Building Sustainable Cities for the Future

Overview of the major findings from the United Nations’s recent report, World Economic and Social Survey 2013: Sustainable Development Challenges. We cover some sociological resources that speak to the theme of green planning.

Rigour in Sociological Practice

We tell graduates that sociology can be used to improve the delivery of social services, that it can better shape social policy, that we can use it to mediate conflict to achieve social justice. Yet, once we enter our paid professional life, practitioners often encounter the perception that applied sociological work is less rigorous. WhyContinueContinue reading “Rigour in Sociological Practice”

Sociology’s Gendered “Ritual Nods”

White male European and American voices dominate sociology. New analysis makes me wonder: are we reproducing inequality through our “ritual nods” to social theory? Sociologist Rafael Pereira published an analysis of the most-cited authors in sociology papers. The analysis was limited to the Google Scholars Citations page. Pereira finds that the top sociology citations favourContinueContinue reading “Sociology’s Gendered “Ritual Nods””

Breastfeeding Policies atWork

A new study outlines the lack of support and resources that women academics face when they return to work and need to breastfeed their babies. They encounter disgust, shame and stigma when they breastfeed because they are not provided a comfortable, quiet place where they can lactate. Inside Higher Ed has covered a new bookContinueContinue reading “Breastfeeding Policies atWork”

Limits of Economic Pragmatism

A recent poll highlights how Americans interested in “pop economics” have a limited view sociology and research contributions more broadly. Freakonomics has published a survey amongst its readers (primarily economists) about which disciplines are not useful. They had a response of 1,200 voters, who said that political science and sociology were useless because they weren’t “pragmatic”ContinueContinue reading “Limits of Economic Pragmatism”