The 19th Junior Theorists Symposium (JTS) is now open to new submissions. The JTS is a conference featuring the work of emerging sociologists engaged in theoretical work, broadly defined. Sponsored in part by the Theory Section of the ASA, the conference has provided a platform for the work of early-career sociologists since 2005. They especially welcome submissions that broaden the practice of theory beyond its traditional themes, topics, and disciplinary function. The symposium will be held as an in-person event on Friday, August 8 prior to the 2025 ASA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

They invite all ABD graduate students, recent PhDs, postdocs, and assistant professors who received their PhDs from 2021 onwards to submit up to a three-page précis (800-1000 words). The précis should include the key theoretical contribution of the paper and a general outline of the argument.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 21, 2025, 11:59pm Eastern Time

See more details and submission instructions on the section's Google Form.

The IPUMS SDA (Survey Documentation and Analysis) online data analysis tool empowers users to analyze IPUMS data directly from their web browsers without the need for additional software or advanced programming skills. SDA is available for IPUMS CPS and MEPS datasets. See the recent blog post for complete information.

The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed extension of the American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before January 6, 2025.

See the Federal Register notice online.

The Center for Integrated Latent Variable Research (CILVR)
at The University of Maryland is pleased to present two very popular COMPLETELY ONLINE offerings:

STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING: FROM BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE
January 8-10, 2025 (Wednesday-Friday) (Link for more information)

LONGITUDINAL STRUCTURAL EQUATION AND LATENT GROWTH MODELING
January 15-17, 2025 (Wednesday-Friday) (Link for more information)

Instructors:
Dr. Gregory R. Hancock, University of Maryland (ghancock@umd.edu)
Dr. Yi Feng, UCLA (yi.feng@ucla.edu)

Participants may join ONLINE, from anywhere in the world with a good wi-fi connection -- synchronously (real-time) or asynchronously (delayed/recorded).

The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Summer Conference will be June 26-29, 2025 in Portland, OR. The submission deadline is February 9, 2025. There will be no extension of this deadline. 

This year's theme is "Research as Seed, Teaching as Root, Action as Bloom: Foundations for a Just Future." See complete information about the conference on the SPSSI website.

As reported initially by The Intercept, George Mason University suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter in early November. The suspension followed a raid at the family home of two Palestinian American GMU students, sisters who had both served as SJP presidents. GMU Police Chief Carl Rowan Jr. subsequently served the sisters with criminal trespass notices barring them from campus for four years, effectively expelling them without due process. The November raid was carried out by GMU and Fairfax County police, who reportedly refused to show the family a search warrant. The FBI may also have been involved in the raid. Authorities told the family the raid was related to a spray-paint vandalism incident on the GMU campus in August. A recent Washington Post article on the incident adds more information about the raid on the family's home and the response by the family’s lawyer.

A large coalition of advocacy groups has released a statement protesting GMU's actions.

DCSS previously provided two news items (here and here) regarding an ASA member “Resolution for Justice in Palestine” that was approved in May.

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) Social Science Advocacy Day will be March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC.

"Advocacy Day brings together social and behavioral scientists and science advocates from across the  country to engage with policymakers. The stakes for research funding have never been higher as we enter a particularly challenging political and budgetary environment. Social Science Advocacy Day is a must for all stakeholders who care about the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research should be used to inform sound public policy."

See more information on the COSSA events page.

The Spencer Foundation is committed to equitable education systems where all students, educators, families, and communities can thrive.

Spencer is launching a new initiative on AI and education. The initiative will support novel research on key, forward-leaning topics on AI, equity, and education. Ultimately, the initiative aims to offer evidence-based guidance that centers the needs of young people so that the technology solutions, systems, and policy directions we are utilizing and building contribute to the learning and thriving of all students.

In addition, Spencer has released a new set of white papers focused on what we know about culturally responsive and relevant approaches to teaching and learning. A growing body of research shows students learn best when they feel a sense of belonging and when teachers recognize and draw on cultural and community-aligned ways of thinking, doing, and learning. This research calls for new approaches to teaching and learning, centering the social and emotional needs of learners, and teaching in ways that incorporate communities and families.

The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program provides U.S. educators in the arts, social sciences and humanities with opportunities to participate in short-term seminars abroad to improve their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries. In summer 2025, the seminar for postsecondary faculty members will be "Building Bridges Across the Aegean: Cultural Heritage and Sustainability Seminar in Greece and Türkiye."

Program officers will hold a virtual “office hour” Wednesday Dec. 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. (ET). Anyone thinking about applying to the program is welcome to attend for part or all of the time block and may ask questions or just listen to what others are asking. To join, click the following link: Join Office Hours on Microsoft Teams, or call in to the meeting at 202-991-0393 and dial the meeting ID 401 171 772#.

Additional questions about the program or application can be emailed to seminarsabroad@ed.gov. More information is available through the program website.

From the Social Science Research Council (SSRC):

State and local governments are responsible for delivering vital public goods and services, including health, education, safety, clean energy, and growth-oriented infrastructure. Yet these governments have little capacity to build the data and evaluation infrastructures that would enable more effective delivery of these important goods and services.

In partnership with several universities in the SSRC’s College and University Fund for the Social Sciences, SSRC recently co-authored a Day One 2025 Policy Memo for the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) calling on the newly elected Congress to establish a network of “Policy Experiment Stations” or policy innovation labs in every state. These labs, hosted by universities and supported by federal and state appropriations, would provide state and local governments with much needed capacity to build integrated data infrastructures and evaluate the efficacy of their programs and policies.

Read more on the FAS website.