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Sociology News & Events

Yingyi Ma Quoted in NY Times Article on Challenges Faced by International Students Under Trump

“The reality is that China’s best and the brightest are not coming but leaving,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology. 

January 20, 2026

Walking the Land With Property Owners

Tom A Langen, Catherine Benson, Rick Welsh

The article, written by Professor of Sociology Rick Welsh, was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

January 20, 2026

Latin American Refugees to the U.S. Experience More Discrimination than Refugees from other Regions

Sobia Mushtaq and Janet M. Wilmoth
Discrimination poses serious challenges for refugees rebuilding their lives in the U.S., but not all refugee groups face the same risks. A new survey reveals stark differences by region of origin, with Latin American refugees experiencing substantially higher rates of discrimination than refugees from other regions.
January 6, 2026

See related: United States

Strengthening Snap’s Ability to Address Old Age Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer,

The article, published in Contexts, was co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. 

January 5, 2026

Harrington Meyer Discusses What’s Driving the Rise in Grandparent Childcare on WBUR's ‘On Point’

If parents had more guaranteed welfare state program available to them, “it would be easier for them to juggle jobs and children and they might not need to rely on grandparents quite as extensively,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer.

December 19, 2025

Monnat Discusses Six Myths About Rural America in The Conversation Article

Rural communities are far more varied than people understand them to be, says Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat and her co-author. “Getting these facts right matters because public debates, policies and resource—including money for programs—often rely on these assumptions, and misunderstandings can leave real needs neglected.”

December 12, 2025

See related: Rural Issues, United States

Birthplace, Perinatal Loss, and the Parity—Post-Reproductive Mortality Relationship

Cheryl Elman, Andrew S. London, Angela M. O'Rand

The study, co-authored by Professor of Sociology Andrew London, was published in Social Science & Medicine.

December 10, 2025

Public Health: A Vital Addition to Maxwell

The department’s transition from Falk College fuels collaboration across disciplines, strengthens research centers, and establishes a hub for population and public health sciences.

December 5, 2025

Jennifer Karas Montez Named President of IAPHS

The association works to improve population health by building collaboration among scholars, sharing information and convening events. 

December 3, 2025

Monnat Featured in Newsweek Article on Rural America’s Optimism About the Country’s Future

Rural communities have “leaned increasingly conservative” for several decades, and support for Trump is “especially strong” among these communities, which could mean they feel the country's leadership reflects their priorities, particularly on cultural and social issues, says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health.

November 26, 2025

Yingyi Ma Speaks with South China Morning Post on Drop in Number of Chinese Students in the US

Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, said several factors could be behind the trend showing a drop in the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., beyond the anxiety over changes in U.S. policies, including the rise of “intra-Asia migration” with more students studying in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

November 20, 2025

Student Alienation in Schools Goes Beyond Low Achievement

Sean J. Drake and Jeffrey Guhin
This brief summarizes findings from a study drawing on over two years of ethnographic fieldwork in two different high schools in Los Angeles, California. The authors identify four types of alienation students experience: feeling like they don't belong, being in schools that can't support their goals, pursuing futures schools don't recognize, and succeeding in someone else's story.
November 19, 2025

See related: United States

Public School Districts Should Close Their ‘Alternative’ and ‘Continuation’ High Schools

Sean J. Drake

“Alternative” high schools are meant to help struggling students catch up on credits, but they often function as dumping grounds that perpetuate inequality. 

November 5, 2025

See related: United States

The Achievement Narrative and Alienation in School: A Typology of Academic Disconnection

Sean J. Drake, Jeffrey Guhi

The study, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Sean Drake, was published in Sociology of Education.

October 30, 2025

How Does County Industry Mix Matter for Working-Age Mortality?

Xue Zhang, Iliya Gutin, Shannon M. Monnat, and Jennifer Karas Montez
This brief summarizes findings of a study that examined how five major employment sectors—agriculture, manufacturing, mining and construction, services, and professional services—are associated with working-age mortality rates across U.S. counties from 2000 to 2022. The authors find that the effects of local industries vary across time and cause of death. 
October 28, 2025

See related: United States

Adult ADHD is Linked to Higher Illicit Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse

Andrew S. London, Kevin M. Antshel, Joshua Grove, Iliya Gutin, and Shannon M. Monnat
This brief summarizes findings from a study that describes differences in lifetime and past-year use of 7 illicit drugs (marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and hallucinogens) and misuse of 4 categories of prescription medications (opioids, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants) between U.S. adults ages 18-64 with and without ADHD in 2023. The authors find that adults with ADHD are 1.6 to 3.3 times more likely to report past-year illicit drug use or prescription drug misuse than those without ADHD.
October 14, 2025

See related: United States

Community-Based Food Program Limits in Reducing Older Adult Food Insecurity

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
Older adults who are grappling with food insecurity may enhance their food supply through community-based programs that provide free and subsidized food. But these programs can be complex, expensive, and may be difficult for older adults to use. This final brief in our older adult food insecurity series describes the limits of community-based food programs for older adults, including access, food quality, and transportation barriers. 
October 7, 2025

See related: United States

The Limits of SNAP in Addressing Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer
This brief describes how SNAP is currently not well designed for older adults in three respects: (1) the high levels of administrative burden associated with eligibility, certification, and benefit-determination processes, (2) the low value of SNAP benefits compared with the high costs associated with redeeming them, and (3) the high levels of state variation in SNAP policies that produce substantially different conditions for SNAP depending on where one lives.
September 30, 2025

Nonfinancial Factors Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
Nonfinancial factors such as poor physical and mental health, lack of access to healthy food, and transportation challenges make it more difficult for older adults to obtain, prepare, and consume healthy food. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes how nonfinancial factors function as both causes and consequences of food insecurity in old age. 
September 23, 2025

Harrington Meyer Talks to HuffPost About Grandparenting Styles

“It almost doesn’t matter what kind of grandparent you are, as long as you and the parents agree. The trick is for the parents and the grandparents to agree on the roles and the rules,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. Once that happens, “then there could be a really harmonious relationship.”

September 19, 2025

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