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Sociology News & Events

Why Are Food System Workers Excluded from Local Food Policy Councils?

Frank Sarfo, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern and Jonnell A Robinson
This brief summarizes findings from a study that examined the challenges and barriers that have limited FPCs’ engagement with labor issues. The authors find that internal tensions, limited capacity, and weak ties to labor groups hinder FPC engagement in food labor advocacy.
August 20, 2025

See related: United States

Is Health Insurance Related to Breastfeeding Duration?

Anna De La Paz
This data slice describes differences in breastfeeding duration by insurance type among females ages 15-49 in the U.S. from 2022-2023. Findings show that mothers with private insurance breastfeed longer than mothers with public insurance, such as Medicaid. 
August 19, 2025

See related: United States

Harrington Meyer Talks to The Wall Street Journal About Today's Working Grandmothers

University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer interviewed 48 working grandmothers; all but four “said they were doing much more care for the grandchildren than they expected—and much more than their own parents did for them,” she says.

August 4, 2025

Shannon Monnat Selected to Lead Rural Sociological Society

The Maxwell sociologist was also awarded the organization’s Frederick H. Buttel Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award for her recent co-authored book.

July 31, 2025

Sociologist’s Article Recognized by the Association for the Sociology of Religion

Merril Silverstein, professor and chair of sociology, has been awarded the Sociology of Religion Distinguished Article Award for 2024 for his co-authored article, "Did Gender Egalitarianism Weaken Religiosity in Baby Boom Women? A Developmental-Historical Approach" (Sociology of Religion, 2023). 

July 30, 2025

The Disability Mismatch: The Case for a Comprehensive Disability Status Measure

Scott D Landes, Bonnielin K Swenor, Jean P Hall, Anjali J Forber-Pratt, Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Kate Caldwell, Mihir Kakara, Deborah Lefkowitz, Andrew Myers, Susan J Popkin, Nicholas S Reed, Emily F Rothman, Maggie Salinger
Co-authored by Professor of Sociology Scott Landes, the article “The Disability Mismatch: The Case for a Comprehensive Disability Status Measure” was published in Health Affairs Scholar.
July 28, 2025

See related: Disability, United States

Social Exchange in Intergenerational Relationships over the Family Life Course: Reciprocity Dynamics

Merril Silverstein, Martin Lakomý, Seonhwa Lee, Bo Jian, Wencheng Zhang, Daphna Gans

Co-authored by Professor of Sociology Merril Silverstein, the article “Social Exchange in Intergenerational Relationships over the Family Life Course: Reciprocity Dynamics in Support to Older Mothers” was published in The Journals of Gerontology.

July 28, 2025

Monnat Cited in Forbes Article on Rural Health

According to Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat, “The rural U.S. is sick, poor, and losing population. And the health and longevity gap between rural and urban America is growing wider every year.”

July 24, 2025

Silverstein Quoted in The Atlantic Article on Great Grandparents

Merril Silverstein, professor and chair of sociology, says that because today’s grandparents are so involved with family life on the whole, both logistically and emotionally, we might expect that great-grandparents will keep becoming more tied in as well.

July 10, 2025

Haowei Wang Named Maxwell School Scholar in US-China/Asia Relations

The position was created with a gift by Syracuse University alumni Yang Ni and Xiaoqing Li to strengthen connections between Maxwell faculty and scholars in China and Asia.

July 10, 2025

Yingyi Ma Talks to South China Morning Post About Trump’s Crackdown on International Students

“Chinese students, for many, many years have been full-pay students, if not more,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology. “Some places charge additional fees for international students…and so the tuition is provide a very important buffer for American universities. Many of them are really cash-strapped, especially the state universities.”

June 18, 2025

Yingyi Ma Weighs In on Trump Admin’s Move to Revoke Chinese Students’ Visas in NPR, WSJ Articles

“The economic costs are apparent,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology. “The talent cost has even graver consequences.”

June 2, 2025

Janet Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professor

The designation is granted by the Board of Trustees to faculty who have achieved exceptionally distinguished stature in their academic specialties.

May 8, 2025

See related: Awards & Honors

Scott Landes Recognized for Excellence in Teaching, Support of Students

The Maxwell sociologist received an Excellence in Graduate Education Award and an honor from the Center for Disability Resources.

May 7, 2025

See related: Awards & Honors

Can Studying in the US Survive Geopolitics? Yingyi Ma Discusses in Brookings Institution Article

“What’s at risk is not just enrollment numbers or university budgets—it’s the future of American innovation and the country’s standing in the world,” says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology.

May 6, 2025

Scott Landes Wins Research Award for Work on Disability and Survey Metrics

The IPUMS award recognizes his co-authored paper on disability status and health survey data.

May 1, 2025

University Announces 2025-26 Remembrance Scholars

The scholarships, now in their 36th year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the students studying in London and Florence through Syracuse University who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

April 25, 2025

Religiosity of Grandchildren and Their Grandparents as a Basis for Norms of Eldercare Responsibility

Merril Silverstein, Seonhwa Lee, Riansimone Orissa Harris, Wencheng Zhang

“Religiosity of Grandchildren and Their Grandparents as a Basis for Norms of Eldercare Responsibility in Emerging Adults,” co-authored by Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein, was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

April 23, 2025

Addressing the Triple Trauma of Factors Leading to Perinatal Health and Mental Health Consequences

Robert H. Keefe, Robert A. Rubinstein, Kiara Van Brackle, Sanid Music, Zikora Nnam, Sandra D. Lane

“Addressing the Triple Trauma of Factors Leading to Perinatal Health and Mental Health Consequences in Two Upstate New York Communities,” co-authored by Maxwell anthropologists Robert Rubinstein and Sandra Lane, along with Ph.D. student Kiara Van Brackle, was published in Behavioral Sciences.

April 23, 2025

Harrington Meyer and Silverstein Featured in The Atlantic Article on Grandparenting

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our grandmothers,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. “But I think there’s plenty wrong with our welfare state.”

April 16, 2025

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