Friday Roundup

Welcome back! This week, we round up research on fake news and its role in political polarization, and we feature new studies on the effects of school suspensions and a form of managerial household work known as cognitive labor. 

There’s Research on That!:

“Fake News: Definitions, Facts, and Implications,” by Allison J. Steinke. We rounded up social science research on what fake news is and why it matters.

Discoveries:

“How School Suspension Impacts Friendships,” by Amber Joy Powell. New research in Criminology finds that disciplinary practices like suspension, which are disproportionately targeted towards racial and ethnic minority youth, weaken friendships with fellow classmates.

“Household Management is Double the Toil and Trouble for Women,” by Amy August. New research in American Sociological Review finds that women do most of the cognitive labor in a household, like anticipating needs of family members.

Teaching TSP:

“Teaching Students to Think Sociologically about Climate Change,” by Amy August. New research in Teaching Sociology finds that environmental concerns are usually overlooked in introductory sociology classes. The authors suggest ways to interweave climate change into all areas of curriculum.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“Fragile Families in Lilo and Stitch,” by Lena Denbroeder.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Fears of Violence: Concerns of Middle-Class Latinx Parents,” by Lorena Garcia.

And from the Community Pages:

• Cyborgology reflects on third party fact-checking on Facebook and the potential benefits of modeling.

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Welcome back! Submissions are open for this year’s Teach with TSP contest – if you use TSP in your classroom, tell us how! This week we’ve got research on sociological storytelling to explain why fans hated the last season of Game of Thrones. We also bring back content on Indigenous People’s Day and for-profit prisons.

There’s Research on That!:

“What Makes a Good Story?” by Amy August. Earlier this year the Scientific American suggested fans despised the last season of Game of Thrones because the storytelling changed from sociological to psychological. This made us think about what makes a good story and we rounded up social science research on storytelling.

“Why We Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” by Allison Nobles. For Indigenous Peoples’ Day earlier this week, we gathered social science research to help us understand the underlying gender and racial components of colonial settlement in the United States.

“For Profit Prisons and the Immigrant Industrial Complex,” by Caity Curry. In light of California’s recent decision to not renew contracts with for-profit prisons, we brought back a post from the archive on how for-profit prisons enable mass incarceration of immigrant populations.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Raising a Village: Identifying Social Supports for All Kinds of Families,” by Caitlyn Collins.”

And from the Community Pages:

• Engaging Sports discusses outdoor recreation and the wilderness ideal.
• Cyborgology ponders the digitization of justice.

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TSP Edited Volumes

Welcome back! Submissions are open for this year’s Teach with TSP contest – if you use TSP in your classroom, tell us how! Details below. In new content, we’ve got social science research on the social construction of victimhood in cases of child soldiers, as well as new research on what makes a “good death.”

The Editors’ Desk:

“2019 ‘Teach with TSP’ Contest,” by Allison Nobles. Do you use TSP content in your classroom? Tell us how! We’ll publish our favorites and send the winners TSP swag!

There’s Research on That!:

“Innocence, Victimhood, and Child Soldiers,” by Jillian LaBranche and Brooke Chambers. Child soldiers are simultaneously victims and perpetrators. To help understand this tension, we rounded up social science research on the social construction of victimhood and childhood.

“Progress and Uncertainty for LGBTQ Communities,” by Allison Nobles and Caity Curry. For National Coming Out Day, we reached into the archives for social science research on attitudes towards same-sex relationships.

Discoveries:

“Defining Dignity in Death,” by Allison Nobles. New research in Sociology of Health and Illness shows that cultural conceptions of what a “good death” entails shape how people make sense of new options for end-of-life care.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” by Evan Stewart.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Children Are Now Back at School, Time to Focus on What Their Parents Need,” by Barbara Risman.

And from the Community Pages:

• Engaging Sports discusses race and social class in college football positions.

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TSP Edited Volumes

Welcome back! This week we’ve got a new special feature on why the GM strike is headed for failure, research on the rhetoric and consequences of white nationalism today, and why cooking time has declined in the United States and France.

Special Feature:

“Why the United Auto Workers GM Strike is Headed for Failure,” by Joshua Murray. In this repost from The Conversation, Murray explores the GM strike based on previous research and history.

There’s Research on That!:

“White Nationalism in the 21st Century,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. We round up research on the rhetoric of white nationalism today and its consequences.

“The Politics of Pink,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we brought back a post from the past on the social science research of breast cancer visibility.

Discoveries:

“Declines in Time Spent Cooking at Home,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. New research in Cultural Sociology finds that in France and the United States, people are spending less time on cooking food at home.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“What Makes a Mashup Work?” by Evan Stewart.

Contexts:

“After Experiences of Unwanted Sex, Queer Women See Men as ‘Stupid,'” by Elena Riecke, Jessie Ford, and Paula England.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Happy Moms, Happier Dads? by Cadhla McDonnell, Nancy Luke, and Susan Short.

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Hello, hello! This week we’ve got new social science research on how sexuality matters married people’s health. You’ll also find social science research on legal consciousness — how people first perceive an act of discrimination as wrong and worthy of complaint — as well as research on who receives special education services in the United States.

Special Feature:

“Marriage Could be Good for Your Health – Unless You’re Bisexual,” by Ning Hsieh and Hui Liu. In this repost from The Conversation, a new study finds that unlike heterosexual and gay or lesbian adults, married bisexuals are not healthier than unmarried bisexuals.

There’s Research on That!:

“Legal Consciousness and Mobilization against Sexual Harassment,” by Amber Joy Powell. Sociologists of law use the term legal consciousness to explain how people first perceive an act of discrimination as wrong and worthy of complaint. In the age of #MeToo, sociological research sheds light on the process by which individuals learn that assault and harassment can be reported in the first place.

“Who Gets a Special Education?” by Amy August. The number of children receiving special education services in the United States has increased dramatically, but concerns remain about racial inequalities in diagnosis and service quality. Social science research shows that children of color are overdiagnosed and underserved.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Less ageism = less Alzheimer’s. It’s that clear.” by Ashton Applewhite.

And from the Community Pages:

• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies reflects on the horrific history of Waldsee in Nazi Germany and its contemporary controversy in the U.S.
• Engaging Sports discusses race and marijuana use in sport.

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Welcome back! This week you’ll find new sociological research on how real estate agents feel about their work, as well as how peers influence preference for STEM subjects. We also have reflections on why interracial couples and their multiracial children won’t save us.

Special Feature:

“Money & Meanings: Real Estate Professionals in the Neoliberal City,” by Mirella Landriscina. In our latest special feature, Landriscina explores how real estate agents feel about and experience their work.

Discoveries:

“Peer Influence and STEM Preference,” by Amy August. New research in Sociology of Education finds that more middle school boys have friends that prefer STEM subjects than girls. But if enough girls like STEM in one classroom, not having close friends that prefer STEM subjects doesn’t matter.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“La Economía de la Migración,” by Jonathan Portes.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“On Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Interracial Couples and Their Multiracial Children Will Not Save Us,” by Chinyere Osuji.

And from the Community Pages:

• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies highlights the story of a scholar on the Middle East that was denied entrance to the United States by Homeland Security.

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TSP Edited Volumes

Happy Friday the 13th! If you’re superstitious, check out some of our content on belief in the paranormal, witchcraft, and strange rituals. In new content this week, we have social science research on racial bias and the death penalty, a new study on how sexism harms health, and reflections on the long shadow of mass violence.

Special Feature:

“New Abortion Laws Contribute to Sexist Environments that Harm Everyone’s Health,” by Patricia Homan. A new study shows that “structural sexism” is making people sick.

There’s Research on That!:

“Racial Bias and the Death Penalty,” by Allison Nobles. In light of the Trump administration’s announcement that they will continue federal executions, we review research demonstrating racial biases play a key role in death sentences and executions in the United States.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“A Love that Does Justice,” by Myra Brown.

“Being the Boss,” by Layne Amerikaner.

“American Indians and Authentic Blood,” by  Le-My Tran.

“Are Sociologists Next to Be Imprisoned and Tortured? A Call to Unite and Oppose the Criminalization of Social Science,” by David Lempert.

Sociological Images:

“Normal Distributions in the Wild,” by Evan Stewart.

Council on Contemporary Families:

My Sisters and the Long, Terrifying Shadow of Mass Violence, by Stacy Torres.

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Welcome back! This week we’ve got a new special feature about how residents experience gentrification, social science research on school choice and social inequality, and reflections on gendered wedding traditions.

Special Feature:

“Why Can’t Gentrification Fix What’s Already Here?” by Christina Jackson and Yasmine Payano. In our latest special feature, Jackson and Payano discuss how residents experience gentrification in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

There’s Research on That!:

“School Choice and Social Inequality,” by Evan Stewart and Neeraj Rajasekar. Social science research comparing private and public approaches to schooling finds distinct benefits of public schools and questions whether more choice in schooling really helps everyone.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“There is No Green Book for Walking,” by Jennifer D. Roberts.

Sociological Images:

“Surviving Student Debt,” by Amber Joy Powell.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“The Fall Wedding Season is upon Us — But Outdated, Gendered Traditions Don’t Have to Be,” by Stephanie Coontz.

And from the Community Pages:

• Engaging Sports reflects on the concussion crisis in sports.
• Cyborgology discusses the role of the internet and white supremacy in the context of mass violence.

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Greetings, social science fans! This week you’ll find social science research on how students benefit from after-school programs, changing family vacation norms, and reflections on the social impact of global population change.

There’s Research on That!:

“How Students Benefit from After-School Programs,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. We revisit research demonstrating that students do benefit from after-school programs.

Clippings:

“When the World Stops Growing,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. The Atlantic talks with sociologist Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue about how population changes may affect family structures.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

“Family Matters,” by Evan Stewart.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Won’t You Be My (Vacation) Neighbor? Second Homeowners and Changing Family Vacation Norms in the Sharing Economy,” by Michelle Janning.

And from the Community Pages:

• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies highlights the work of Musicology PhD candidate, Kathryn Huether.

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Welcome back! This week we’ve got a new special feature on changing global attitudes towards same-sex sexuality, as well as social science research on vigilantism in Latin America, and reflections on the role of images in genocide studies.

Special Feature:

“Attitudes toward Gay and Lesbian People Have Grown More Accepting around the World. Why? And What Obstacles Remain?” by Louisa L. Roberts. Roberts explores why there has been a favorable global shift in attitudes towards same-sex sexuality.

There’s Research on That!:

“Vigilantism in Latin America,” by Isabel Arriagada and Lucas Lynch. Research on vigilante forms of justice in Latin America demonstrates how weak state institutions, like inadequate police forces, inefficient judicial systems, and corruption, can contribute to citizens taking the law into their own hands to provide justice and security in their communities.

And from the Community Pages:

• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies reflects on the role of images in genocide studies and German colonists’ practices of separating children from their parents.

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