it’s great to see this kind of progress towards gender equality

Some of you may realize that I am a total video game nerd. Others among you may realize that I am, by and large, greatly in favor of gender equality. And what all of you probably realize is that I rarely find these two parts of my nature in collision. That is, until things like […]

public sociology in farmtown #9: reflections on the experience

I’m not sure who (if anyone) has stuck with this series, so I’m not sure what your interests are in wrap-up. Drop comments if you want me to address other issues. Here are my thoughts. This was an overwhelming experience in many ways, and there are many threads one could pick up from the things […]

the soc rumour mill and the jobs wiki

It’s Get A Job time again in sociology, and that is stressful for job applicants, especially those just finishing their Ph.D.s and going out on the market for the first time. For the last few years, the job applicants have banded together on the internet, creating a discussion board, The Rumor Mill, where questions can […]

things i am in denial about

573. That I am moving in less than 2 weeks. I am doing just like The Jeffersons only backwards: I am Movin’ On Down. From the 19th floor to the 12th, from the Chicago-view side to the north-view side, and from a 2BR to a 1BR. I love the location but just didn’t see paying […]

more on interaction effects

Last week, Andrew Gelman wrote about my earlier post on interaction effects. My thoughts:

public sociology in farmtown #8: ideas and wrap-up

The final session of the two-day conference I’ve been describing in the “Farmtown” posts is supposed to be reports from the small groups that met in the morning. These reports get longer and the discussion gets more animated with each successive speaker. As with the sermon, I’ve tried to capture the flavor of the longer […]

to whom it may concern

How should graduate students on the job market address cover letters when the ad does not specify a chair of the committee or any other contact person? I had someone pose a few possibilities and wasn’t sure what to say other than “NO!” to “To whom it may concern:”.

there are few undecided voters

So says a recent paper in Science. We provide evidence that future choices of undecided individuals can be predicted by their current automatic mental associations, even when these individuals consciously report that they are still undecided… Conceptually, automatic mental associations are defined as those associations that come to mind unintentionally, that are difficult to control […]

oz demography

News from Australia (story here): A plea for lovelorn female “ugly ducklings” to move to a remote Australian mining town [Mt Isa] to reverse a shortage of eligible women has landed the local mayor in hot water. Is it just me, or is this one of these stories that causes a visceral offense reaction, but […]

looks like i have to turn off the phone

The reporter from last week just called back.  First, his analysis of disparities in a particular crime revealed no difference, so the story is not going forward.  Just like academics?  Second, he’s got something new going and is asking me questions about how to run his copy of SPSS (!) a program I don’t use […]

anybody have any ideas about what is bothering up our sidebar?

how does your university deal with student plagiarism?

I’m sure I’ll end up posting more about this as time goes on, but at the moment I’d just like to get a read on others’ experiences.  I just got done with a very frustrating experience with UNC’s honor court, in which (IMHO) they devalued my expertise as a faculty member and the central importance […]

public sociology in farmtown: #7 inspiration and challenge

(This continues a series. See the earlier posts in the series for background and context.) Our lunch speaker is a Black man I code as about 40 plus or minus 10 years. He has a staff job with a college in another state and is also a Baptist minister. His style is passionate Black ministerial […]

fabio just reviewed my book!

Go read it! Here’s my favorite part: Tina Fetner’s study of gay rights activists and their opponents is required reading for anyone interested in the struggle for equality in the 21st century. It’ll be discussed in seminars on sexuality and movement politics for years to come. Required reading. That’s what I like to hear.

how many athletes are gay?

A story in the Globe and Mail yesterday bemoans the fact that only 10 Olympic athletes are openly gay in a public enough way to be counted by the website Outsports.com (don’t ask me about their methods–not much on that over there). This includes nine lesbians and one gay man, and for whatever reason does […]