Social Studies
MN
Sociology
Enriching social scientific understandings of the complex problems societies face today.
Changing "Work-Life Balance" to "Work-Family Fit"
The New York Times explores American Sociological Review research by Phyllis Moen and colleagues to show why a shift to considering employees’ “work-family fit” is a win for companies, too.
There's Research on That! Refugees and Social Instability
A research roundup of social science on the motives and meanings of migration highlights work from U of M sociologist Cawo Abdi.
Does Africa Need a New Green Revolution to Fight Hunger?
“Green Revolution” is the label for concerted initiatives to increase agricultural production and prevent hunger and starvation in major regions of the world. Earlier efforts transformed agriculture in Mexico, India, and the Philippines – by facilitating the use of new technologies and commercial seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to produce high-yield cereal grains. In 2006 two of the world’s largest foundations, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, joined forces to launch the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
Same-Sex, Different Attitudes
In a now-classic white paper, sociologist Kathy Hull asks how and why American public opinion about marriage equality evolved so quickly: “It’s not a case of older people with more conservative beliefs dying out and being replaced by younger, more liberal generations. Rather, this kind of rapid shift suggests some individuals are changing their minds on the issue.”
Thinking about Trayvon: Privileged Response and Media Discourse
A classic roundtable discussion from The Society Pages features U of M professors Zenzele Isoke and Enid Logan. Isoke issues a damning critique of media constructions of balance: “When the media panders to both sides or both ‘storylines’ … it makes a mockery of the political community. The media operates on the fiction that both sides are ‘equally valid,’ when clearly they are not.”
One Thing I Know: Redefining Retirement
Life course scholar Phyllis Moen’s classic 2010 piece on why retirement is no longer a moment, but a project.
Why Punishment Is Purple
Sociologist Josh Page on the politics of punishment and why candidates and communities come together on criminal justice and, increasingly, criminal justice reform.
About Social Studies MN
Social Studies MN is a partnership between the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts and The Society Pages. We highlight cutting edge research, teaching, and community engagement within CLA, and we hope to showcase such material to viewers like you.
