Everyday Sociology

By Karen Sternheimer When I was a child, I really wanted to see Mel Brooks’ The History of the World, Part I. The ads on TV looked funny, and other kids I knew allegedly had seen the movie and talked about how good it was, re-enacting some of the funnier bits. Alas, it was rated … Continue reading The Sociological Importance of Mel Brooks

By Stacy Torres My father was from Chile. Five years after his death, I’ve adapted to the past tense when referring to him, but it’s still not automatic. Was. Every time that three-letter verb of no longer being catches in my throat, I notice the slight delay even if my conversation partners don’t. I remember … Continue reading Global Culture, Immigration, and the World Cup

By Karen Sternheimer Back in 2008, I wrote a post called “A Modest Proposal to Save Journalism.” Almost two decades later, it has never been more critical to have an independent “fourth estate” but it probably won’t return in its previous form, due to political and economic pressures. Case in point: the “Thursday night massacre” … Continue reading The Paper: Journalism and the Future

By Rob Eschmann Author Andy Weir, best known for his books The Martian and Project Hail Mary, both of which were turned into successful science fiction films starring Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling, has recently been enmeshed in controversy surrounding his anti-woke comments and insistence that politics has no place in fiction. Though they’re just … Continue reading The Sociology of Science Fiction:…

By Stacy Torres During the past year-plus of wars, U.S. National Guard deployments, ICE detentions and killings, strikes on Venezuela—I’m just waiting for frogs to rain down—I’ve found my blissful reprieve in Pedro-mania. I’m talking about the meteoric rise of actor Pedro Pascal, whom I’ve finally discovered and who’s helping me tap into my own … Continue reading In Praise of Pedro-Mania: How Ped…

By Rob Eschmann The news cycle in 2026 feels straight out of a dystopian science fiction film. New AI models are so good at hacking companies hesitate to release them to the public, and the construction of new data centers force people off their land, pollute the environment, and take up natural resources as citizen … Continue reading When Science Fiction Becomes Real: Walter Mosley’s Futureland …

By Karen Sternheimer As a social scientist, I like data. If you can quantify something, I’m interested. Data is the foundation of sociology: we are not making casual observations and calling it science; we empirically gather data and look for patterns. You might have learned about the concepts of validity and reliability in a research … Continue reading When AI isn’t so I: Health Data Reliability…

By Rob Eschmann Spoiler alert:  This post includes plot details about Project Hail Mary Project Hail Mary, the 2026 science fiction film which garnered a 94% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has made over $670 million in the two months since being released, is one of the most well-received blockbusters in recent years. Ryan … Continue reading No Such Thing as “Apolitical” Art: Project Hail M…

By Monica Radu Imagine someone losing a loved one and you send them a message generated by AI. Even if the words are thoughtful and appropriate, something about it might feel… off. Maybe even a little cold. I think we would tend to read that act as impersonal, as if the emotion doesn’t fully “count.” … Continue reading When Is Emotion “Real”? AI, Condolences, and the Social Rules of Caring

By Karen Sternheimer We all know that volunteering is good for the group or organization we are helping. They get our free labor, leaving more specialized tasks for paid employees. But what if you could gain more from volunteering than you give? Would that make you more likely to share your limited amount of free … Continue reading Be Selfish: Volunteer

By Karen Sternheimer There is no shortage of hand-wringing about social media sites like Instagram enabling people to compare themselves with others, presumably leading to outcomes like depression and other mental health challenges. But social media did not start social comparison—it is woven into the fabric of many of our social institutions. As it is … Continue reading Social Comparison: It’s N…

By Karen Sternheimer When driving, we interact with other drivers in ways that are often distinct from our other interactions with strangers in public. For one, our language is more limited and less nuanced than in other interactions. We might use hand gestures (friendly and rude), flashing lights, or in extreme cases, aggressive maneuvers like … Continue reading Driving While Human

By Monica Radu I have been waiting years to write this. Tell Me Lies has wrapped after three seasons; For those unfamiliar, the TV series follows a group of college students as they navigate relationships, friendships, and identity over several years, with a central focus on Lucy and Stephen’s complicated and increasingly destructive relationship. The main timeline begins in 2007, when Lucy start…

By Karen Sternheimer When I was in high school, I watched Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Years later, I didn’t remember much about the movie, other than the computer Hal’s monotone voice when speaking to Dave, the astronaut, who must “kill” Hal to save himself after Hal killed the rest of the crew. Read more: The Robots are Taking Over: Low Wage Work and the FutureAs a twentieth century…

By Monica Radu Motherhood comes with a whole set of cultural expectations about what it should look like, feel like, and even who is seen as a “typical” mom. I was reminded of this recently during a quick doorstep conversation with a delivery driver. I mentioned how much I rely on their services with four little ones at home, and she said, “Oh, wow. You don’t look like you have four kids.” I thin…

By Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, associate faculty at Royal Roads University (Canada), and Director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue One of the concepts Erving Goffman wrote about was “impression management.” He was interested in the control people have over what others learn about them. Sometimes the impression one gives is quite … Continue rea…

By Alyssa Lyons When my daughter, my partner, and I walked into the large high school gymnasium that crisp fall Saturday, we were immediately overwhelmed. It was our very first high school fair, and my eighth-grade daughter was exploring her options. As we walked around the gym, we were surrounded by schools. Glossy brochures, shiny … Continue reading From the Inside Out: Education is Still Big B…