. Dr. Uggen goes to Washington. more...

This week, I had my first telephone interview for an assistant professor position. Before it began, I mentally rehearsed the three-minute elevator speech of my dissertation, certain that the initial question was bound to be something along the lines of “Tell us about your research.” When the moment came, however, the search committee began by asking me how I would explain my research to my grandma or my neighbor. Tossing aside the elevator speech I had been advised to practice, I attempted to channel TSP.

As I reflected on the interview afterward, I felt dismay that my combination of nerves and lack of foresight kept me from saying what I’ve told countless strangers about how I study genocide (you would not believe the conversations I’ve had waiting in lines). The dismay soon gave way to excitement, though, because it’s exciting that the question was even asked. As Doug Hartmann shared in his recent sketch, “Dare to Engage in Dialogue,” much good can come from our abilities to translate our findings to the broader public, whether they are policy makers, pundits, or grandmas. And perhaps it’s wise to spend more time reflecting on how to frame what we do so we are better prepared for these conversations. more...

The TSP offices were buzzing with excitement this week, as our second book project—Crime and the Punished—finally arrived! This engaging (and dare I say adorably pocket-sized) volume provides some much-needed sociological insight on crime and punishment in a critical and expansive way.

And that’s not all that has us excited (and potentially over-using exclamation points) this week. Check out some highlights below!

Editors’ Desk:

“There’s Research on That!” by Chris Uggen, unveiled the newest TSP initiative (drum roll, please), There’s Research on That! Navigating the world of research is hard, and that’s assuming reporters have the funds to get past pay walls. There’s Research on That! hopes to overcome some of these issues by providing short summaries of social scientific studies that shed light on current events.

There’s Research on That!:

“New Pope’s Politics,” by Evan Stuart, suggests a number of articles about shifting views on religion, as well as other shifts within the Catholic Church. more...

For the next couple of Roundups, I’d like to welcome TSP’s graduate editor Hollie Nyseth Brehm. She’ll be covering for me as I head off on a 3-hour cruise. Actually, there’s no cruise. But I do expect to find myself washed up on a beach for a stretch, so I won’t be rounding up the site until… October 11th? Craziness. For now, one last hurrah before heading for the airport (yet again). more...

Oh, have you heard of this Scholars Strategy Network? Of course you have! You’re hip, in-the-know sorts. But the reason I’m pointing it out specifically right now is that I want to direct your eyes to two specific things going on over at their site:

1. As Syria takes the spotlight off Miley (for real), I recommend you return to Richard Lachmann and Hal Brands’s thoughts on America’s foreign policy and its place in the world. SSN’er Jeff Faux also talks war-weariness in the Huffington Post.
2. September’s topical spotlight on SSN is labor and unionization. While we’ll be featuring several of the briefs in this suite (I believe 17 make up the full complement) on the SSN section of TSP (fun with acronyms!), it’s particularly worth reading Nick Carnes and Jake Rosenfeld’s summary of the spotlight pieces.

Now, back to TSP, riiiiiight after I wish my mom a happy birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! more...

Getting down with what’s up on The Society Pages (and if you just wanna get down, NPR’s streaming the new Elvis Costello/The Roots album here)

Shiny New Book:

In case you missed our excitement about the publication of our first reader with W.W. Norton & Co. (hard to do, what with all the skywriters we hired…), please do check out the source of our pride, The Social Side of Politics. Click on through to Norton to request a desk copy or order your own.

Shiny New Facebook:

Well, not really, but we’re doing a lot more posting on FB, usually drawing together related articles from across our site. Love a SocImages post? We’ll let you know about a White Paper or Special Feature that pairs well. Excited to see Dalton Conley in Vogue? We’ve got stuff on that, too!

Citings & Sightings:

“Social Network Sorrows,” by Andrew Weibe. Researchers are all over the map when it comes to deciding if social networking is “good” or “bad” for us. Here’s a new look. more...

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts

In just three days, a new school year is upon us. For my part, I enjoy the ritual: I buy a new pair of Converse (high-top Chucks, black, always). I make sure I’ve got a fresh notebook or two. I think hard about how to be organized and motivated (this will fall away quickly), and I try to draw on the enthusiasm of all of the incoming students swarming the campus. And then I get geared up for the next wave of great ideas and new readers flowing into The Society Pages. Then Doug gives me a good “Coach Taylor” pep talk, and we dive in. Can’t wait to see what the inbox brings. All I know is, with readers and authors like these, we can’t lose.

If all else fails, show a movie (see the comments for many suggestions). more...

Home Again, Home Again

So, we are back from that extravaganza of society’s science, the annual American Sociology Association meetings. Among all the usual parties, plenaries, and pleasantries, the conference, held this year in New York City, featured lot of talk about blogs and social media, websites, and public sociology. For example, incoming ASA President Annette Lareau has created an ad hoc task force on social media, and apparently several different proposals are floating around to create an association-sponsored blog. Who knows whether or how these ideas will come to fruition before next year’s meeting. What is particularly intriguing and exciting for us is that The Society Pages seems to be very much on people’s minds and it’s been at the center of many of these conversations. Even as our HQ dispersed for the meetings and our authors circulated in NYC,  our bloggers continued to blog and contributions and exciting ideas continued to come in. Among the highlights on the site this past week was a roundtable on one of the most fascinating cultural festivals in the nation, Burning Man, assembled by Matt Wray. Below, Letta Page has assembled some of the other weekend reading from the past couple of weeks of site work.

One last note: for those who joined us on Monday night, you know that W.W. Norton & Co. throws a fantastic annual party, and we’re honored to be invited. Thanks for coming, and thanks to Karl Bakeman and his team for putting together such a fun night. The Norton Party is always the home of some unforgettable moments. more...