Friday Roundup

New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings of sociology in the news includes Julia Sonnevend in Public Seminar on her new book Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics, Eric Klinenberg in the New York Times on the dangerousness of heat waves,  Fraya Frehse in Pesquisa on homelessness in Brazil, Tressie McMillan Cottom in an online discussion on the candidates prior to last week’s debate, and David Karen in  Bryn Mawr News on the recently released film Love 2020.

We reposted a piece from The Conversation by James Densley and Jillian Peterson on how most school shootings show warning signs in advance, with over 90% of shooters leaking their plans, highlighting the need for early intervention and secure gun storage to prevent such tragedies.

From the Archives

Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana last week, again highlighting how many natural disasters unevenly impact communities with the least economic, social, and political power. Read this ‘There’s Research on That’ (TROT) by Erik Kojola to learn more.

Kamala Harris’s multiracial identity has been a consistent area of discussion. Check out this TROT by Allison Nobles and Amber Joy Powell to learn some sociology on this area.

Backstage with TSP

This week several board members created some prototype multimedia demos and reviewed some of our previous videos to spark ideas. We also began the process of showing new board members our Discovery process, including the pitching of articles and workshopping of drafted Discoveries.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts:

• that tiny, tiny little fish by Caleb Scoville on his research about the controversy over the Delta Smelt in California is more about partisan politics and symbolic division than actual water policy, serving as a tool for conservative pundits to critique liberal environmentalism.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• Black Fathers and The Talk by Conial Caldwell Jr. on The Talk, a critical racial socialization practice among Black families, involves discussing the realities of racism and safety with children, a tradition that dates back to the era of chattel slavery and remains vital due to ongoing racial violence and discrimination.

First Publics:

• Community-Engaged Learning as a Triple Win by Kirsten Vinyeta in her undergraduate Environmental Sociology course at Utah State University, a community-engaged research project on water conservation provided students with hands-on experience in qualitative research methods, while generating useful data for local agencies and supporting the faculty’s research goals. 

Give Theory a Chance:

• Andrea S. Boyles reads Patricia Hill Collins, guest hosted by Jabez Turner on Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (1990).

New & Noteworthy

• Our latest Clippings (Sociology/Sociologists in the news) includes Jeffrey W. Swanson in The New York Times on gun laws in Georgia, Scott Thumma in PBS News, discussing megachurches (religious congregations with 2,000+ worshipers) and the recent resignation of several high-profile pastors, Ruth Milkman in The New York Times on pressure on labor unions to take positions on the war in Gaza, Stephanie Alice Baker in City University of London on the UK’s populist movement, and Ruth Horowitz in Pointe Magazine on ballet dances in corps de ballet and maintaining passion.

From the Archives

• The presidential debate is tomorrow, with many Americans eager to watch the performances of their candidates and fact-check the other. Check it out, or check out? When audiences spend extra time with content by Nick Mathews writes up research on how consumers are more likely to verify news that aligns with their beliefs to support arguments rather than fact-check information they find uncertain.
• Inflation and the economy is also frequenting the news, with the stock market facing challenges. Check out our ‘There’s Research on That’, Precarious Work in the Gig Economy, by Jean Marie Maier to learn more about one part of the market, the gig economy.

Backstage with TSP

• Last Friday TSP welcomed back returning board members and has begun onboarding our new board members. This includes assigning “beats” in the sociology literature to provide broad coverage in the creation for new Discoveries and TROTs, ideation of new projects, and, of course, donuts.

New & Noteworthy

• TSP’s John Purnell wrote up a new Discovery, Pharmacist Deputies from research by Elizabeth Chiarello in American Sociological Review. This piece describes how Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) have shifted pharmacists’ roles from healthcare providers to enforcers of legal regulations, prioritizing policing over patient care.

From the Archives

Here are a few pieces for this back-to-school season:

• Back to School, Back to Bullying by Mahala Miller some research on bullying, or peer aggression, which remains an issue affecting over 1 in 5 American high schoolers. However, some research suggests rates of bullying are not rising.
• First-Generation Students Face More Stress, But Less Depression by Mahala Miller explores research showing that first-generation college students encounter more stressors before and during college than their peers but do not exhibit higher levels of depressive symptoms, possibly due to the resilience they have developed from previous stress exposure.
• Who Gets a Special Education? by Amy August on the disproportionate placement of students of color in special education and how it is influenced more by school characteristics than by race or social class, with these students often facing lower expectations and poorer services compared to their white peers.

Backstage with TSP

• The Fall Semester officially started today! TSP will be welcoming new and returning board members and making plans for our regular pieces (Discoveries and TROTs) and new special projects.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts:

• q&a with dr. amanda cheong and Elena van Stee, discuss Cheong’s award-winning research on the impact of driver’s license access for undocumented immigrants, highlighting the significant barriers they face in daily life without proper identification, and emphasizing the importance of policy changes to improve their integration and contributions to society.
• summer 2024 table of contents is out! This issue includes over 20 pieces to read/listen to.
• letter from the editors: summer 2024 by Seth Abrutyn and Amin Ghaziani covers the summer issue of Contexts, which explores the interplay between present realities and dreams of a better future, featuring essays on diverse topics like inclusive communities, race, and social mobility, offering insights and inspiration for envisioning a brighter world.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• “I just feel like you can’t be grown up living with your parents:” Student loans and family help after college graduation by Joan Maya Mazelis and Arielle Kuperberg, covering their research on how college graduates with student loans often rely on family for financial and housing support, delaying their transition to independent adulthood, as rising student debt reshapes the experiences of young adulthood.
• 3Q with Rebecca Davis author of Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America by Alicia M. Walker, covering Davis’s new book Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America.

First Publics:

• Teaching the Hidden Curriculum by Kylie Smith write on the hidden curriculum—unspoken norms and expectations in higher education—during the first week of class helps level the playing field and equips them with essential tools for success in college.

New & Noteworthy

The latest pieces from TSP include:

• Clippings, with The Nation and its article on Michael Sierra-Arévalo’s recent book The Danger Imperative, Jordan Travis Radke in the New York Times on the homesteading movement, Michelle Phelps in USA Today and the BBC on Tim Walz during the 2020 unrest and protests, Francisco Lara-García in The Markup on virtual surveillance of the US-Mexico border, and more.
• S Ericson’s latest Discovery, The Making of a #1 Song covers research by Vincent Carter and how the introduction of SoundScan technology reduced Black audiences’ influence on overall music sales, affecting which R&B and hip-hop artists achieved mainstream success.

From the Archives

• I recently saw Twitch streams of the Democratic Convention and found this Cyborgology piece on the topic. This live streaming allows for a more “unfiltered” look into the event rather than a quasi-filtered one.

Backstage with TSP

• Fall semester is nearing and TSP is hitting the multi-media approach hard this year. We made some inroads this past academic year, but expect more video and social media content this year! Stay tuned…

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Context’s latest includes:

• trust and stratify by Parker Muzzerall covers research by Jordan Bren­singer on identity theft and how it deepens economic inequality.
• q&a with Anthony Abraham Jack and Elena van Stee, on his new book,  Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price.
• who’s on top? by Elena van Stee on research by Madeline Toubiana and Trish Ruebottom on how internal stigma within the sex work industry, driven by status hierarchies and demographic factors, undermines occupational solidarity and hampers collective action.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• Mothers’ mosaic: How Black, Latina, Asian, and White American mothers spend time differently with their children by Kei Nomaguchi and Melissa A. Milkie, covering their research on racial/ethnic differences in maternal time with children, and it should be understood through the unique cultural practices of each community, rather than measured against a single mainstream parenting ideal.
• When childcare centers close: Who takes care of America’s children? by Milly Yang, Emma Zang, and Jessica Calarco – highlighting how the pandemic increased reliance on informal childcare, particularly by older siblings, with wealthier families securing paid caregivers while low-income families faced greater childcare struggles.

give theory a chance has 5 new podcast episodes to listen to:

• Mary Peterson reads Iris Marion Young‘s 1980 essay “Throwing like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality.”
• Daniel Silver reads Adam Smith, with Dr. Daniel Silver, author of Scenescapes: how qualities of place shape social life, on Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776).
• Amanda McMillan Lequieu on Yi-Fu Tuan, with Dr. Amanda McMillan Lequieu discussing the foundational humanistic geographer  Yi-Fu Tuan and his influence on her own research and theorizing.
• Christine Goding-Doty reads Aimé Césaire, reads from his foundational essay “Discourse on Colonialism” (1950).
• William Turner on W.E.B. Du Bois with Dr. William Turner on the importance of Du Bois in his own intellectual development and discusses the marginalization of Du Bois within sociology.

New & Noteworthy

• Leo LaBarre’s new Discovery, Blinded by Love: How Online Fraudsters Scam Victims, looks at research by Timothy Dickinson and Fangzhou Wang. They posed as fictitious victims to 87 real online romance fraudsters and then looked at the tactics used to manipulate and coerce. One of the most common tactics was asking for money for something pressing, such as bills or rent. Give it a read to learn about the other 3 tactics.
• Our latest Clippings, include Sherry Turkle on NPR’s Body Electric for the latest on AI chatbots,  Safia Dahani on The Conversation Weekly and The New York Times on France’s recent parliamentary election, Terry Shoemaker wrote an article for The Conversation applying sociologist Robert Bellah’s concept of “civil religion” to the Summer Olympics, and Sofia Hiltner‘s new study was in Phys.Org in the waning focus on climate change by sociology.

From the Archives

• Nearly 10 years ago, an armed man jumped the perimeter fence and entered the White House, leading to the resignation of Julia Pierson (the first female Director of the Secret Service). Check out this piece from Sociological Images, highlighting the heightened and gendered expectations that women often face.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

• ok, boomer in Contexts by Elena G. Van Stee breaks down research by Rob Gruijters, Anette Fasang, and Zachary Van Winkle. They found that Millennials are generally less wealthy than Boomers at age 35, and wealth inequality within the Millennial generation has increased – with the richest Millennials surpassing their Boomer counterparts at the same age.
• Parents, Partners, and Pandemic Housing Decisions in Council on Contemporary Families by Elena G. Van Stee and colleagues cover a new Socius article revealing that undergraduates’ decisions to move in with parents during the COVID-19 pandemic were influenced by housing and financial needs, age, romantic partnerships, and feelings about asking for money – highlighting the complex social factors affecting parental support.

New & Noteworthy

• If you haven’t already, listen to our latest SOC 101 episode with TSP’s Forrest Lovette and Daniel Cueto-Villalobos talking with Samuel Perry‘s new coauthored book, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy – check it out here.

• Our bi-weekly Clippings includes Jessi Streib‘s new article for The Conversation describing how hiring practices (and luck) can equalize opportunities for college graduates of different socioeconomic backgrounds, Matthew Desmond in a New York Times piece on his audio essay on a shelter in shelter in Lancaster, PA, Allison Pugh on Public Books about her new book The Last Human Job: the Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, and Athena Charanne Presto in The New York Times on the increasing mainstream popularity of drag performance in the Philippines.

• And don’t forget to review our TSP’s Summer of Sociology Reading List if you are looking for a good, recent soc-read!

From the Archives

• I came across this piece from 2014 by Evan Stewart, Is Bitcoin a Bust? when a Bitcoin was valued at ~$300, and today one is about 55k. Makes you think.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts:

• who’s your safety net? by Elena G. van Stee covers her recent publication on undergraduates’ decisions to move back home during COVID-19 campus closures, being influenced by their housing, financial needs, age, relationship status, and the presence of alternative safety nets like romantic partners or extended family.
• wealthy disillusioned with politics, too by Parker Muzzerall summarizes research on Finland’s wealth elite who view liberal democracy as inefficient and support strongmen leaders, echoing political powerlessness similar to populist sentiments. 
• movies reboot gender divides by Colter J. Uscola writes up research in Social Networks on the scarcity of female leaders in the film due to exclusionary practices and the success of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, suggesting audience demand for cinema crafted by women.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• Navigating Feminism as Women with Intellectual Disabilities by Alan Santinele Martinod and colleagues on research which highlights the need for feminism to better include women with intellectual disabilities, whose unique challenges and perspectives are often overlooked.
• 3 Q Vicki Larson LATitude: How to Make a Live Apart Together Relationship Work with Alicia Walker talking with Vicki Larson on her new book on Live Apart Together (LAT) relationships, exploring the benefits and debunking myths about this alternative relationship model.

New & Noteworthy

TSP has three new pieces for you to read:

• Forrest Lovette and Daniel Cueto-Villalobos spoke with Dr. Samuel Perry on his new co-authored book, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy on our SOC 101 podcast – check it out here!
• We released our TSP’s Summer of Sociology Reading List with 9 new recommended reads for this summer. The list includes topics ranging from the elite global party circuit to the 2020 election insurrection. Let us know if you have suggestions to add!
• And our latest Clippings, including 2 new books in Esquire and Politico: Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net, by Jessica Calarco and The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress by James R. Jones, and more!

From the Archives

• Kenya’s parliament building was marched on by protestors, with people being shot and teargassed during confrontations – sparked by legislation aimed to increase taxes. Read this piece, Civil Resistance and the International Right to Protest: A Growing Concern for Police Violence, by the Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies on the widespread protests advocating for accountability in 2020, which were often met with resistance from law enforcement that sometimes crossed the legal line.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Context’s new pieces for you to read include:

• law and the looky-loo by Sophie X. Liu covers research by Sarah Brayne, Sarah Lageson, and Karen Levy on the increasing reliance on private-sector technologies like Amazon’s Ring for personal safety and “surveillance deputization,” where civilians use their resources to conduct surveillance on behalf of the state. 
• stranded: the gendered shortcomings of the crown act by Aniya Watkins highlights the need to revise the CROWN Act to include hair length protections, emphasizing that Black men must be included in the fight against race-based hair discrimination. 

The Council on Contemporary Families latest includes:

• Slow to Launch: Adult children living with their parents and employment outcomes by Asya Saydam highlighting how brief periods of young men living with their parents can positively impact their early careers, but staying longer than four years can have negative effects on their employment prospects.

New & Noteworthy

Mason Jones published a new Discovery, Gender Differences For Medical Student Evaluations, from research by Laura K. Nelson in the American Sociological Review. This study found that women doctors are more likely than men to provide written feedback to medical students, indicating that women do more nurturing work that is crucial yet often unrewarded, contributing to the gender pay gap.

And this week’s Clippings includes:

• Michelle S. Phelps argues in “The Minneapolis Reckoning” that Minneapolis is a critical example for understanding race and policing in America, highlighting the complexities of liberal police reform
• David Arditi discusses in an interview with The Conversation how the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment underscores musicians’ reliance on tour revenues and the impact of monopolization on ticket purchasing.
• Elizabeth Anne Wood and Marika Lindholm’s book “Between Us” features stories from 45 sociologists on how sociology has personally empowered them and can aid others, focusing on understanding and challenging harmful social structures.
• Benjamin Shestakofsky critiques venture capital models in Zócalo Public Square, advocating for alternative business structures that prioritize local communities and more sustainable impacts.
• Heejung Chung comments in The Telegraph on the rise of ‘work from home’ husbands in the UK post-pandemic, noting that remote work remains more accessible in male-dominated sectors while being limited in female-centric fields like healthcare, education, and retail.

From the Archives

• President Biden announced new border policies today, impacting federal immigration – but also between states. Read Ghazah Abbasi’s piece, The Border is a Budget, showing how both Democratic and Republican administrations in the U.S. consistently funding immigration enforcement despite differing rhetoric.
• Summer is starting for many kids around the United States, adding additional responsibilities to parents. Screen time is a common activity that parents use, but these digital activities often bring judgment against parents who allow generous amounts of screen time. However, some parents have little choice and must rely on digital options – check out this piece by Amy August to learn more: Screen Time in Summer Time.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Context’s latest from their Spring 2024 issue includes:

• courting eviction by Parker Muzzerall covers research by Isaiah Fleming-Klink and others on eviction courts in the U.S. systematically disadvantaging tenants due to unclear courtroom procedures, inconsistent application of tenancy laws, reliance on landlord-favoring shadow procedures, and landlords leveraging their familiarity with the legal system.
• q&a with dr. elizabeth blakey on X and Elon Musk providing, and now not providing, X data to researchers.
• changing faces: the shifting image of chinese student migrants in american media by Weirong Guo on the portrayal of Chinese student migrants in U.S. media has shifted from pro-democracy heroes in the 1980s to economic opportunists and national security risks, reflecting broader changes in U.S.-China relations.

Council on Contemporary Families has a new piece:

• Summer wedding season is upon us — but outdated, gendered traditions don’t have to be by Stephanie Coontz on how traditional wedding customs often reinforce outdated gender roles, and couples who embrace egalitarian practices in marriage report greater satisfaction and less conflict.

New & Noteworthy

Forrest Lovette‘s new Discovery, Volunteering or Vacationing? covers research by Netta Kahana on the shifting public opinions about combining travel with volunteering activities–practices, known widely as volunteer tourism or sometimes “voluntourism”. The research found that the participants shared positive self-evaluations of their characters and used them to dispel any perceived judgments from society that might be raised about their participation. 

This week’s Clippings includes Zeynep Tufekci in NHPR on organizing pre-post social media, Beth Linker in The New York Times on their new book Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz in The New York Times on gun violence and COVID-19, and Jess Carbino on The League dating app in Yahoo! Life.

Backstage with TSP

The TSP board held our end-of-the-year gathering, and celebrated our star graduating undergrads – Leo LaBarre, Caroline Garland, Ellie Nickel (coming back as grad student!), John Purnell, and Nicole Schmitgen. See pics above.

TSP Tuesdays, Clippings, and new Discoveries/TROTs will now be biweekly until September.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts has its Spring 2024 issue live! It includes (but is not limited to) pieces on the stigmatizing labels faced by sexual violence survivors, the racial pressures on mixed-race families, the social needs driving conspiracy beliefs, and the impact of Twitter/X’s data access cut on global research. Check it out!

New & Noteworthy

Our new Discovery by Mallory Harrington, Disease Stigma Through the Media covers research by Rachel Best and Alina Arseniev-Koehler. In this piece, the different levels of stigmatization of diseases are investigated via the media coverage and stereotyping that accompanies them. They find that the level of overall disease stigma has decreased over time, but it remains high for behavioral and infectious diseases.

In case you missed it, we posted some new TikToks on the value and importance of sociology via Nicole Schmitgen. Give them a watch, like, and share!

From the Archives

Trump’s trial continues to capture headlines. Take a look back on contexts’ Winter 2018 issue (trump365) on a time where Trump’s policies impacts on society were taking place real-time.

Wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe continue to leave millions harmed and the impacts will continue far beyond when the bullets stop flying. Read our 2019 Discovery on veteran’s mental health by Allison Nobles to learn more.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

The latest from contexts includes:

• the case for grandmothers by Neda Maghbouleh on the critical roles and resilience of elder matriarchs in multigenerational Syrian migrant households in Canada, despite immigration policies that often overlook their value.
• from the corner to the digital street by Parker Muzzerall on research by Yuan Hsiao who finds that real-world interactions and proximity among Chicago’s Latino gangs significantly influence their online conflicts, demonstrating the complex interplay between offline realities and online behaviors.

Council on Comtemporary Families has a new piece:

• 3Q with Elissa Strauss When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others with Alicia M. Walker interviewing Elissa Strauss on her new book “When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others”