Sociology News & Events
Landes Quoted in Associated Press Article on Proposed Changes to Major National Health Survey
“We just won’t know any of that anymore,” Scott Landes, professor of sociology, says of the proposed removal of questions dealing with memory, fatigue, arthritis, difficulty walking and climbing stairs, as well as others about the use of hearing aids, canes, wheelchairs and scooters.
See related: Disability, Federal Government, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Legitimacy, Performance and Cooptation
Selina Gallo-Cruz, associate professor of sociology, edited a special issue for the Journal of Political Power, Vol. 19, Issue 3, “Allusions, Illusions and Delusions of Power” and authored the introductory editorial.
See related: Conflict, Economic Policy, Government, Labor, Law
Harrington Meyer Talks to HuffPost About ‘Depleted Grandmother Syndrome’
“In my research, grandparents reported spending money they meant to use for an oil change to buy diapers for their grandchildren, foregoing meals so their grandchildren can eat and delaying retirement so they could continue to bankroll the younger generation,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer.
See related: Aging, Child & Elder Care, Labor, United States
Yingyi Ma Quoted in New York Times Article on the US-China Race to Recruit Foreign AI Researchers
“The danger for the U.S. is a slow erosion of its appeal to attract talent that compounds over decades. By the time the effect shows up in the data, it is hard to reverse,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology.
See related: Artificial Intelligence, China, Education, Government, United States
Refugee Youth’s Perceptions of Mass School Shootings and School Violence
The article, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Sean Drake, was published in Children & Schools.
See related: Children, Adolescents, Crime & Violence, Media & Journalism, Refugees, U.S. Education, United States
Maxwell’s ‘Agents of Change’ Conference to Celebrate and Examine the Nation’s 250th Anniversary
The full-day event on Oct. 16 is part of the school’s USA@250 programming and will feature a keynote by Goldman School Dean David C. Wilson and panels with faculty scholars and pollster John Zogby ’74 M.A. (Hist).
See related: Federal Government, School History, United States, USA@250
Landes Talks to Disability Scoop About CDC Plans to Drop Disability Questions From Federal Survey
The proposal is particularly alarming since the existing survey is already flawed, says Scott Landes, professor of sociology and co-founder of the Disability Health Equity Research Network. “Studies using the survey’s own data show it misses about half of the disabled adults the federal standard for measuring disability identifies,” he says.
See related: Disability, Federal Government, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Claiming Learners’ Time: Adult Learning Among Midlife Chinese Immigrant Women in the United States
The article, co-authored by Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein, was published in Studies in the Education of Adults.
See related: Education, Gender and Sex, Parenting & Family, U.S. Immigration, United States
Monnat Speaks With the Associated Press About the Economic Importance of Immigrants
Shannon Monnat, professor of sociology, says immigration has been a demographic lifeline for much of rural America. Rural areas have been losing young adults for years, she says. “For a lot of small towns, immigrants are the reason the school and hospital stayed open and the county didn’t shrink,” Monnat says.
See related: Federal Government, Rural Issues, U.S. Elections, U.S. Immigration, United States
Montez and Top Health Researchers Sound the Alarm on NIH Funding in Health Affairs Forefront
University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez and 30 top health policy researchers warn that recent actions by the National Institutes of Health regarding a retreat from its history of informing policymakers could have grave consequences for public health in the United States.
See related: Federal Government, Health Policy
Maxwell Advisory Board Welcomes Six Accomplished Alumni
Their expertise spans a range of fields, and they play a vital role in advising the dean and school leadership.
See related: Promotions & Appointments, School History
Landes Article on Trump’s Push to Lock up Disabled People Published in The Progressive Magazine
“If states are permitted to follow the guidance of the DOJ and begin forcibly institutionalizing disabled people once again, this loss of rights will expand to where it harms us all. We must work together to fight ableist policies by protecting the civil rights of both disabled and nondisabled Americans,” writes Scott Landes, professor of sociology.
See related: Disability, Federal Government, United States
Harrington Meyer Discusses Parents Turning to Grandparents for Childcare in NPR Article
“Perhaps the biggest benefit is that they are so flexible,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. “Unlike a formal daycare situation, often grandparents will come to your house, or they'll alternate between watching the children at their own house and at the grandparent's house.”
See related: Child & Elder Care, Labor, United States
New Federal Grant Funds Specialized Training in Health and Aging Research
Doctoral students will examine how policies and geographic factors shape health outcomes for American adults.
See related: Aging, Community Health, Grant Awards, Longevity, Student Experience, U.S. Education, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Harrington Meyer and Heflin Explore the Hunger Crisis Facing Older Adults on Aging Well Podcast
Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Madonna Harrington Meyer, University Professor, discuss their co-written book Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity (Russell Sage Foundation, 2025).
See related: Aging, Food Security, Nutrition, United States
The Newest Federalism and Population Health
Co-authored by University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez, the article was published in The Milbank Quarterly.
See related: Federal Government, State & Local Government, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Tracing the Religious Life Course in an American Baby-Boom Cohort
The article, co-authored by Professor of Sociology Merril Silverstein, was published in Religions.
See related: Parenting & Family, Religion, United States
Primary Nesting Season Designations on Conservation Reserve Program Lands
Co-authored by Professor of Sociology Rick Welsh, the article was published in Conservation Science and Practice.
See related: Government, Non-governmental Organizations, United States
Digging for Answers: Student Returns to Wisconsin for Mining Town Excavation
An archaeology student is uncovering remnants of a pioneer cabin and discovering how hands-on field research provides an uncommon learning experience.
See related: Archaeology, United States
Maxwell School Announces Leadership Changes in Dean’s Office and Academic Programs
Bob Bifulco has joined the dean’s office leadership team and faculty have stepped into new roles guiding the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs and the Law, Society and Policy program.
See related: Promotions & Appointments