DC Sociological Society News

NSF SBE directorate slated for elimination

DCSS Admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:46:11 GMT

Both Nature and Science reported on April 3, 2026 that NSF plans to eliminate its Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate based on the President's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request. Although the President's budget request typically represents only the beginning of federal spending negotiations, actions during the past year have short-circuited the usual appropriation process and resulted in widespread cuts to agencies and programs throughout the federal government.

According to the report in Nature, "The White House seeks to slash the NSF budget by nearly 55%, to $4 billion. The proposal also cuts all funding for the NSF division that funds research on the social sciences and economics. At an internal all-hands meeting on Friday, NSF leaders announced that they would dissolve the agency’s Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate based on the budget request, according to two NSF staff members who shared information anonymously in order to speak freely. The NSF’s budget request to Congress states that the agency will shut down the SBE but maintain SBE “grants that align with Administration priorities, such as in behavioral and cognitive science, and all impacted employees will be transferred to other parts of the agency”." (Complete article requires subscription)

Regarding NSF, Science reports, "Each of NSF’s eight research directorates would get a cut, as would the agency’s Office of Polar Programs. And the request calls for the elimination of NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), which last year awarded $154 million in grants in fields including archaeology, bioanthropology, cultural anthropology, cognitive science, linguistics, and social psychology. Ongoing SBE grants that “align with Administration priorities, such as in behavioral and cognitive science,” would be moved to other parts of the agency. It proposes to separately fund one SBE project, the $44 million National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, which tracks data on U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and math fields." [The report in Science covers multiple agencies and seems to be accessible without a subscription.]

DCSS will post further updates as they become available.

Comment on USDA Statistical Products

DCSS Admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:23:15 GMT

From the IPUMS Center for Data Integration

Federal Register Notice: USDA Statistical Products

Comment period ends April 9

"IPUMS users may be interested in this request for information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the Federal Register focused on the USDA’s statistical and economic products. Among its statistical products, USDA provides standardized food security survey modules for broad use and, until recently, sponsored collection of food security data via the Current Population Survey (CPS) and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (see our blog on food security in U.S. federal data to learn more). This request for information is an opportunity to respond to the termination of these data collection efforts and to describe their importance to your work."

Census Bureau releases details on 2026 operational test

DCSS Admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:09:19 GMT

U.S. Census Bureau to Conduct Pilot With U.S. Postal Service for 2026 Operational Test

MARCH 23, 2026 — "The U.S. Census Bureau last month announced it has modified its 2026 Census Test sites to Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. These sites were selected to give the Census Bureau the opportunity to explore how working with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could increase effectiveness and how to improve in-field enumeration processes for the 2030 Census.

"Starting on May 1, the Census Bureau will invite approximately 154,600 households in Spartanburg and Huntsville to respond to the test online in English only via computer, smartphone and tablet. Phone and mail responses will not be offered."

See the complete 3/23/26 announcement on the Census website

See coverage from the Associated Press (note the final paragraph) and earlier coverage from NPR.

See the previous DCSS post providing information on the process leading up to this test.

Urge Congress to Prioritize Robust Science Funding in FY 2027 Appropriations Bills

DCSS Admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:39:14 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)

Urge Congress to Prioritize Robust Science Funding!

"Congressional appropriators are preparing legislation that will determine funding for federal science and statistical agencies for the next year (FY 2027). With recent attacks on the scientific research enterprise—including funding cuts, grant delays/cancellations, reorganization proposals, abrupt terminations, and mass layoffs— it is essential that our community fights for federal science funding and the scientific workforce. The stakes have never been higher.

"Now is the time to write to your Members of Congress to urge that they prioritize funding in FY 2027 for research and statistics by supporting increased appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census Bureau, International Education and Foreign Language Programs, and the federal statistical system."

Claims Deadline March 30: Anthropic AI Class Action Information for Authors

DCSS Admin — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

[Update, 3/25/26] Authors Guild: "Bartz v. Anthropic Settlement: What Authors Need to Know" IMPORTANT: The Claims Deadline Is March 30

"Make sure to file a claim even if your publisher is filing one. You could be entitled to approximately $3,000 for each of your books that is included in the Works List if you are a sole copyright owner or approximately $1,500 if you have a publisher (with certain exceptions)"

Original post from 8/23/25

"Earlier this summer, a federal court in California issued a major ruling in Bartz v. Anthropic, one of the copyright class action lawsuits involving AI. The court held that a trial should occur over whether Anthropic’s downloading of millions of books from the pirate websites Library Genesis (“LibGen”) and Pirate Library Mirror (“PiLiMi”) infringed the rights of copyright holders. (It also held that Anthropic’s use of books to train AI was fair use, a holding with which the Authors Guild disagrees.) On July 17, the court certified a class comprised of legal and beneficial owners of the rights in copyright-registered books downloaded by Anthropic from these sites.

"It is important to remember that this case is a class action, a special kind of lawsuit allowed under federal law to address the claims of a large group commonly harmed by a defendant’s conduct. Here, the conduct at issue is Anthropic’s mass downloading and retention of books from pirate websites.

"The Authors Guild is helping to coordinate publicity about the class action through various other creators’ groups to make sure that all authors whose books were illegally downloaded by Anthropic are notified.

"You do not need to do anything to be a member of the class. But to help ensure that you receive notices relating to your participation in the suit (including the opportunity to opt out of it), you should provide your current contact information and book titles to the court-appointed class counsel at the class action website."

Comment on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031

DCSS Admin — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:34:28 GMT

Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Comments and Suggestions on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031

"The purpose of the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan is to communicate how NIH will advance its mission to support research in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems, and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

"The current NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, covering FY21-FY25, was submitted to Congress in July 2021. As part of implementing the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255), NIH will update its Strategic Plan, no less than once every six years. The agency is currently developing the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for FY27-FY31 and anticipates releasing it early FY27.

"The NIH-Wide Strategic Plan highlights NIH’s approach towards the achievement of its mission while ensuring good stewardship of taxpayer funds. It is not intended to outline the myriad of important research opportunities for specific diseases or conditions. Nor will it focus on the specific research missions of each component Institute, Center and Office.

"This RFI invites input from stakeholders throughout the scientific research, advocacy, and clinical practice communities, as well as the general public, regarding the above proposed framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for FY27-FY31. The NIH seeks comments on, but not limited to, NIH’s Goals across the three Priorities articulated in the framework—including potential benefits, drawbacks, opportunities, or challenges, and other areas of focus for consideration."

Responses must be received by 11:59:59 pm (ET) on May 16, 2026.

Read the full notice online

2026 CTE Summer Research Institute

DCSS Admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:37:53 GMT

2026 Research Training Institute
June 22–26, 2026
Online training

"The CTE Research Network 2.0 is committed to supporting the development of the next generation of researchers who will contribute to the growing evidence base on effective career and technical education. Applications for the 2026 Training Institute will be due March 26, 2026.

"The training is designed to build the capacity of researchers to plan and conduct high-quality studies of CTE programs, practices, and policies. Participants learn from experienced CTE researchers and experts in research methodology. A small class size of people allows for regular interaction with instructors and relationship-building.

"There is no cost to attend the 2026 CTE Research Training Institute. Those who are selected to attend and who fully participate will receive a Certificate of Training from the Institute of Education Sciences upon successful completion of the training."

Read the full announcement and apply online.

Mixed Methods Summer Intensive for Practice-Based Researchers

DCSS Admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:14:12 GMT

"We invite applications from graduate students across disciplines to participate in an intensive program that combines rigorous mixed-methods training with hands-on research experience in partnership with civic organizations. This program will train the next generation of scholars to study how participation in civic organizations shapes individuals' sense of belonging, solidarity, and political agency."

Program Dates: July 18-31
Location: Penn State University, University Park, PA
Participants: 10 graduate students
Cost: Fully funded (includes housing, meals, materials, and travel stipend)

Application Deadline: April 1, 2026

See the complete announcement online

CFP: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness 2026

DCSS Admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:17:00 GMT

The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness 2026 Conference

Education and Public Trust: Evidence and Accountability in a Changing Landscape

Baltimore, MD | September 23-26, 2026

April 1, 2026: Abstract submissions close

"Public trust in education—and in the research that informs educational policy and practice—is increasingly central to the future of the field, especially given the current climate. While trust has not disappeared, it is being tested by shifting governance structures, rapid advances in data science and artificial intelligence, and evolving accountability mechanisms and growing public concern about transparency. This year’s conference, Education and Public Trust: Evidence and Accountability in a Changing Landscape, invites the education research community to examine what it will take to emerge from this moment with public trust strengthened rather than diminished."

See the complete call for papers and more on the conference website

Contact Congress for NIJ and BJS funding

DCSS Admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:35 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)

Urge Congress to Sign Dear Colleague Letter for NIJ and BJS Funding

"As Congressional appropriators prepare to draft legislation that will determine next year’s funding for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), please write to your House Representatives urging them to sign a letter of support for robust funding.

"NIJ and BJS serve as the research and statistical branches of the U.S. Department of Justice, playing a vital role in the development and application of science-driven strategies for crime reduction and management. It is imperative that our local communities, law enforcement agencies, and corrections facilities are guided by best practices that advance public safety, crime prevention, and effective rehabilitation and reintegration. The need for robust criminal justice research and data analysis is essential for crafting fair and effective policies. Funding for these critical areas has gradually declined. Funding for BJS is at its lowest level since 2005 and NIJ to its 1990 level, without adjusting for inflation."

See the complete alert and respond through the COSSA Action Center

New Williams Institute report: Removal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity from Federal Data Collections, January 2025-January 2026

DCSS Admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:30:00 GMT

[Updated twice, see below]

[Original post, 2/19/26] From The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law:

"Using primarily government sources, this study examines the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) measures from federal data collections in the first year of the second Trump administration.

"Hundreds of federal surveys have removed SOGI questions in the last year. Measures of gender identity accounted for the vast majority of removals.
Most removals were made through non-substantive change requests rather than the notice-and-comment process."

See the report online. [Update 3/6/26: The report page also includes a data interactive you can sort by title, agency, and measure type.]

[Update 2/20/26] In addition, the Movement Advancement Project has issued a report that draws on the Williams Institute research: "The Federal SOGI Data Landscape Under the Second Trump Administration: One Year In Review"

"In just the first year of the second Trump administration, the federal government has taken action to pull back or erase key sources of data about LGBTQ people. These data losses are occurring as the administration aggressively advances an anti-LGBTQ—and particularly anti-transgender—policy agenda. ... This report reviews recent progress in federal LGBTQ data collection, documents the scope and consequences of current demographic data removals and rollbacks, and outlines strategies and resources to promote accountability and responsible data governance in an increasingly hostile federal environment."

Updated: DCSS and DMV happenings at ESS 2026 meeting

DCSS Admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

DCSS has organized a panel at the Eastern Sociological Society Meeting in Washington, DC:

“Doing Sociology in the DMV in a Shifting Sociopolitical Landscape”

March 5, 2026 | 11 AM | Salon E

Washington Marriott Metro Center (12th and H NW)

This session invites collaborative discussion on the challenges presented by the evolving sociopolitical dynamics that impact both academia, broadly, and the discipline of sociology, specifically. How are sociologists adapting, resisting, innovating, or encountering obstacles in response to these changes?

Panelists:

Kim Blankenship, American U and Center for AIDS Research
Yuki Kato, Georgetown U and DC Food Policy Council
Jennifer Turner, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Judy Lubin, Center for Urban and Racial Equity (not attending but contributing)
Carolette Norwood, Howard U and DCSS President, Moderator

DCSS is also co-sponsoring an informal happy hour on March 5, together with the Public Sociology Association at GMU:

DC Sociologists Happy Hour at ESS

In collaboration with the DC Sociological Society (DCSS), the Public Sociology Association (PSA) at GMU will be hosting an informal post-conference social hour. Join us on Thursday March 5th, 2026 from 7:00PM-8:30PM at the Jackpot Basement Bar (726 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001).

Attendees will be responsible for their own refreshment costs.

Please register in advance. DCSS membership is not required.

Other presentations by DCSS/DMV sociologists

Dr. Aleezay Khaliq, Loyola U MD, “Contested Belongings: Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Campus Muslim Organizations” Session: Ethnic Bonds & Social Belonging, Thursday, 5 March 8:00 a.m., Salon A

Presidential Plenary: “Repair as Worldmaking: Black Reparations and Closing the Racial Wealth Gap” (Karla Bruce, William “Sandy” Darity, Rashawn Ray-U Maryland, Amy Best-GMU (Moderator)), Thursday, 5 March 5:15 p.m., Salon A

Presidential Plenary: “Free DC & Empower DC: Organizing for a Democratic Future in the Nation’s Capital” (Free DC, Parisa Norouzi, Tanya Golash-Boza-UCDC, Johanna Bockman-GMU (Moderator)), Friday, 6 March 3:30 p.m., Salon E

Presidential Address: “Worldmaking for Transformation and Repair; Worldmaking as Transformation and Repair.” Amy Best-GMU, Friday, 6 March 6:00 p.m., Salon A

Presenting at ESS? Please let us know!

Send an e-mail with the details (name[s] and affiliation, title, date and time, brief description) to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com and we will update this news item with a list of DMV presenters.

Panel Study of Income Dynamics Summer Workshop

DCSS Admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:08:52 GMT

PSID Summer Workshop, Ann Arbor, MI, June 15-19th, 2026

"This five-day workshop will orient participants to the content and structure of the core PSID interview, its special topics modules, and its supplemental studies, including the Child Development Supplement (CDS), the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS), and the 2013 Rosters and Transfers Module. In addition we will discuss topics including the genomics data collected from children and adults as well as new data files which explain family relationships and demographic characteristics over time.

"Eligibility: The workshop is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and research professionals.

"Software: Participants should be familiar with Stata, SAS or R, but all examples used in the workshop will be in Stata. R code will be available for each lab as well.

"Applications from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows must include a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor, project manager, or department chair.

"Fee: $100 for those accepted into the workshop. Travel and lodging coverage is available for graduate students and postdocs who need financial assistance."

Application Deadline April 15, 2026. See the workshop description online for further details and to apply.

Updated: Reimagining the National Center for Education Statistics

DCSS Admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:30:00 GMT

[Update 3/3/26] "U.S. Department of Education Receives Recommendations to Reform the Institute of Education Sciences" (2/27/26) "Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon received a report from U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern with suggestions on how to reform the Institute for Education Sciences (IES). The report entitled Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences outlines her recommendations to ensure IES provides state and local policymakers, educators, and relevant stakeholders with high-quality, actionable research and data."

[Update 2/12/26]

From the American Statistical Association (ASA)

The ASA Reimagining-NCES project team is assembling this list of papers, reports, and projects about the value of NCES products and about supporting, restoring, or envisioning NCES and its products or functions to inform our project. Please help us make this list as comprehensive and current as possible.

Original announcement:

"With the support of Lumina Foundation and William T. Grant Foundation, the ASA is launching a project to define a revitalized National Center for Education Statistics that is more efficient and agile. While our primary audience is policymakers in the administration and Congress, we want broad input and discussion for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime discussion. Our goal is to publish recommendations in spring 2026 for discussion and consideration. To inform those recommendations, we are hosting small roundtables with key audiences this fall and winter."

Read "NCES: Perspectives, Insights, and Recommendations from Former Leaders" on the ASA website.

Read the complete announcement and sign up for updates on the ASA website.

Updated: US Department of Education attack on educational DEI programs halted—for now

DCSS Admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:00:00 GMT

[Update, 3/3/26] An article in Inside Higher Ed on February 20 highlighted a recent US Department of Education announcement, "31 Colleges Agree to End Partnerships With PhD Project." Although the headline focus is on one particular nonprofit organization, which ED claims "unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants," the IHE article notes, "Documents obtained by The Washington Post and a story published by the paper prior to ED’s announcement further reinforced that the terms of the agreement extend well beyond cutting ties with the PhD Project. Before the department’s announcement, the Post reported that colleges under investigation had already ended partnerships with 'a range of organizations associated with racial minority groups,' showing the broader reach of OCR’s push against the PhD Project."

[Original post, 1/24/26] “Education Secretary Linda McMahon and her legal team have dropped their appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked the department from requiring colleges to eradicate all race-based curriculum, financial aid and student services or lose federal funding.” Inside Higher Ed 1/22/26

A coalition of advocacy groups, including the American Sociological Association, had filed suit against the Department of Education’s February 2025 guidance. On behalf of the coalition, Democracy Forward announced, “Major Victory for Public Education Comes As Trump-Vance Administration Abandons Appeal on ‘Dear Colleague Letter’” (1/21/26) “Today marks a final defeat in the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to require school districts throughout the nation to censor lessons, abandon student support programs, and certify their compliance with the administration’s unlawful interpretation of civil rights. In 2025, the U.S. District Court for Maryland ruled in favor of a coalition of nationwide associations of educators and a public school district, represented by Democracy Forward, that had challenged the administration actions in American Federation of Teachers et al v. U.S. Department of Education et al. The government filed a notice today withdrawing its appeal of the district court’s final judgment, finalizing the invalidation of the government’s actions.”

In a message to members, ASA Executive Director Heather Washington said, “This victory reaffirms the essential work sociologists and educators do every day—building classrooms and communities where every student feels supported, motivated to learn, and encouraged to explore complex social realities with honesty, curiosity, and intellectual rigor. The ruling enables educators in our discipline and beyond to continue providing accurate instruction that fosters students’ academic and personal growth, helping them become thoughtful, informed community members.”

For context on actions affecting ED during 2025, see our 2025 resources page, which has now been archived.

2026 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods

DCSS Admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:00:10 GMT

The 2026 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods is now open for registration and features more than 90 classes ranging from introductory statistics and data analysis to advanced training in cutting-edge and specialized methodological techniques. Running May-August 2026, classes are open to students, faculty, and researchers of all skill levels and backgrounds and are offered both in person and online. Complete information is on the center's website.

Summer Institute on Longitudinal Data Analysis

DCSS Admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:57:21 GMT

The Summer Institute on Longitudinal Data Analysis will be held July 12–17, 2026, at Purdue University. This intensive week-long program offers in-depth training on publicly available longitudinal data sources and advanced longitudinal data analysis techniques. Applicants should have a strong background in quantitative methods but a need for additional training in longitudinal data analysis. Applications are invited from graduate students, postdocs, faculty, industry researchers, nonprofit and public sector workers, and more. Scholarships are available that cover the full cost of tuition, travel to Purdue, housing, and food costs. The application deadline is March 15, 2026. Complete information is on the Purdue website.

Update: Census requests comment on 2026 Operational Test for 2030 Census

DCSS Admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:25:00 GMT

[Update, 2/27/26] "The Census Quality Reinforcement (CQR) Task Force has prepared a comment letter regarding changes to the 2026 Census Test to submit to the recent Federal Register notice [below]. We will be accepting both individual and organizational sign-ons.

"The letter reflects deep concern that the 2026 Census Test, now deliberately reduced in scope, lacks the methodological rigor that a reliable 2030 Census demands. By compromising the breadth and depth of pre‑census testing, it undermines the ability of the test to provide valid and essential evidence in support of an accurate and trustworthy decennial population count. If the integrity of our nation's core statistical enterprise is to be preserved, the Census Bureau must reinstate a comprehensive testing regime that prioritizes data quality over short‑term constraints."

The full letter can be found here. Sign-ons will be accepted until 5:30pm ET on Wednesday, March 4.

[Original item, 2/4/26] in a post on the Federal Data Users forum, Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau noted:

The Census Bureau is requesting public comment on its 2026 Operational Test in support of the 2030 Census. Three elements of the proposed test seem particularly relevant for federal data users:

The Operational Test described in the notice is limited to two sites: Spartanburg, SC and Huntsville, AL. This is a narrower scope than earlier Census Bureau planning materials. In July 2024, the Bureau announced six planned 2026 test sites, selected to reflect a wide range of enumeration environments, including Tribal lands and rural areas.
The notice also proposes testing the use of USPS employees as census enumerators. Under the proposal, U.S. Postal Service staff would conduct in-person census interviews in the same manner as Census Bureau field staff. This represents a notable operational change and raises questions about training, respondent interaction, and whether results from a limited test environment can be generalized nationally.
The notice specifies that Internet Self-Response (ISR) for the test will be available only in English.

The Federal Register announcement of the comment request is available at this link. The comment period ends March 5, 2026.

Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue

DCSS Admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:20:00 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)

(February 24, 2026) "The White House recently announced plans to nominate Jim O’Neill as the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), placing a longtime health policy official and private-sector investor at the helm of the nation’s premier basic science funding agency.

"O’Neill most recently served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (see previous coverage). Earlier in his career, O’Neill worked at the Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of George W. Bush. He later moved into the private sector, investing in emerging technologies, including through the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs program, which supports early-stage scientific commercialization.

"In a statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai highlighted O’Neill’s private-sector experience and his role in the Trump Administration, crediting him with reducing fraud at HHS and prioritizing what he described as rigorous, evidence-based decision-making.

"... In light of O’Neill’s nomination for the NSF post, the White House also announced that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya will temporarily take on the role of acting CDC Director in addition to leading NIH. Bhattacharya will be the third acting CDC Director since Trump started his second term."

Read the complete news item on the COSSA website

Call for Papers: Social Psychology Quarterly special issue on social status

DCSS Admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:19:46 GMT

"Social Psychology Quarterly seeks papers for a special issue on the theme of social status, which focus on how status is determined, how it impacts individuals, groups, and society, and how it relates to other social phenomena. Editors invite empirical articles that employ quantitative and/or qualitative methods as well as theoretical articles that make important contributions to the social psychological literature on status. Of particular interest are works that develop new theoretical insights on status, advance or refine existing theoretical models of status, or identify interventions that mitigate the disadvantaging effects of status. The deadline for papers is December 15, 2026."

Read the full call for papers in the attached PDF.

CFP: The American Research Handbook on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

DCSS Admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:15:41 GMT

Specific call for section, “The Women’s Experience”: “The Women’s Experience section seeks rigorous, thoughtful, and evidence-based analyses that examine gender equity, intersectionality, and the evolving role(s) of women in society at the present moment. In our specific climate, when reproductive rights are being rolled back, fields dominated by women are being “deprofessionalized,” women’s and gender studies programs are being targeted, trad wives and diet culture are going viral, submissions are invited that explore how women are coping with, countering, and/or shaping discourses about women and gender.”

Other thematic sections, instructions and contact details, and more information are in the attached PDF and in a post on LinkedIn.

Key Dates:
Proposal Submission Deadline: April 15, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: By May 15, 2026
Full Chapter Submission Deadline: July 1, 2026

Updates: Restrictions on the teaching of sociology in Florida

DCSS Admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:20:15 GMT

Both Inside Higher Ed and WLRN Public Media from South Florida reported in recent weeks on a newly revised version of a textbook for the Introduction to Sociology course that is apparently being mandated for use at some Florida public colleges and universities.

According to IHE, “Compared to the original 669-page textbook, the new version is just 267 pages. Unlike the original, the state-approved version doesn’t include chapters on media and technology, global inequality, race and ethnicity, social stratification, or gender, sex and sexuality. It also scraps a section on the government-led genocide of Native Americans. And while the original uses the word ‘transgender’ 68 times and ‘racism’ 115 times, the former term appears only once in the new textbook and the latter six times.”

The WLRN article adds that, “The state decided to create the new textbook—edited by staff of the Board of Governors alongside a work group of sociologists—after the Board of Governors, which oversees higher education in Florida, determined that all of the books being used for Introduction to Sociology courses violated new academic restrictions imposed by state law.”

The WLRN article quotes Dawn Carr, a sociologist at Florida State University who participated in the state work group, as calling the textbook a “stop-gap solution. … either sociologists sat at the table to help create a new textbook, or colleges and universities across the state would be forced to remove Introduction to Sociology as a core course offered to incoming students.”

ASA Vice President Victor Ray posted an interview on his blog with Florida International University sociologist Zachary Levenson about “state censorship, how faculty are coping (or not), and how the uncertainty around what can be safely taught is designed to put faculty on edge.” (Part 2 of that interview is here.)

Another FIU sociologist, Katie Rainwater, joined Levenson to author a commentary for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “Florida is replacing free inquiry with political indoctrination.”

(See a DCSS news item on this topic from February 2024.)

Federal survey requests for comments: ACS, PRCS, MEPS, BLS Contingent Worker Supplement

DCSS Admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:43:36 GMT

Information about these notices was provided by IPUMS at the U of Minnesota

Federal Register Notice: American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS)

The Department of Commerce is gathering comments on proposed changes to the ACS and PRCS through next Tuesday, February 17. The changes include the introduction of an internet self-response option for the PRCS (as is already used in the ACS) and the implementation of modernized race and ethnicity standards. The updated race and ethnicity standards are set under Statistical Policy Directive 15. The Census Bureau provides a page outlining its extensive research on race and ethnicity and its testing to develop the updated standards.

[See also, "Take Action: American Community Survey" from dataindex.us]

Federal Register Notice: MEPS-Household Component (MEPS-HC)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is accepting comments via the Federal Register through March 2 about changes to the MEPS-HC. The notice references minor changes to question phrasing, a change to the respondent sex question, and the removal of questions about counseling and treatment, birth control, aspirin use, and gender. The notice also reports the discontinuation of two supplements: (1) the Diabetes Care Supplement (DCS), which was fielded annually for 2000-2025 (we do not expect the 2023-2025 data to be released) and (2) the Medical Care Self-Administered Questionnaire (ESAQ), which was slated for a single year of data collection in 2024, with no data yet released. Those interested in these components of the MEPS-HC data for their research may want to respond. If your work is not affected by these changes, you may also use this opportunity to describe the general importance of MEPS-HC data for your research agenda.

Federal Register Notice: Contingent Worker Supplement

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is accepting comments through April 13 via the Federal Register about proposed changes to the Contingent Worker Supplement of the Current Population Survey. The proposed changes will update the collection of digital platform work in the supplement scheduled for July 2026.

Data Checkup framework for assessing the health of federal data collections

DCSS Admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:24:06 GMT

"Last week, the dataindex.us team launched the Data Checkup, a comprehensive framework for assessing the health of federal data collections.

"Going beyond simple availability checks, the Data Checkup evaluates datasets across six dimensions of risk, from data quality and statutory context to staffing, funding, and policy pressures. Each dataset is assigned a clear status so users can quickly understand where risks exist, and why.

"Built with input from 30+ data experts, the Data Checkup is designed for researchers, journalists, advocates, litigators, and policymakers who rely on federal data.

"By surfacing risks before data disappears or degrades, the Data Checkup helps protect the data we all depend on."

Explore the framework: dataindex.us/collections

[Ed. note: users of federal data will likely be concerned to see so many key data collections flagged as "high risk."]

CFP: The New Sociology of Propaganda

DCSS Admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:16:15 GMT

Call for a special issue of The British Journal of Sociology
“The New Sociology of Propaganda”

Guest Editors:
Freeden Blume Oeur (Tufts University, USA)
Fiona Greenland (University of Virginia, USA)

"Propaganda is among the most pervasive and vexing social problems today. In the age of big data and given the tight grip that traditional, social, and new media have on our lives, a crowded field — states, governments, news outlets, civil institutions, and experts — has fought to control, filter, and censor information and its ideological messaging. ... The time is right for social scientific research that updates and advances understanding of propaganda. ... This special issue welcomes sociological research from all subfields and all methodologies, covering any corner of the globe, which bears on questions of modern propaganda. Our hope is that such a special issue will help set the social scientific agenda on propaganda as we enter the second quarter of the 21st century. We encourage empirical articles as well as those more historical in focus and those dedicated to building more theoretical understandings of propaganda."

"If you are interested in submitting a manuscript for this special issue, please send initial information to the Guest Editor, Dr. Freeden Blume Oeur (freeden.blumeoeur@tufts.edu), by Monday, March 16, 2026. By Monday, March 30, 2026 the Guest Editor will let all prospective authors know if they are invited to submit a manuscript for consideration in the special issue."

Read the complete call on the journal website.

How Are Recent Changes to Federal Statistical Data Affecting Your Work?

DCSS Admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 19:27:27 GMT

"If you rely on federal statistical data in your work--from Census data to BLS employment figures to NCHS health statistics--SSRS wants to hear from you. SSRS is a survey research firm and part of a consortium of partners to create the Emergency Mobilization for Essential Research and Government-Data Equivalents (EMERGE) Initiative. Through a grant from the Knight Foundation and with advisory support from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and the Association of Public Data Users (APDU), SSRS is conducting a brief survey (less than 5 minutes) to understand how recent changes to federal statistical agencies have impacted professionals across sectors.

"Why this matters: Recent disruptions at the 13 federal statistical agencies--including staff reductions and budget cuts--are creating potential gaps in the data infrastructure that researchers, policymakers, journalists, state administrators, and business leaders depend on daily.

"Your responses will directly inform the development of the EMERGE Initiative to explore independent solutions for maintaining access to reliable, publicly accessible statistical data."

Take the survey: ssrspanel.com/wix/4/p868434879294.aspx?ORG=1

NSF ends social science dissertation research grants

DCSS Admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:52:02 GMT

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has archived the program page for the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, apparently marking an end to this funding, at least for the foreseeable future. (Although the directorate page for the dissertation grants still lists several funding opportunities for specific disciplines, these appear to have been archived.)

The American Anthropological Association sent a letter to Congress on January 21, 2026, urging a restoration of these programs. The Society for Applied Anthropology has also apparently written Congress. The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) has created an action item to enable social scientists to contact Congress directly, as well.

This change may be related to NSF's recently announced reorganization and changes to the merit review process for proposals. For more context, see the NSF section of our 2025 resources page and scroll to the bottom of the NSF section. (The 2025 resources page has been archived.)

Potential changes to NIH funding

DCSS Admin — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:23:48 GMT

Several news items released this week signal potentially significant changes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities:

“Limit on multiyear funding of NIH grants is a sticking point in Senate budget talks” STAT News 1/16/26 (subscription) In 2025, NIH “funded fewer research projects than in years past because of a budgeting strategy mandated by the White House Office of Management and Budget. Called multiyear funding, it allocates funds for a grant in full during the year the grant is awarded, rather than on a yearly basis.” Shifting to this funding model means that fewer projects are funded, even while spending remains stable or even increases. This could be especially challenging for early-career researchers.

“Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026” Nature 1/22/26 (subscription) “Crucial grant-review panels for more than half of the institutes that make up the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) are on track to lose all their voting members within the year. Federal law requires these panels to review applications for all but the smallest grants before funding can be awarded, meaning that the ability of those institutes to issue new grants could soon be frozen. … At the advisory council for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the final voting members’ terms end next month. Without extraordinary action, the council will have no members by its May meeting, when it is scheduled to review grant applications submitted as early as last September — meaning those applications would be effectively frozen.” (Also covered in STAT News)

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO, who is the Ranking Member of the US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, “introduced the Follow the Science Act to shield the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from political interference and protect the integrity of America's biomedical research.” (“DeGette Introduces Bill to Protect NIH From Political Interference” 1/21/26)

“Again Defying Trump, Congress Proposes Increasing NIH Budget, Maintaining ED” Inside Higher Ed 1/20/26 “The House and Senate appropriations committees have jointly proposed legislation that would generally maintain the Education Department’s funding levels, plus increase the National Institutes of Health’s budget by more than $400 million this fiscal year. It’s the latest in a trend of bipartisan congressional rebukes of President Trump’s call to slash agencies that support higher ed.”

For context on actions affecting NIH during 2025, see our 2025 resources page, which has now been archived.

Nominations for DCSS 2026 awards are now open!

DCSS Admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:18:04 GMT

Please consider nominating a colleague or yourself for one of the following DCSS 2026 awards. Nominations will close on March 2. Complete descriptions and nominating information are on the Awards page of the website, where you will also find links to lists of previous winners.

Graduate Student Paper Awards: Separate awards are made for one M.A. student paper and one Ph.D. student paper; each winning author will receive a $200 cash award and will be recognized at the annual DCSS awards event. Graduate students enrolled in colleges and universities in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia are encouraged to submit; you need not be a member of DCSS to submit a paper for consideration. See complete details on the Awards page.

The Stuart A. Rice Merit Award for Career Achievement is presented to a distinguished senior member of the Society who has made a significant contribution to the discipline. Nominees will be judged on their collective accomplishments over a professional career of at least 25 years.

The Morris Rosenberg Award is presented for outstanding sociological achievement during the past three years by any member of DCSS. Achievements may include—but are not limited to—scholarship, teaching and mentoring, use of sociology in public policy analysis, contributions to professional organizations, advancement of public awareness of sociological practice, or leadership in the use of sociological knowledge in non-traditional settings.

The Anna Julia Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization is given to a community group using the methods and insights of sociology in its work to improve life in the DCSS service area.

The Executive Committee is currently making plans for an awards event to be held in late spring. Watch this space for more information coming soon!

Register Now for Social Science Advocacy Day

DCSS Admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 19:59:51 GMT

"COSSA's Social Science Advocacy Day is back! Join COSSA on March 23-24, 2026 in Washington, DC! Advocacy Day brings together social and behavioral scientists and science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers.

"This opportunity is available to individuals affiliated with a COSSA member organization. If you are a member of or employed by one of COSSA’s member organizations, you are eligible to participate." (Note that DCSS is not a COSSA member organization, but ASA is and some area universities are.)

For more information and to register, see the COSSA website.

CFP: Fifth Global South Graduate Student Conference

DCSS Admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:13:32 GMT

Call for Papers
Global South Hub, Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University

FIFTH GLOBAL SOUTH GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE (Hybrid)
April 16-17, 2026

Conference Theme: Unsettled Lives: Making and Unmaking of Worlds in the Global South 

Deadline for submission of abstracts: January 30, 2026
Deadline for submission of full papers for the best student paper award: March 20, 2026

"The conference will be hybrid. This year, we will provide travel assistance and lodging to a limited number of participants traveling from within the United States.

"Please submit a 250-word abstract with your name and academic affiliation by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET on January 30, 2026. We will notify you about acceptance by February 15, 2026. Submissions and Presentations should be in English. Additionally, we invite draft papers from students with accepted abstracts to be submitted for consideration for the best student paper awards competition by 11.59 pm ET on March 20, 2026. The award will carry a cash prize of $300 for the winner and $200 for the runner-up, along with a certificate. Paper submission is only for the award. All students with accepted abstracts will be invited to make conference presentations."

Read the complete call on the GMU website.

Closing out the Tracking of 2025 Trump Administration Actions

John Curtis — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 15:15:17 GMT

On February 1, 2025, a Saturday, as the first flurry of actions by the second Trump Administration foreshadowed the year’s dramatic impacts on science and education, I compiled a list of a few related news items that I thought might be of interest for our DMV sociology readership. As a scholar of higher education, it had occurred to me that I might be picking up on details and sources that would not be as immediately apparent to other researchers and educators, but that could have important consequences for sociology and beyond.

I created a separate page on the DCSS website entitled, “Resources for Tracking Trump Administration Actions,” and started it with notes about dramatic changes at NSF, the resignation of Census Bureau Director Robert Santos, and links to several sources for tracking actions at the federal level. I had no idea at the time that I would end up adding to that list more than once a week throughout the rest of the year.

I’ve restructured the page numerous times and added major sections tracking actions at NIH and the hollowing out of the US Department of Education. Later in the year, I was able to add sections on calls for collective action and resources providing help for federal workers and assistance in locating federal data. The final two posts brought the page full circle with major updates about changes at NSF, published in two parts in Science: “Five things to know about NSF’s new rules on merit review” (12/24) Major changes that apparently conflict with recommendations in a recent major report from the National Science Board. “The National Science Foundation just had a big reorganization. Here are five things to know” (12/29) Provides information on the restructuring of directorates and employment at NSF.

Although the consequences of Administration actions continue to reverberate as we move into a new year, I’ve decided to archive the 2025 page and not continue with a separate page of updates in 2026. As relevant news items emerge, I’ll post them to the News section of the website; please feel free to send suggestions to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

I wanted to highlight three resources that I’ve found particularly useful as we continue to make our way through this changing landscape:

Unbreaking is “a community-powered knowledge-making project, made by a growing collective of volunteers with experience in journalism, tech, mutual aid, government, research, and organizing.” It’s organized by issues, and I have found the weekly newsletters very thorough and informative.

For those of us who use federal data, 2025 has created a great deal of uncertainty. There are several different efforts under way to preserve federal data resources, some of which are listed on the 2025 resource page. To keep up with ongoing changes, I signed up for the Federal Data Forum established by the Population Reference Bureau. You can sign up for a daily digest e-mail, and perhaps contribute information yourself. The forum covers a wide variety of topics and agencies.

Finally, for those of us working in or interested in education, The Hechinger Report’s Jill Barshay provided a helpful—and sobering—overview of the year, “How Trump 2.0 upended education research and statistics in one year.” I’ve found Hechinger to be a valuable resource for education news over the years, and would encourage you to sign up for one of their relevant newsletters.

In closing, I want to note that I posted this item under my own byline to make to make it clear that these recommendations represent my personal opinions and not an organizational statement from DCSS. I’m posting on a weekend when the Trump Administration has engaged in further illegal and unconstitutional actions that only compound the damage partially chronicled on the 2025 resource page. That page was never intended to cover everything the Administration has done, but I hope it serves to remind us of some of the work that lies ahead. And I hope you will join with other DMV sociologists to support DCSS in 2026 in connecting our work across many different situations and the whole spectrum of topics. The Executive Committee is working to organize events in the coming months, new issues of The Sociologist: Sociology From & About The DMV are in the works, and we will continue to update this website, with your support. Thank you.

SPSSI 2026 Conference open for submissions

DCSS Admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:01:02 GMT

"The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Summer Conference will be held from June 26-28, 2026, in New Orleans! Join us for thought-provoking presentations, dynamic discussions, and opportunities to connect with others who share a commitment to addressing important social issues. This year's conference theme is “Lespwa fe viv” (Hope Makes Us Live): Using Research and Action to Cultivate Joy, Resilience, and Liberation.

"As SPSSI celebrates its 90th anniversary, we look to New Orleans, a place where joy itself can be a form of resistance and where communities have rebuilt again and again in the face of structural neglect, racism, and displacement. The conference theme, drawn from the Haitian Creole expression lespwa fè viv (“hope makes us live”), honors SPSSI’s historical commitment to confronting injustice while inviting us to imagine the futures we must build together. Across nine decades, SPSSI scholars have challenged systems of oppression, defended human rights, and advanced psychological science that speaks truth to power. Yet today’s current landscape demands renewed courage, creativity, and hope."

The submission deadline is February 15, 2026.

Read the complete announcement on the SPSSI website.

Comment on proposed revisions to the National Survey of Children's Health

DCSS Admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:57:10 GMT

The Census Bureau is seeking public comments on proposed revisions to the National Survey of Children's Health before it goes to the Office of Management and Budget. These data help shape policies and programs that support children's health and well-being across the U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting public comment on the utility of data collected through the NSCH and ways the survey can be enhanced in the future. Specific plans for 2026 include increasing the survey sample so that reliable state-level estimates can be produced with fewer years of pooled data and continuing to oversample specific populations in California and eight other states.

Read the complete Federal Register notice online.

Deadline to comment: February 3, 2026.

Historical Supplemental Poverty Measure

DCSS Admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:52:57 GMT

By Stephanie Richards, Kari Williams, and Sarah Flood

"The Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey is the official source of information about poverty in the United States. Since 1968, the ASEC has been used to create the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) and has included the variables needed to create that measure. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) and the variables needed to create it were first released by the Census Bureau in 2010, reporting the SPM for 20091. In contrast to the OPM, the SPM provides a more complete picture of the economic wellbeing of American households.

"The value of the SPM is apparent – it is a comprehensive and nuanced measure that accounts for the diversity of living arrangements, variability in cost of living, and a wider array of available financial resources and demands. However, the temporal coverage of SPM is limited; the Census Bureau only has data back to 2010. Over the last ten years, researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy (CPSP) have eliminated this constraint by compiling the data necessary to create SPM and make it available back to 1968, and have shared the data with the research community via the CPSP Historical SPM Data Portal.

"...In this blog post, we briefly describe differences between the components – family, resources, and needs – used to create OPM and (historical) SPM, preview CPSP’s “anchored” poverty variables that facilitate comparisons over time that reference a set cost-of-living standard, and share suggestions for further reading (because we know you are going to want to learn even more about this!)."

Read the complete blog post online

Help Build an Open Repository of Pro-Democracy Teaching and Learning Resources

DCSS Admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:43:03 GMT

From the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

"Please contribute to a new, open-source collection of educational materials designed to strengthen learning for a democracy in question. We seek materials across disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and professional studies.

"Democracy as a governing system thrives when it adheres to standards and practices such as truth, fairness, equity and equal opportunity, civic participation, checks and balances, nonviolent disagreement, and public deliberation. In a governing system of, by, and for the people, interpersonal norms are equally important, norms such as inclusion, compassion, decency, honesty, and shared responsibility for each other and our communities, the nation, and the world.

"Democracy needs to be taught and learned. These systems and norms are examples of the content we seek.

"If you have content to contribute, please fill out our description form. You do not need to upload materials at this time. Submit your description by January 18, 2026."

Five Things You Can Do to Protect Public Data

DCSS Admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:19:15 GMT

From the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), 11/12/25, by Mark Mather and Beth Jarosz

"In the past nine months, many public datasets have been altered or removed, thousands of statistical agency staff have retired or been laid off, and the accuracy of trusted federal statistics has been questioned and politicized.

"The strain on taxpayer-funded public data has been demoralizing—not just for the policymakers, researchers, businesses, and others who rely on federal statistics, but for the civil servants who protect them from misuse. The recent cancellation of a key survey measuring hunger in America was particularly alarming. But there’s one upside to this state of affairs: It’s mobilizing people who care about federal data to act.

"Federal data stakeholders have been working hard to safeguard data by archiving thousands of at-risk federal datasets, tracking changes to federal datasets, and documenting the value of federal data. PRB also launched a Federal Data Forum for people to share information about the latest threats to public data and how organizations and individuals can help. More than 600 concerned data users have joined the forum since May. ...

"Millions of people rely on federal statistics but few step up to defend them. So, how can data users give public data a voice? Here are five things you can do."

Read the complete blog post on the PRB website. Also, check out our DCSS "Resources for Tracking Trump Administration Actions," updated throughout 2025.

Resources on Federal Health Survey Data

DCSS Admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:36:01 GMT

From the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota

"The Landscape of Major Federal Health Survey Data Releases in 2025" by
Andrea Stewart, Research Fellow (November 13, 2025)

"A Brief Overview of Several Federal Health-Related Surveys" by
SHADAC Staff and Colin Planalp, Associate Director for Emerging Health Policy Issues (November 10, 2025)

Interactive Survey Data Finder Tool

MDRC's The Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trials Restricted Access File

DCSS Admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:25:38 GMT

"The Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trial (THE-RCT) study aims to capitalize on existing data from postsecondary education RCTs to foster substantive and methodological scholarship and encourage teaching and learning opportunities. The cornerstone of THE-RCT is a restricted access file (RAF). This version contains individual-participant data from more than 30 of MDRC's higher education RCTs covering over 50 institutions and over 50,000 students. The data were originally collected as part of different randomized controlled trial evaluations of a variety of higher education interventions. The data were collected for different student samples, at different times, and in different locations for each study."

Distributed by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2025-12-03. (https://doi.org/10.3886/E240388V3)

Call for Letters of Intent: Research Interrupted, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

DCSS Admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:21:19 GMT

"The Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering (JWM) is launching a new article type: Research Interrupted — designed to spotlight meaningful and robust STEM education research that was prematurely terminated due to recent shifts in federal funding priorities. JWM recognizes the immense intellectual and emotional labor that you, as researchers, invest in these important projects, and we want to create a platform to elevate the insights from these projects so they can be shared, valued, and built upon.

Research Interrupted articles will be shorter in length than our traditional articles (under 4,000 words), with abbreviated literature reviews. Peer reviewers will receive guidance to calibrate the same quality standards for traditional JWM articles to the nature of the interrupted research. To reduce financial burden on authors, we have negotiated a reduced Gold Open Access APC with our publisher (from $1,500 to $750 for verified terminated projects). Green Open Access remains free of charge.

JWM recognizes it has been a difficult year for our communities, and we are here to support you. We are now accepting Letters of Intent to submit (LOI) through December 31, 2025. LOIs will indicate that authors plan to submit a full manuscript before December 2027. This is not a special issue; instead, Research Interrupted articles will be incorporated into future issues of the journal, following the same process as traditional JWM articles."

For more information, please see the full announcement

Request for Articles: Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, 25th Anniversary

DCSS Admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:51:23 GMT

CALL FOR ARTICLES

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

ISSUE ON "Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study: 25th Anniversary"

"In celebration of the landmark Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study's 25th anniversary, we are soliciting proposals for an issue of RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, situating the study in the larger literature, engaging with key questions using the most recent wave of survey data, inviting comparisons using other data sources, and identifying areas for future research. The issue will provide a lens into how today's heterogenous families form, grow, change, and thrive, using data within and across generations."

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double spaced) of their study along with up to three pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM EST on January 7, 2026.

Read the complete call online.

Washington: Our Work Helps Us Envision and Build a Better Future

DCSS Admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:42:06 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations series, "Why Social Science?"

Because Our Work Helps Us Envision and Build a Better Future

By Heather M. Washington, PhD (American Sociological Association)

"We live in an era of rapidly expanding economic inequality, humanitarian crises, chaotic deportation efforts, the militarization of U.S. cities, global conflicts and wars, burdensome labor practices that undermine work-life balance, and continued attempts to erode rights and protections of women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ people. We also face ongoing environmental catastrophes, with additional consequential environmental challenges looming on the horizon. Social science provides a window to understand such issues and offers tools that can help us create more equitable policies to address these social problems. Every day, sociologists and other social scientists put research into action and ideas into impact in ways that help improve our collective future and build pathways toward more just outcomes.

"Sociology is the scientific study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. It offers a valuable lens through which contemporary social issues can be viewed, and by which historical connections can be evaluated. As a sociologist, I understand that equitable and just policies require collaboration among researchers, community members, and policymakers. Sociologists have the tools needed to study social phenomena. Community members provide real-world expertise and experience that is critical for understanding social issues. Policymakers wield the levers of change. Working together as researchers, community members, and policymakers is foundational to the discipline as evidenced by the influential and impactful work of pioneering sociologists. Sociologists working in and beyond the academy have continued this historical legacy, helping to create research-informed policies."

Read the full essay on the COSSA website

NSF seeks input on the TIP workforce development roadmap

DCSS Admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:48:28 GMT

"NSF TIP's Workforce Development Roadmap [PDF] is an actionable agenda to guide future investments to strengthen the American workforce in critical and emerging technologies. As advances in critical and emerging technologies continue to rapidly expand and traditional industries adopt new technologies, the demand for a skilled or semi-skilled technical workforce is increasing across all economic sectors. Addressing the gap between the demand for, and the availability of, a labor force requires bold investment in workforce development that prepares individuals for higher-skill, higher-paying jobs that enhance economic mobility. The Workforce Development Roadmap lays out an investment framework to address this need through cross-sector collaborations and partnerships, innovative community-specific solutions, and expanded access to experiential learning and other training pathways."

NSF seeks input from individuals and organizations across all sectors on the Workforce Development Roadmap. Responses will be accepted until January 15, 2026, in the Workforce Development Roadmap form, by emailing TIPWorkforce@nsf.gov, or by mailing your response to the attention of Mary Crowe, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.

Call for Papers: Academic Freedom as a Practice of Democracy

DCSS Admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:49:55 GMT

"At a panel during the Coalition for Action in Higher Education’s April 2025 national protest, urban and cultural studies scholar Davarian Baldwin made a rousing call for courage in the face of political and material repression in US colleges and universities: “We are the power that we have been waiting for.” Responding to this call, the 2026 volume of the AAUP’s Journal of Academic Freedom seeks to showcase work of students, educators, and activists—and of unions, scholarly associations, and other governance bodies—in fighting back against repression. We invite original scholarly articles grounded in a renewed notion of academic freedom as not only an abstract value or principle to be defended but also a living practice—as historian Joan Scott, among others, has put it—of research, teaching, and public engagement that articulates a democratic higher education and a democratic society."

Submissions of 2,000–5,000 words (including any notes and references) are due by March 9, 2026. The complete call for papers, our editorial policy, submission guidelines and instructions, and links to past volumes of the journal are available on the journal's website.

An AI threat to online survey research?

DCSS Admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:38:05 GMT

Westwood, Sean J. 2025. “The Potential Existential Threat of Large Language Models to Online Survey Research.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(47):e2518075122. doi:10.1073/pnas.2518075122. (Open access)

Abstract. The advancement of large language models poses a severe, potentially existential threat to online survey research, a fundamental tool for data collection across the sciences. This work demonstrates that the foundational assumption of survey research—that a coherent response is a human response—is no longer tenable. I designed and tested an autonomous synthetic respondent capable of producing survey data that possesses the coherence and plausibility of human responses. This agent successfully evades a comprehensive suite of data quality checks, including instruction-following tasks, logic puzzles, and “reverse shibboleth” questions designed to detect nonhuman actors, achieving a 99.8% pass rate on 6,000 trials of standard attention checks. The synthetic respondent generates internally consistent responses by maintaining a coherent demographic persona and a memory of its prior answers, producing plausible data on psychometric scales, vignette comprehension tasks, and complex socioeconomic trade-offs. Furthermore, its open-ended text responses are linguistically sophisticated and stylistically calibrated to the level of education of its assigned persona. Critically, the agent can be instructed to maliciously alter polling outcomes, demonstrating an overt vector for information warfare. More subtly, it can also infer a researcher’s latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them. These findings reveal a critical vulnerability in our data infrastructure, rendering most current detection methods obsolete and posing a potential existential threat to unsupervised online research. The scientific community must urgently develop new data validation standards and reconsider its reliance on nonprobability, low-barrier online data collection methods.

Covered in "A Researcher Made an AI That Completely Breaks the Online Surveys Scientists Rely On" by Emanuel Maiberg. 404 Media (11/17/2025)

Sean Westwood is one of the founders of the Polarization Research Lab.

OCC2010 is now available in ATUS

DCSS Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 19:00:05 GMT

"The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) was first fielded in 2003 and data have been collected and released annually since. Over that period, ATUS occupations have been coded using three distinct coding schemes. IPUMS ATUS users have requested that we extend our occupation harmonization work to IPUMS ATUS to bridge changes in occupation coding schemes. The wish of those users has been granted! OCC2010 is now available via IPUMS ATUS. As always, the original, un-recoded occupation categories are also available in OCC."

Read the complete announcement online.

Data Intensive Research Conference 2026

DCSS Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:56:42 GMT

Data Intensive Research Conference
July 22-23, 2026 | Minneapolis, MN

"Abstract submissions are now open for the 2026 Data-Intensive Research Conference. The 2026 conference theme is Novel Data Linkages and Innovative Life Course Research. Enriching population data through data linkage creates novel data sources that can shed light on life course processes. Linking across time allows for the examination of transitions and trajectories and linking to contextual information situates the experiences of individuals and populations in their environments."

January 30, 2026: Last day to submit abstracts

Complete information is on the conference website.

Virtual Library of Work and Family Syllabi

DCSS Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:30:58 GMT

From the Work + Family Researchers Network:

"We’ve built this collection of work and family syllabi to help faculty from every discipline bring these important topics into their courses. Feel free to explore the readings, lectures, and class assignments included in each syllabus."

Topic areas include Communication Studies, Economics, Industrial Psychology, Labor Studies, Psychology, and Sociology.

The virtual library is available online here.

CFP: Engaging and Retaining Individuals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

DCSS Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:25:02 GMT

"AERA Open invites submissions for a Special Topic Collection focused on understanding the complex processes that shape engagement, participation, and long-term persistence in STEM pathways across K–20 and workforce contexts. We welcome theoretical, empirical, conceptual, methodological, and translational work that advances understanding of how individuals opt into STEM pathways, remain in them, and thrive within them—along with the systems, structures, and contexts that enable or constrain their participation.

"Interested authors must submit a structured abstract (max 500 words). Selected authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts, which will undergo standard double-blind peer review. Structured abstracts should include: (a) a brief statement of research aims/questions, (b) data and sample description, (c) analytic approach, (d) key findings to date, and (e) a brief indication of project stage (e.g., whether results are preliminary, final, or final with robustness/follow-up analyses completed or underway)."

Abstracts due: February 1, 2026
Decisions/invitations sent: March 1, 2026
Full papers due: June 1, 2026
Rolling publication begins: March 2027

See the complete call in the attached PDF file

HUD information requests on two housing surveys

DCSS Admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 18:21:22 GMT

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has posted two requests for information on housing surveys, the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) and the Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS). Both requests ask specifically for input on uses of the survey data, whether there are "concerns related to reducing the scope of, or eliminating entirely" the two surveys, whether they include "content that is no longer relevant or has limited usefulness," and whether there are alternative private-sector sources of data. At least one commenter on a federal data users forum expressed concern these might be indications that the surveys are being considered for elimination.

Comments are requested on or before November 10, 2025. The full requests and comment instructions are linked below.

Request for Information on the Uses of Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Apartments (SOMA) Data

Request for Information on the Uses of Rental Housing Finance Survey Data

Enhancing Scientific Integrity: Progress and Opportunities in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: Call for Experts

DCSS Admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 18:48:53 GMT

"The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is seeking suggestions for experts to participate in the new workshop on Enhancing Scientific Integrity: Progress and Opportunities in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, tasked with addressing such questions as: How can the social and behavioral sciences continue to lead the way in advancing data integrity? What successful methods or frameworks from other disciplines might be adapted to strengthen these efforts? Could systematic, random audits of published data help detect and correct honest mistakes while discouraging malfeasance? What governance structures would ensure such efforts are fair, sustainable, and constructive? What new tools might facilitate this process? How can scientific journals refine their policies (e.g., review processes, data validation) to support transparency and integrity while maintaining accessibility for researchers across diverse contexts?

"Using these suggestions, National Academies staff will be looking to build a committee of approximately six volunteer experts in addition to collecting information for potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications resulting from the activity.

"Based on the Statement of Task, staff are looking for expertise particularly in the following areas: Journal editors and publishers; behavioral and social science researchers; professional association leaders; legal/criminology expertise; AI expertise; and ethics."

Submit your suggestions by November 07, 2025 AT 11:59 PM.

Read the complete announcement online.

CFP: The New Asylum Seekers: Subnational Dynamics of Migration Governance in the United States

DCSS Admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 18:03:24 GMT

CALL FOR ARTICLES

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

"The New Asylum Seekers: Subnational Dynamics of Migration Governance in the United States"

"The United States is home to roughly 13.7 million immigrants who lack a durable legal status, but this umbrella category includes a spectrum of people, and is shifting in its make-up (Van Hook, Ruiz Soto, and Gelatt 2025). With no broad channel by which to legalize status since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, the largest group of undocumented immigrants—an estimated 71 percent of the total—includes those who entered without inspection at the border or overstayed visas and therefore lack any official status, often for decades. In 2023, for instance, 4.3 million immigrants had lived in the US for 18 years or more without papers (Passel and Krogstad 2025). A second growing group within the spectrum includes those with “liminal,” in-between statuses providing revocable, short-term relief from deportation and work authorization but not long-term stability, rights, and security (see Menjívar 2006). This group, which amounts to an estimated 29 percent of the total, includes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) holders and those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), as well as an increasing number of asylum seekers, especially since the mid-2010s. ...

"Accordingly, this issue of RSF examines the ways in which contemporary asylum seekers to the US resemble and differ from other immigrants, past and present; it considers how rising asylum-seeking shapes subnational responses among diverse state and non-state actors; it compares the experiences of asylum-seeking newcomers with long-term unauthorized immigrants; it analyzes the relationships of these groups with the US-born population; and, in turn, it assesses their influence on broader US immigration policies."

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double-spaced) of their study along with up to three pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM EST on January 7, 2026.

Read the complete call for articles online.

ISA Declaration: "A Time for Sociology"

DCSS Admin — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:29:56 GMT

The declaration was presented by ISA President Geoffrey Pleyers at the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology in Rabat on July 6th, 2025. It is open for individual and collective endorsements. It reads, in part:

"At a time when state leaders are promoting distrust in science and attacks on the social sciences are multiplying;
At a time when fake news circulates more widely and with greater impact than research-based analysis;
At a time when many political leaders are spreading hate speech and denying part of the population the right to full citizenship; ...

"We believe that critical interventions by social scientists are more essential than ever.
And we reaffirm the values and commitments at the core of our work as researchers, educators, and public intellectuals. ...

"We are convinced that sociology not only helps us understand the world, but also to build a more just, livable, peaceful and sustainable future. ..."

Read the full declaration online.

CFP: PAA 2026 Applied Demography Conference

DCSS Admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:30:47 GMT

What is Applied Demography? "Applied demography [is] concerned with the application of the materials and methods of demography to the analysis and solution of the problems of business, private nonprofit organizations, and government" (J. Siegel)

Applied demography is distinct from formal demography "because it exhibits the value-orientation and empirical characteristics of a decision-making science" (Swanson, Burch, and Tedrow) and is "more concerned with the measurement and interpretation of current and prospective population change than with the behavioral determinants of this change" (Rives and Serow).

"We are excited to provide applied demographers with a unique opportunity to participate in a conference designed to showcase developments and receive feedback on their work and work in progress and strengthen professional and personal ties within the community. We welcome your submissions for the PAA 2026 Applied Demography Conference. This conference will be held virtually from February 10-12, 2026. Deadline for submissions is October 23."

See the complete call online.

Call for Volunteers — Citizen Science Project: Monitoring Federal Statistical Product Releases

DCSS Admin — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 18:32:47 GMT

"As part of the American Statistical Association project assessing and monitoring the health of the federal statistical agencies, the project team is launching a “Citizen Science” project. This project aims to help track changes in federal statistical data releases (e.g., granularity, frequency, timeliness, and other characteristics), which could be improvements or deteriorations."

"We especially need volunteers for products from the following agencies:
BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
BTS (Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
EIA (Energy Information Administration)
ERS (Economic Research Service)
NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service)
NCES (National Center for Education Statistics)
NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics)
NCSES (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics)
ORES (Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics)
SOI (Statistics of Income Division)"

Read the complete call online (Google Form)

Research-Informed Policy Strengthens Children and Families

DCSS Admin — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 18:06:19 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations

Why Social Science?
Because Research-Informed Policy Strengthens Children and Families

By Suzanne Le Menestrel, Juan Romero-Casillas, and Eva Lettiere (Society for Research in Child Development)

The path from research to policy is rarely straightforward; it takes collaboration between researchers and policymakers at every stage. In child-centered policymaking, where the goal is to improve the lives of children and families, these partnerships are especially vital. Evidence helps policymakers better understand complex issues and identify effective solutions, while researchers gain the opportunity to demonstrate the value of their work in addressing real-world challenges.

Read the complete blog post online

RFI: Feedback on Redesigning the Institute of Education Sciences

DCSS Admin — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:33:18 GMT

From the Federal Register (Sep 25): "The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 established the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as the research, evaluation, and statistics arm of the U.S. Department of Education. IES is responsible for generating, disseminating, and promoting the use of rigorous evidence to improve education outcomes nationwide. IES is undertaking a comprehensive reexamination to ensure that its core functions—research, statistics, evaluation, and dissemination—are carried out in ways that maximize relevance, timeliness, and usability for the education stakeholders who rely on them. Specifically, the goal is to ensure that IES' high-quality work is translated in ways that inform teacher and practitioner practice and has a meaningful, positive impact on students' academic achievement and other outcomes. Through this RFI, we seek public input on how IES can modernize its programs, processes, and priorities to better serve the needs of the field and American students."

Comments accepted until 10/15/25.

View the Federal Register notice

Comment link is also here.

This request comes in the context of dramatic reductions in staffing and funding as part of the Trump administration's attempt to dismantle and eliminate the US Department of Education. See a compilation of news reports on our DCSS resource page.

Sociology major discontinued at US Military Academy (West Point)

DCSS Admin — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 14:32:01 GMT

"Inside Pete Hegseth’s Civilian Purge at West Point" By Jasper Craven, Politico (8/28/2025)

"Days after his confirmation, Hegseth blasted out a memo to military school faculty prohibiting instruction that could be in any way construed as promoting 'Critical Race Theory, Gender Ideology, and DEI.' Then he gathered service academy leaders on a teleconference. Beamed into each campus was a clear order: Focus on history, warfighting and engineering, and hobble much of the rest. Department heads moved quickly, requesting faculty review their syllabi for materials potentially in conflict with Hegseth’s dictate.

"... West Point ultimately banned Parsons’ entire list, part of a broader sweep across the service academies that scrubbed hundreds of books from courses and library catalogs, including work by James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, plus a slate of texts interrogating masculinity. West Point also dissolved its sociology major and abolished at least a dozen student diversity clubs, including a chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and the Latin Cultural Club. They also removed history and English courses, including one called 'Power and Difference.' ”

[Read the complete article online]

Social Science Gives Educators and Policymakers the Tools to Improve Education

DCSS Admin — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 14:25:48 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations:

Because It Gives Educators and Policymakers the Tools to Improve Education

By Tabbye Chavous, Executive Director, American Educational Research Association

Wearing my hats as a social science scholar and academic leader, I have studied trends in the development of science over the past 150 years. Over that time, scholarly science has focused on the continual advancement of knowledge. As such, the science produced has become more precise—theoretically and empirically—more sophisticated in its methods, more interdisciplinary, and more connected to practice and policy. To the last point, in this century science, including education research, has demonstrated a growing capacity for refining evidence-based approaches to address important issues and concerns in our schools, communities, and broader society.

Education scholars are deeply committed to making a tangible impact on classrooms and communities across the country. Their work offers not just knowledge, but actionable solutions. It informs classroom practice, shapes district and state policies, and enhances community well-being. It ensures accountability, stimulates and guides innovation, and allows for careful assessment of which interventions truly move the needle for students. And for many years, a strong partnership among the federal government, universities, and philanthropic organizations sustained this work, fostering a national ecosystem in which research could thrive and be applied.

That partnership is now in grave danger. [Read the complete essay online]

Local universities targeted in ED probe of "antisemitism" and "DEI" (Updated)

DCSS Admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:30:00 GMT

[Update, Aug 25] "GMU President Refuses to Apologize for Diversity Efforts, Lawyer Calls Ed. Dept. Claims ‘Absurd’ The Chronicle of Higher Education [Link to lawyer letter here (PDF)]

[Update, Aug 1] "Despite federal investigations, GMU president will remain in role, receive pay boost" Virginia Mercury

[Update, Jul 30] "DOJ to review staff texts, emails after faculty praise of GMU president" The Washington Post (Jul 29) "...the Justice Department sent a letter to George Mason University saying it planned to review a Faculty Senate resolution that praised the school’s president. ... On Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and committee member Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) sent a letter to Washington saying they were requesting five years of records and staff communications related to GMU’s DEI policies."

"Alumni, students, faculty, business leaders, and community members who care deeply about Mason" have created a website, "I Stand With Mason," that includes a form to sign a resolution in support of GMU and its president.

"Fairfax court says some Youngkin appointees can’t serve on university boards — for now" WAMU (Jul 29)

[Update, Jul 17] "George Mason Is the Latest University Under Fire From Trump. Its President Fears an 'Orchestrated' Campaign." ProPublica (Jul 10) "When university president Gregory Washington received notice that the Trump administration had opened an investigation into complaints of antisemitism, he was 'perplexed.' But there are signs it may be part of a coordinated campaign to oust him." [Announcement from US Dept. of Education is here.]
"George Mason professors say governing board failed to defend president, university" Virginia Mercury (Jul 23) GMU Board of Visitors meeting notice, August 1.

[Update, Apr. 11] A group of faculty members at universities on the March 10 list have issued a call to action, "We Must Leverage the Strength of Our Institutions and Stand Together." (New URL) It states in part, "These measures are not principally about protecting students and combating discrimination; they are about political control. ... the federal government is using the language of civil rights enforcement as a cover for authoritarian overreach and encroachment, dictating what can be said, studied, and debated in our institutions. These measures represent a direct assault on the mission of the university as a space for independent thought, free speech, and democratic engagement. ... We ask all sixty institutions under government threat to unite in a coordinated, proactive defense." More than 4,500 faculty members at these 60 institutions and others have signed the call to action, which remains open for signature as of this date.

[Original, Mar. 15] The US Department of Education announced March 10 that it "sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus...." (See also the report from Inside Higher Ed on March 11.)

The list includes American University, George Mason University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Virginia.

At the same time, the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University released an action-resource guide: Student Speech, Education Policy, and College Campuses Today. (PDF) "This guide provides an accessible introduction to historical and ongoing policy debates on students’ freedom of expression around Palestine, Gaza, Israel, and anti-Zionism. It is intended to inform and empower students, faculty, administrators, and free speech advocates working in this area."

Johns Hopkins University also "is planning for staff layoffs after the Trump administration canceled $800 million in U.S. Agency for International Development grants...."

See additional news and resources related to the actions of the Trump Administration on our "Resources" page.

New ASA Resource: Majoring In Sociology: A Pathway To Opportunity

DCSS Admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:18:50 GMT

"Learn about exciting jobs for sociology graduates! The American Sociological Association’s Pathways booklets and brochures offer aspiring sociology students, their families, and advisors valuable information on how a bachelor’s degree in sociology prepares students for rewarding and meaningful careers. Resources include examples of how students can focus their sociology major depending on their interests and goals, and insights from several sociology graduates to help students imagine how they might put their own sociology degree to work."

View resources on the project website

Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina

DCSS Admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:14:57 GMT

Hope in High Water:
A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina

A documentary from Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF).

"Released days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, “Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina” highlights the leadership of communities in New Orleans and along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast working to rebuild and reimagine more equitable systems.

"The feature-length documentary marks Trymaine Lee’s return to the region, where he first reported on Katrina as part of The Times-Picayune newsroom in 2005. The film traces the arc of recovery through the voices of those who never left — educators, organizers, farmers and families who have spent two decades not only rebuilding but transforming the systems that failed their communities long before the storm."

Watch the trailer or the entire film via the project website

CFP: The Public's Science–A New Social Contract for American Research Policy

DCSS Admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:10:52 GMT

Special Issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: "The Public's Science–A New Social Contract for American Research Policy"

Editors: Alondra Nelson (Institute for Advanced Study) and Jenny Reardon (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Abstract Deadline: Friday, September 19, 2025

"Seventy-five years after Vannevar Bush's Science—The Endless Frontier established the foundational social contract for publicly funded research in the United States, we face an unprecedented crisis in American research policy. The original arrangement of government funding in exchange for research autonomy, with the expectation of broad societal benefits, has produced remarkable scientific achievements and world-shaping technologies, from life-saving medicines to weapons of mass destruction. Yet this arrangement has consistently lacked robust mechanisms for genuine public accountability, a weakness now exposed as publicly funded institutions face systematic attacks and declining public trust."

Read the complete call here.

Survey of international students and postdocs

DCSS Admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:06:45 GMT

"NAFSA: The Association of International Educators is inviting current international students and postdocs to complete a survey on the Trump administration’s new proposal to end duration of status for F, J, and I nonimmigrant visas. On June 27, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security submitted the proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget. This new proposed rule would establish a 2- or 4-year timeframe for individuals on F-1 and J-1 visas to stay in the United States. This proposed rule is a departure from the current duration of status policy which allows F-1 and J-1 visa holders to stay in the country for the length of their educational program. For more information, please visit the NAFSA website.

The deadline for the completion of the survey is September 12, 2025. The survey link is here.

New Update on ASA Lawsuit Against U.S. Department of Education

DCSS Admin — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 01:00:00 GMT

"Court Rules for Public Schools and Educators, Rejects Trump-Vance Administration’s Unprecedented Assault on Public Education" Democracy Forward Foundation (Aug 14)

"Baltimore. A U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has made a sweeping ruling in favor of a coalition of nationwide associations of educators and a public school district, declaring that the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to require school districts throughout the nation to censor lessons, abandon student support programs, and certify their compliance with the administration’s unlawful interpretation of civil rights is unconstitutional."

Update from Democracy Forward [Apr 24]: "Harmful Attacks on Educational Programs Paused by Court in Case Brought By Educators" (Press Release April 24, 2025)

"Federal Court Issues Nationwide Order Pausing Unprecedented Assault on Public Schools, Teachers and Students. Court Blocks 'Dear Colleague Letter' Purporting to Prosecute or Cut Funding Based on Teaching History, Sociology, Or Other Lessons That Reference Race or Racism."

Original item 2/26/25 "ASA Joins Lawsuit against the Department of Education"
From Democracy Forward:

"The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFT-MD, and the American Sociological Association have filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague Letter,” which is a new policy that threatens to withhold federal funding for any education institutions that do not comply by February 28 with its unprecedented weaponization and undermining of civil rights laws. In addition to withholding funds, the letter also threatens educators and schools with potential investigations and prosecutions.

"The suit, filed in federal court in Maryland, is brought by the AFT, AFT-MD, and the American Sociological Association. The complaint challenges a “Dear Colleague Letter” published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on February 14, 2025, which threatened that federal funding would be withheld from education institutions that teach accurate history and lessons about slavery, diversity and inclusion, among other efforts. The complaint argues that the “Dear Colleague Letter” will do a disservice to students and ultimately the nation by weakening schools as portals to opportunity and incubators for creative, innovative, and critical thinking."

See the press release and full complaint on the Democracy Forward website.

See additional context on the "Dear Colleague" letter on our "Resources for Tracking Trump Administration Actions" page

Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) is processing new registrations

DCSS Admin — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:38:05 GMT

"Since 1984, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has provided technical assistance to more than 400 surveys in over 90 countries, advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries. The DHS Program has earned a worldwide reputation for collecting and disseminating accurate, nationally representative data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition. The project is implemented by ICF International, Inc..

"With the ending of USAID support in February 2025, ICF has secured interim funding for continuing selected, but not all, DHS Program services. Several donors and host countries are funding the completion of selected surveys. ICF also received a 3-year grant for Emergency Support to Stabilize the DHS Program from the Gates Foundation in July 2025, with a focus on supporting the maintenance of the dhsprogram.com website; ensuring continued free access to tools and data, including uploading of and access to new datasets; and supporting the completion of some surveys and the implementation of new surveys in selected countries."

"The DHS Program, which manages registration and access for IPUMS DHS, is again reviewing new user applications and requests for expanded access from currently approved users."

Short courses in survey methods, 2025-2026

DCSS Admin — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:49:05 GMT

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology offers a variety of short courses. Short Courses are open to the public and admission through the University of Maryland admission office is not required.

Introduction to Machine Learning and Big Data for Survey Researchers and Social Scientist, By: Trent D. Buskirk. Monday, Dec 01, 2025 - Tuesday, Dec 12, 2025. Online

Introduction to Survey Sampling, By: Colm O’Muircheartaigh and James M. Lepkowski. Tuesday, Dec 09, 2025 - Thursday, Dec 11, 2025. Online

Synthetic Data: Balancing Confidentiality and Quality in Public Use Files, By: Joerg Drechsler and Jerome P. Reiter. Monday, Feb 02, 2026 – Friday, Feb 13, 2026. Online

Introduction to Survey Estimation, By: David Morganstein and Sunghee Lee.
Monday, April 06, 2026 - Friday, April 17, 2026. Online

Small Area Estimation, By: Santanu Pramanik. Monday, May 11, 2026 – Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Online

See the complete schedule with prices and register on the JPSM website.

Call for Abstracts: 16th Annual International Conference on Stigma

DCSS Admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:43:37 GMT

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:
16th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STIGMA

Conference Theme: “Beyond the Labels - Living and Thriving”

A Hybrid Conference Hosted by Howard University Tuesday, November 18, 2025 –Thursday, November 20, 2025

Deadline for Submission: Monday, September 1, 2025 by 5:00pm (EDT)

"This hybrid conference aims to increase awareness of the stigma of HIV and other health conditions and to explore interventions to eradicate this stigma. This conference also serves to educate healthcare providers and the general public about stigma as both a major barrier to prevention and treatment of illnesses and a human rights violation."

Read the complete call (PDF) or (online)

Reimagining Science Requires Behavioral and Social Scientists at the Table

DCSS Admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:14:51 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations series, "Why Social Science?"

Because Reimagining Science Requires Behavioral and Social Scientists at the Table, Too

July 31, 2025

by Sam Goldstein, Science for Good

"Nearly 40% of deaths in the United States are preventable through changes in behavior. Modifiable risk factors like smoking, poor diet, inactivity, or alcohol use are contributors to many cancers. For children and teens ages 1 to 17, the leading cause of death is not disease…it’s gun violence. These are not problems with strictly biomedical solutions. They are deeply embedded in how people live, what they believe, and the environments they navigate every day. This is where behavioral and social science research (BSSR) provides answers. BSSR can examine individual characteristics and the broader contexts that shape health, or our “social determinants of health,” which either promote good health or exacerbate health disparities. Despite its enormous potential to improve lives, BSSR receives only a fraction of the funding and recognition given to biomedical research. In some cases, the use of terminology or phrases related to research on health disparities in a grant proposal have resulted in unfair termination of funding. If we want to understand not only today’s most pressing public health crises, but also the political moment science now finds itself in, we need scientists who ask the why’s and the how’s."

Read the complete post online.

Update on ADVANCE Journal: Individual and Institutional Transformation for Social Justice

DCSS Admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 15:00:00 GMT

"We’re Leaving the Porch Light On For You!" (July 14, 2025)

"As editors of the ADVANCE Journal, we have been stunned and deeply saddened by the onslaught of attacks directed at higher education, science, and women of all races, cultures, and sexual orientations. But, make no mistake. We remain committed to ensuring that the research findings, project outcomes, artistic expressions, lived experiences, and voices of women in the academic STEM disciplines are well-documented in the peer-reviewed literature. Therefore, we’ve made the decision to continue production of the Journal indefinitely."

Original [5/14/25] "Call for Personal Essay/Impact Statement for NSF Grants and their Terminations" [See one example essay published June 12 here]

"On Friday, May 2nd, The ADVANCE Journal: Individual and Institutional Transformation for Social Justice received its termination notice from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the NSF grant supporting the journal. While we are saddened, we are not broken. In fact, we see this moment as an opportunity to continue our work for gender and intersectional equity freed from the constraints of institutional dictates in the current political situation. We are defiant.

"We are only one of hundreds of NSF grants focused on broadening participation of women, BIPOC, and 2SLGBTQIA+ in STEM higher education that have been abruptly terminated. As other such projects are receiving their notices and the destruction of the ADVANCE program at NSF continues, the ADVANCE Journal invites submission of personal or collective essays and impact statements about positive experiences of these NSF grant programs and the negative impacts of their cancellations. This is for scholars working on issues of gender, race, inclusion, equity, and justice through ADVANCE and other NSF grants, such as LSAMP. We are interested in highlighting how these cancellations impact PIs, co-PIs, postdoctoral and international scholars and other participants, institutions, and science itself.

"These essays will not be peer-reviewed but will be reviewed by the journal’s editorial team. They will be published on the ADVANCE Journal site as a blog series that bears testimony to the fallout of this administration’s targeting of women, BIPOC, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people within the academy."

Essays should be no more than 2,000 words and should be submitted by Monday, May 26, 2025. "We also welcome submissions of poetry, photographs, and hyperlinks to projects and publications that convey the significance of your project and the impact of the grant termination."

See the complete call and link for submission online.

IPUMS Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel US census data

DCSS Admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 13:21:38 GMT

From the Minnesota Population Center:

"IPUMS MLP: Revolutionizing Linked Data" (Jul 17, 2025)

The latest iteration of the IPUMS Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel (MLP) project ... links together records from the full count US census data.... Full count census data offer unprecedented opportunities for social scientific research. Once harmonized, these data enable precise measurement of key demographic, economic, and social patterns across time and space. Researchers can observe entire populations over long periods and produce estimates virtually free of sampling error. Estimates can also be produced down to the smallest geographical units, allowing researchers to define and observe communities with an outstanding level of detail.

Perhaps even more powerfully, full count data have opened the possibility of automated record linkages across census years to construct millions of individual life histories and trace millions of families over multiple generations. These linked data speak compellingly to core research questions in the social sciences, including intergenerational mobility and the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic characteristics; exhaustive descriptions of individual and family trajectories; internal migration patterns within small geographic units; long-term outcomes of early-life conditions; and many more.

Read the complete blog post online.

DCSS Leadership Transitions for 2025-2026

DCSS Admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:44:40 GMT

DCSS welcomes Dr. Carolette Norwood of Howard University as the new president of DCSS as of July 1, 2025. She extends the following welcome to all DCSS members and supporters:

I am delighted to step into the role of President of the DC Sociological Society (DCSS)! It is a profound honor to serve in this capacity. The last Sociologist from Howard University to hold this position was the esteemed E. Franklin Frazier, making this moment especially meaningful and humbling.

I want to express my deep appreciation for my predecessor, Dr. Gay Young, whose outstanding leadership has set a high standard and left big shoes to fill. I look forward to building on her legacy while bringing my own vision to the role.

Throughout this academic year, I’m excited to host a variety of events and opportunities to connect with colleagues, students, and friends of Sociology across the DC area. I hope to foster community, critical dialogue, and celebration of the rich sociological traditions rooted in our region.

Let’s make it a vibrant and engaging year for sociology in the DC area!

Carolette Norwood is Professor and former Chair of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. A Black feminist sociologist, Dr. Norwood’s research examines violence at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, and space, with a particular focus on reproductive and sexual health injustices impacting Black women. Her forthcoming book, Jim Crow Geographies (under contract with Columbia University Press), draws on her research on Black women’s economic mobility and reproductive justice in Cincinnati. Dr. Norwood’s scholarship has appeared in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, Journal of Black Psychology, The American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, and other leading outlets. Her work has been widely recognized and supported by major funders, including the NIH, Mellon Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

Gay Young moves into the role of Editor of the DCSS publication, The Sociologist: Analysis From & About The DMV. For the fall 2025 issue, we anticipate a timely feature by a DC faculty member on their research; an interview with a DC academic leader; an international graduate student review of an ASA-awarded book; an undergraduate student reflection on advocacy in the realm of CRSV; and a photo essay on art, tech and social inequality. Jill Brantley, who served as Editor from 2022-2025 and is also a past President of DCSS, and Alexandra Rodriguez, DCSS Secretary 2022-2025, will join the editorial board for The Sociologist.

John W. Curtis will continue as DCSS Treasurer.

The DCSS Executive Committee welcomes volunteers or nominations of DCSS members interested in joining the Executive Committee and serving as Secretary. Please communicate your interest or nomination to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

CLALS and Immigration Lab launch podcast: "Immigration Realities"

DCSS Admin — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 16:11:25 GMT

The Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and Immigration Lab at American University have launched a podcast, "Immigration Realities."

"In its debut season, Immigration Realities features timely, in-depth conversations that illuminate recent policy developments, underreported stories, and cutting-edge research on immigration."

Episode 1: Unpacking Trump's First Month
Episode 2: Rhetoric vs. Reality: The Migrant "Crisis" and The Current Response
Episode 3: The First 100 Days Immigration Policy
Episode 4: Asylum Seekers and New Arrivals in DC and NYC
Episode 5: The Effects of the Latest Immigration Policies - Immigration Realities Podcast
Episode 6: Criminalized by Design: How U.S. Immigration Policy Hurts Families, Not Crime Rates

The Public’s Views on the Value of Federal Statistics

DCSS Admin — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 14:39:03 GMT

"A new SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus poll finds that a large majority of the U.S. adults see federal statistics, such as the unemployment rate, the population count, and obesity statistics, as important for decision-making and understanding our society. However, U.S. adults are divided on how much confidence they have in federal statistics and the federal agencies that collect them." Read the complete report on the SSRS website.

Comments sought on Time Use and CPS

DCSS Admin — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 14:26:11 GMT

The Federal Register recently included two opportunities to comment on federal data collections that may be of interest to sociologists.

The Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has submitted an information collection request for the American Time Use Survey. "Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden and cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology." Comment period ends 7/28/2025.

The Current Population Survey is testing new race/ethnicity questions that align to the long-awaited new standards (SPD-15 standards). The Census Bureau, Department of Commerce "invites the general public ... to comment ... on the proposed extension of the Current Population Survey Basic Demographics, prior to the submission of the information collection request to OMB for approval." Comment period ends 8/26/2025.

Request for Articles: Gender Inequality Beyond Categories

DCSS Admin — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:03:12 GMT

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. "Gender Inequality Beyond Categories: Femininity, Masculinity, and Gender Expression."

"Gender categories are not homogenous; they have inequalities and hierarchies both within and between them. Within any gender identity category, people enact varying levels of femininity and masculinity, from traditional bipolar or 'opposite' conceptions of gender, to various forms of androgyny and nonconformity, to feeling little attachment to gender at all. Contemporary gender theory highlights the importance of understanding these dominant, subordinate and mixed positions within gender categories as key to the overall maintenance of gender inequality. However, outside of social psychology, most quantitative research to date has been ill-equipped to operationalize concepts of femininity, masculinity, and gender expression.

"Supported in part by funding from the Russell Sage Foundation, the 2024 General Social Survey (GSS) included two pairs of femininity and masculinity scales: one asking how respondents see themselves and another asking how 'most people' see them."

See the full call on the RSF website.

DMV Sociologists to Receive ASA Awards

DCSS Admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:34:24 GMT

The American Sociological Association has announced its 2025 awards, and two regional sociologists are among the recipients:

"The recipient of the 2025 American Sociological Association Public Understanding of Sociology Award is Dr. Gregory Squires, George Washington University, recognized by both his nominators and the selection committee for his involvement in policy research and a career as a public sociologist that have advanced the public understanding of sociology, sociological research, and scholarship among the general public."

The 2025 ASA Distinguished Scholarly Book Award goes to Allison J. Pugh, Johns Hopkins University, for The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World. "Drawing on 108 interviews with various professionals and hundreds of hours of rich ethnographic observations of spaces and interactions (and across several states and even continents), Pugh’s [book] explores the nature of 'connective labor.' Connective labor—jobs that involve working with others, such as teachers, primary care physicians, and therapists—is the essence of making a human connection across what could be cold and impersonal interactions; such effort 'involves "seeing" the other and reflecting that understanding back.' ”

Read the complete announcements on the ASA website. Congratulations to these and all of the winners.

The winners will be honored in a ceremony during the ASA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

In Memoriam: Professor Richard Alba

DCSS Admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:01:44 GMT

From the CUNY Graduate Center:

"The CUNY Graduate Center community deeply mourns the passing of Professor Emeritus Richard Alba (Sociology, Africana Studies), a pathbreaking demographer who bucked conventional ideas about how immigrants assimilate into and impact mainstream U.S. culture. He died on June 4. He was 82.

"In books, journal articles, and op-eds, he marshaled demographic data to show that the descendants of immigrants largely become integrated into mainstream society both in the U.S. and in Western Europe, rather than remain segregated from it. He also influenced generations of scholars through his teaching and mentorship."

Read the complete tribute on the CUNY GC website.

Update: Comment on proposed changes to federal civil service--extended to June 7

DCSS Admin — Sun, 25 May 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Original post from May 14:

The Office of Personnel Management has proposed a rule, "Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service." Comments on the rule can be submitted until May 23. [Update: Extended to June 7]

The proposed rule would remove civil-service protections from a new category of federal employees called “Schedule Policy/Career" (P/C). These P/C employees would be at-will workers without the right to challenge terminations or appeal reclassification to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The proposed rule would give the President sole authority to reclassify federal employees as P/C.

The proposed rule would make it easy to fire hundreds of thousands of federal employees and replace them with political loyalists. This would make it easier to purge the government of the people and services that hold corporations accountable, protect labor rights, ensure clean air and water, provide healthcare and Social Security benefits, and enforce the safety regulations that improve the lives of Americans.

The Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is very concerned about the potential impact on federal statistics of this proposed rule, and has provided templates for taking action online.

The Federal Unionists Network (FUN) has provided an extensive Public Comment Toolkit, available as a Google document.

See also the editorial, "Institutionalizing politicized science" in Science, May 8, by Donald Moynihan and Pamela Herd.

"Achieving Government Efficiency Requires More, Not Less, Investment"

DCSS Admin — Sun, 25 May 2025 13:30:00 GMT

By Anna Harvey, President, Social Science Research Council (February 18, 2025)

Achieving Government Efficiency Requires More, Not Less, Investment

SSRC President Anna Harvey reflects on the meaning of “government efficiency” and better and worse strategies to increase government efficiency.

"Government efficiency doesn’t mean that the government does less. It means that the government does more for every dollar it spends. ...

"At the end of the day, a more efficient government might spend more or less than it spends today. But right now, we don’t know which programs we should cut, and which programs we should expand. If our goal is really a government that does more for every dollar spent, and not a government that just does less, we’re going to have to spend the money and do the work to find the programs and policies that produce more of what voters want for fewer public dollars.

"It would certainly be easier if we could achieve government efficiency simply by cutting government spending. But thinking that government efficiency can be achieved just by reducing public spending is like thinking that we can make cars more efficient just by giving them less gas. Filling your car’s gas tank only half full won’t make your car any more efficient. It just makes it less useful."

Sociologists among National Academy of Sciences 2025 Fellows

DCSS Admin — Wed, 14 May 2025 13:39:10 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations:

"National Academy of Sciences Announces 2025 Fellows" (May 13)
COSSA congratulates the 150 newly elected fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, including the social and behavioral scientists from COSSA member institutions:

Steven T. Berry, Department of Economics, Yale University
Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Department of Psychology and School of Law, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Alison Gopnik, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
David B. Grusky, Department of Sociology, Stanford University
Jun S. Liu, Department of Statistics, Harvard University
Daniel S. Nagin, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Scott Page, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Parag A. Pathak, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
James W. Pennebaker, Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin
Marilyn N. Raphael, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Cecilia L. Ridgeway, Department of Sociology, Stanford University
Mary C. Stiner, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona

New ASA Toolkit: Community-Engaged Scholarship in Tenure and Promotion

DCSS Admin — Tue, 13 May 2025 13:05:55 GMT

"ASA’s Shifting the Academic Ecology to Support Community-Engaged Scholarship in Tenure and Promotion in Sociology project establishes a framework that can be used to incorporate community-engaged scholarship into tenure and promotion processes. The elements in this Toolkit are designed for use by sociology departments, faculty, and tenure and promotion reviewers as they work to address the persistent disconnect between the reward structures in institutions of higher education and the aspiration to use our scholarly work to address real-world problems."

ASA acknowledges the contributions of the sociology departments at George Washington University, Howard University, and the University of Maryland, College Park.

See the tool kit on the ASA website.

Updated: 2025 Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization goes to Mosaic Theater Company

DCSS Admin — Thu, 08 May 2025 20:37:00 GMT

Update, May 8:

Late Friday, May 2, Mosaic Theater received devastating news: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) terminated their $15,000 grant awarded last year. The grant was designated to support their Catalyst Series of New Play Development, an initiative dedicated to bringing together nationally-recognized artists to work with local artists and audiences on the creation of bold new plays.

Mosaic writes, "Many of you have already reached out with words of encouragement and asking how you can help. If you'd like to stand with us during these troubling times, we would be grateful for your support."

Original post from April 10:

The DC Sociological Society honors Mosaic Theater Company with the 2025 Anna Julia Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization.

Founded in December 2014, Mosaic Theater Company’s first leadership team (Ari Roth from Theater J, Serge Seiden from The Studio Theater, and Jennifer L. Nelson from the African Continuum Theatre Company) began building a mission-driven theater focused on intercultural narratives, social justice issues and civic discourse. In 2016, Mosaic became a resident partner at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, an H Street NE venue on a corridor connecting “East of the River” neighborhoods and Maryland counties to downtown DC. In 2021, as Mosaic welcomed audiences back to the theater, DC-based director, producer and new play advocate, Reginald Douglas, was appointed Mosaic’s Artistic Director.

Mosaic asserts a mission to “produce bold, culturally diverse theater that illuminates critical issues, elevates fresh voices, and sparks connection among communities throughout our region and beyond.” The company articulates values grounded in the pursuit of shared goals and recognition of shared humanity in the process of inquiry into social issues, and engages this sociology-informed process in making art against oppressive systems—art infused by the different backgrounds and experiences among artists and audiences in a space that honors marginalized voices.

Two recent productions (among many possibilities) illustrate Mosaic’s movement toward sociological understanding of and challenges to systemic oppression: The Till Trilogy has at its core the racist violence that has long been inflicted on Black bodies. cullud wattah illuminates the structural embeddedness of racist violence.

In fall 2022, The Till Trilogy (by Ifa Bayeza and directed by Talvin Wilks) contemplated the life, death, and legacy of Emmett Till, whose murder in 1955 remains a pivotal moment in American history. Three plays (The Ballad of Emmett Till, Benevolence, and That Summer in Sumner) present ten actors performing in rotating repertory. With music, poetry, and sociological imagination, the trilogy portrays the ongoing fight for racial justice and offers audiences of all ages an opportunity for collective reckoning.

The current production cullud wattah (by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Danielle A. Drakes) centers the Flint water crisis. Set in 2016, it has been 936 days since Flint, Michigan, has had clean water. Third-generation General Motors employee Marion is on the verge of a promotion when her sister begins participating in social protests accusing the company of poisoning the water. The situation pushes the tight-knit family to confront their past and weigh their options for the future.

DCSS is pleased to honor Mosaic Theater Company with the 2025 Cooper Award acknowledging the company’s mission and values; the crucial social problems they seek to confront by deepening their sociological understanding of systemic oppression through engagement with social movement analysis; and their compelling productions coupled with sociology-informed programs of public engagement. Artistic Director Reginald Douglas will accept the award at the 2025 awards celebration on April 30. We encourage all DCSS members and supporters to attend!

Photo (l to r): Serge Seiden, Managing Director; Gay Young, DCSS President; Cathy Solomon, Board President; Reginald L. Douglas, Artistic Director. Photo by Alexandra Rodriguez.

Nicol Turner Lee to receive DCSS 2025 Rosenberg award (updated with photo)

DCSS Admin — Thu, 08 May 2025 20:30:00 GMT

Updated with a photo (below). Original post from April 10:

Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is the recipient of the 2025 Morris Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Sociological Achievement from the DC Sociological Society.

Sociology has had limited engagement with structural studies of media and technology, although this has shifted in recent years. By contrast, Dr. Turner Lee has focused on these subfields for many years through her applied work. In her most recent roles, she has amplified sociological perspectives regarding inequality and social justice within technology policy circles, and she often speaks publicly on these topics in a clear and approachable manner.

In 2024, Dr. Turner Lee published Digitally Invisible: How the Internet Is Creating the New Underclass. The book offers a robust view of the digital inequities experienced by multiple communities in the United States. It engages with the sociological imagination and the always present tension of structure and agency. For example, although she calls out the ways that the digitally invisible are “trapped by their demography, geography, and circumstance,” Dr. Turner Lee centers efforts led by local mobilizers to balance policy debates with local community needs in addressing digital inequity — “[people] who are steadfast within their institutions and communities even when everything else is shuttering around them…”

Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and serves as co-editor-in-chief of the TechTank blog and the TechTank Podcast. She graduated from Colgate University magna cum laude and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.

DCSS will present Dr. Turner Lee with the Rosenberg Award at the 2025 awards celebration on April 30. We encourage all DCSS members and supporters to attend!

Nicol Turner Lee (left) and DCSS President Gay Young. Photo by Alexandra Rodriguez.

Why Social Science? The importance of demography

John Curtis — Thu, 08 May 2025 20:23:37 GMT

"Why Social Science?" is a project of the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA).

The most recent "Why Social Science?" post comes from Mark Mather and Beth Jarosz from the Population Reference Bureau who write about the importance of demography and how it can help community leaders, policymakers, business leaders, advocates, and residents plan effectively for a thriving future.

Read the blog post online here.

CGS relaunches GradSense for current and prospective graduate students

DCSS Admin — Fri, 02 May 2025 15:12:22 GMT

"GradSense is a website to help you plan financially for graduate school – whether you’re already enrolled or just considering your options. Learn what funding options are available for which degrees, plan your future with our debt to earnings calculator, and create a budget that will see you through your program. Then, go deeper with interactive quizzes, inspiring stories from recent graduates, and links to additional financial planning resources. GradSense is an initiative of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) generously supported by TIAA."

SSRC launches Pilot Pitchfest

DCSS Admin — Fri, 02 May 2025 15:04:40 GMT

From the Social Science Research Council

"Pilot Pitchfest aims to connect local researchers with city agencies and employees, in order to accelerate public sector innovation in cities. Eight out of ten top research universities are in US cities, yet local experts are under-utilized in accelerating public sector innovation. Pitchfest aims to bolster government innovation capacity, modernize city procurement processes, and coordinate startup support infrastructure."

The first Pilot Pitchfest is in New York City. If you are interested in bringing the program to your city, click the link at the bottom of that page.

DCSS joins statements supporting academic freedom

DCSS Admin — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 18:56:43 GMT

The DC Sociological Society has signed on in support of two recent statements supporting academic freedom in the face of ongoing attacks against education and science by the current Trump Administration.

The first, organized by the American Sociological Association, is an “Open Letter in Support of Academia: How Sociology Benefits Universities and Society.” The 14 organizational signatories “stand firmly in opposition to recent federal policy that seeks to stifle universities and academic inquiry.” The letter states further that “[t]hese attempts to silence and discredit [social institutions] do a massive disservice to society at large that will have far-reaching, adverse impacts.” It concludes by calling on “university leaders to resist efforts to stifle scientific discovery and to challenge the attempts to silence academics working in universities and other settings. We call on universities to support sociology departments, students, and faculty and reject efforts to restrict the teaching of sociology at their institutions. Now more than ever, it is critical that leaders—at universities, in private industry, and in the public sector—state plainly that academia benefits society and that sociology is an essential way that it does so.”

The “Declaration To Defend Research Against U.S. Government Censorship,” which has been signed by more than 4,400 individuals and organizations as of this date, is a call for “members of the worldwide scholarly communication community … to publicly condemn and resist the censorship of academic research.” The Declaration argues that “[s]cholarly/scientific research generates globally shared knowledge that serves humanity. The integrity and advancement of this knowledge requires that scholars can freely conduct, collaborate on, and share their research, and are freely able to examine and discuss the work of their peers. Government censorship and restrictions on terminology, research topics, or methods fundamentally compromise these scholarly endeavors and their integrity.”

Signatories to the Declaration commit to at least one of four recommended actions: “(1) Support instances of resistance to U.S. government censorship. (2) Promote venues for scholars to share, safeguard, and preserve their work, beyond the reach of censorship. (3) Participate in efforts to track and record instances of U.S. government censorship. (4) Share this Declaration broadly and encourage individuals and organizations in your communities to sign and support it.”

In addition to these two statements, our page on “Resources for Tracking Trump Administration Actions” includes numerous statements responding to specific prior actions, and has been reorganized to include a new section on “Statements and Calls for Collective Action.”

Request for Articles: Inequality in America: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Actions

DCSS Admin — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 19:40:12 GMT

From RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

"Inequality in America: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Actions"

Societal inequality refers to the unequal distribution of economic resources, political power, social identities, and legal status. A widely shared value holds that inequality is undesirable, yet researchers continue to debate exactly how inequality-related beliefs are affected by inequalities of various kinds, as well as by changes in inequality across space and time. An important area of research also considers how inequality itself partially reflects what people believe about social groups, the economy, and political institutions, and how they process cognate information. The connection between inequality and behavioral outcomes therefore often depends on people's beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, values, motivations, emotions, and other measurable mental processes. In short, there are fundamental and multi-faceted relationships between inequality and psychology.

In this issue, we invite original research contributions pertaining to the relationships between societal inequalities and individuals' psychology in the United States. Proposals should include a clearly stated research question, details on data and some initial analysis, and a timeline that describes how and when the project will be completed by. While proposals should engage with some aspect of psychology, we welcome proposals from any and all social science disciplines.

Read the full call on the RSF website.

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double spaced) of their study along with up to two pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM ET on June 4, 2025.

DCSS 2025 Grad Student Paper Awards; Deadline 3/31

DCSS Admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:30:00 GMT

The Irene B. Taeuber Graduate Student Paper Awards competition is open to all graduate students enrolled in Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia colleges and universities. The winning authors each receive a $200 cash award and will be recognized at the annual DCSS award event.

The deadline to submit graduate student papers for consideration is March 31.

See complete details and a link to past award recipients on the Awards page.

CFP: "The Demographic Transition: Policy Implications of Fertility and Aging Trends" conference

DCSS Admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 19:27:28 GMT

Call for Papers for "The Demographic Transition: Policy Implications of Fertility and Aging Trends" conference in Vilnius, 23-24 May, 2025.

The conference is organized by the International Network for Social Policy Teaching and Research; the University of California Berkeley Center for Comparative Welfare State Research; the University of Maryland School of Public Policy; and the Social Policy Department at Vilnius University, Faculty of Philosophy.

See complete details and a link to submit an abstract in this PDF

DC Economic and Revenue Trends reports

DCSS Admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 19:00:48 GMT

The District of Columbia Office of Revenue Analysis in the Office of Chief Financial Officer publishes monthly Economic and Revenue Trends reports. The reports "help track DC and national economic indicators that have a bearing on the tax base of the District of Columbia. [They] include analysis of revenues and of economic forecasts for the current and upcoming fiscal years. Each month, a brief note is included which takes a special look at one or more topics of current interest." The January 2025 report includes data on housing, employment, wages and income, and population.

SSRC Policy ROI Project

DCSS Admin — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:11:14 GMT

The Social Science Research Council announces:

"The Policy Impacts team at MIT has developed a standardized metric, the Marginal Value of Public Funds (MVPF), that reports the net social benefit produced by each additional dollar of public funds spent on a given policy. Yet we currently lack MVPF estimates for many policy alternatives, including most criminal justice policies.

"The Policy ROI Project, made possible by the support of Arnold Ventures, aims to close this knowledge gap for criminal justice policies. The Policy ROI Project will produce MVPF estimates of the net social returns to alternative criminal justice investments, including summer youth employment and cognitive behavioral therapy programs. The project team will work closely with practitioners to ensure that these estimates help policymakers make better informed decisions about how to achieve more public safety with fewer taxpayer dollars."

Federal policy changes on gender data collection open for comment (time-sensitive)

DCSS Admin — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:06 GMT

Changes are being proposed to multiple federal data collections “to comply with E.O. 14168, ‘Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.’” The changes are essentially to limit data collection on gender to a binary “sex” item. There are four examples listed here; if you know of others, please send information to the DCSS Gmail address. See suggestions about commenting below.

Application for a [new] U.S. Passport (March 17)

U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals (March 20)

Correction, Name Change to Passport Issued 1 Year Ago or Less, and Limited Passport Replacement (March 20)

Changes to the 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (April 7) [Docket No.: ED-2025-SCC-0011] Note: The actual changes proposed are available as supplementary materials; check out the “data elements” or the “summary of enhancements”.

Some suggestions on commenting (admittedly without an authoritative citation):

DO state your concerns with the form changes clearly, professionally, and without panic or hyperbole.
DO back them up with either personal stories/experiences or media articles. Links are fine but you can also attach a PDF of the media articles to your comment, which makes the article part of the regulatory record.
DON’T copy and paste someone else’s comment and just change one or two things; it will be treated as the same comment.
DON’T submit any information within the comment itself that you don’t want to be searchable (e.g., full legal name and work e-mail address) Comments are open to the public.
DO consider reaching out to your senators/representatives and ask them to submit a comment as well. Maybe send them a copy of your comment for reference.
DO submit comments even though the change is likely to occur, because it can help litigators. There is an Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and these comments and the government’s (non) response may provide a basis for a case under the APA.

Write to Congress TODAY about the Need to Protect Government Data

DCSS Admin — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 20:16:02 GMT

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) is calling for action to protect government data. "As part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to make quick progress on the President’s policy priorities, the last several weeks saw the removal of government data sources from many federal agencies, including at the National Science Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Justice, among others. While some data have since been restored, many have not and the Administration’s plans regarding the availability of government data and statistics remain unclear."

Use the COSSA Action Center tool to write to your representatives today.

Summer Workshop - Panel Study of Income Dynamics

DCSS Admin — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 19:45:22 GMT

PSID Data User Workshop
Ann Arbor, MI
June 16-20th, 2025

** Application Deadline April 21st**

This five-day workshop will orient participants to the content and structure of the core PSID interview, its special topics modules, and its supplemental studies, including the Child Development Supplement (CDS), the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS), and the 2013 Rosters and Transfers Module. In addition we will discuss topics including the genomics data collected from children and adults as well as new data files which explain family relationships and demographic characteristics over time.

Eligibility: The workshop is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and research professionals.

Software: Participants should be familiar with Stata, SAS or R, but all examples used in the workshop will be in Stata. R code will be available for each lab as well.

Applications from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows must include a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor, project manager, or department chair.

Fee: $100 for those accepted into the workshop. Travel stipends will be available for those who need financial assistance.

See the full list of workshops on the ICPSR website or use this link to go directly to the PSID workshop registration.

COSSA Social Science Advocacy Day 2025

DCSS Admin — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:38:35 GMT

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

***The early bird registration rate has been extended until February 14***

"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.

Professor Michael Burawoy, 1947-2025

DCSS Admin — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 17:34:07 GMT

Michael Burawoy, a world-renowned sociologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, died after being struck by a vehicle on Monday, February 3. He was 77.

ASA President Adia Harvey Wingfield and Executive Director Heather M. Washington noted in a message to members on February 5, "Michael was a leading figure in the discipline, an advocate for public scholarship, and a former president of the International Sociological Association and of ASA. His contributions to labor studies, Marxist theory, and ethnography have had an indelible impact on our discipline. He will be missed."

The International Sociological Association (ISA) stated, in part, "ISA mourns one of its most influential and inspiring presidents, a remarkable and creative global sociologist, an advocate for a public sociology relevant to the people and civil society, an inspiring teacher who trained generations of sociologists, and an extraordinary human being."

The UC Berkeley Sociology Department has posted a memorial page.

A virtual memorial tribute was scheduled for February 8; as of this writing, the video has not yet been posted, but it may become available on the ISA YouTube channel.

KIDS COUNT Data Resource Guide

DCSS Admin — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 14:46:04 GMT

The Population Reference Bureau created the KIDS COUNT Data Resource Guide to facilitate the use of population data from the U.S. federal statistical system. "Originally designed for the KIDS COUNT program on child well-being, the guide offers practical advice on how to use major data sources—from the Decennial U.S. Census to the National Vital Statistics System—that could be helpful to anyone who works with U.S. population data.

"The guide includes an overview of each major data source, including what data are available, how to access that data, and some best practices for using each source. These sources provide up-to-date and reliable information that is comparable across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and, where available, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands."

Provide feedback on federal statistics

DCSS Admin — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

"Assessing the Health of the Principal Federal Statistical Agencies" is a joint American Statistical Association and George Mason University project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The project's organizers are requesting feedback from federal statistics users. The feedback they seek includes examples of how you use federal statistics and your suggestions to improve both the data and the user experience.

"We want to hear from you, regardless of whether you are a federal statistics novice or a seasoned power user. Your feedback will be most helpful if we receive it by Friday, February 28, 2025."

View more details and a link to the feedback form on the project website, or respond to the feedback request directly.

SSRC Lecture Series 2025: Delivering on Government Innovation

DCSS Admin — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

From the Social Science Research Council:

College and University Fund Lecture Series 2025:
Delivering on Government Innovation

"A renewed focus on government efficiency has drawn increased attention to the critically important public goods and services provided by federal, state and local governments, including education, health care, social assistance, public safety, and infrastructure. Efficient provision of these vital public goods and services is essential for shared prosperity. Partnerships with the research community can provide agencies with the capacity to innovate and improve government performance."

See complete details and the list of 2025 lectures on the SSRC website.

First-Year College Enrollment Actually Rose

DCSS Admin — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:51:29 GMT

Excerpted from Inside Higher Ed, January 13, 2025:

"Freshman enrollment did not decline this fall, as previously reported in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s annual enrollment report in October. On Monday, the NSC acknowledged that a methodological error led to a major misrepresentation of first-year enrollment trends, and that first-year enrollment appears to have increased.

"The October report showed first-year enrollments fell by 5 percent, in what would have been the largest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic—and appeared to confirm fears that last year’s bungled rollout of a new federal aid form would curtail college access. Inside Higher Ed reported on that data across multiple articles, and it was featured prominently in major news outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

"According to the clearinghouse, the error was a methodological one, caused by mislabeling many first-year students as dual-enrolled high school students. This also led to artificially inflated numbers on dual enrollment; the October report said the population of dually enrolled students grew by 7.2 percent."

Read the complete article on the IHE website.

NCHS/AcademyHealth Data Visualization Challenge

DCSS Admin — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:48:25 GMT

From the National Center for Health Statistics:

"The 2025 NCHS/AcademyHealth Data Visualization Challenge is now open. This competition is an opportunity for graduate students (master's or doctoral level) to create static or dynamic data visualizations to address social determinants of health using NCHS public use files with non-NCHS public use data. Apply today for a unique opportunity to explain an important trend or disparity in public health."

Applicants must submit a full application by Monday, March 10, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET to enter the Challenge.

See complete details and application instructions on the NCHS website.

Resources for teaching the Sociology of Climate Change

DCSS Admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:31:50 GMT

From the ASA Environmental Sociology Section:

"As we are all now increasingly aware – every day brings new evidence – the climate crisis is accelerating. Societal impacts are already serious and will only grow steadily worse in the next decades. Climate change is no longer a topic for just environmental sociology courses. Students today are going to spend the rest of their lives in increasingly fraught circumstances and they are understandably anxious about that. Sociologists ought to be giving them the conceptual tools to understand what is about to happen to them.

"It is likely, though, that many sociologists do not have the expertise, in climate science, climate impacts, climate politics, to easily add climate change content to their courses. To help colleagues add Sociology of Climate Change to their classes, members of ASA’s Environmental Sociology Section have created a climate teaching resource web page and the attached flyer."

UMD Intro to Survey Sampling online short course

DCSS Admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:24:55 GMT

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology offers a variety of short courses. Short courses are open to the public and admission to the University of Maryland is not required.

Introduction to Survey Sampling | Online Short Course

Course Details:
    Dates: Monday, February 10 - Wednesday, February 12, 2025
    Location: Zoom Live Sessions
    Time: 9:45 am - 3:00 pm (each day) Eastern Time

Instructors:
    Colm O’Muircheartaigh, Professor in the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies and Senior Fellow in the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago.
    Jim M. Lepkowski, Professor and Research Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan.

"This foundational course introduces participants to key principles and methods in sample survey design. In a non-technical format, instructors will cover essential sampling techniques, including simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratification, and cluster sampling. Each topic will be accompanied by hands-on exercises, allowing participants to actively apply these techniques."

The course fee is $700. Registration closes Monday, February 03, 2025. See complete details online (PDF) or on the JPSM website.

Open access: Gender and the 2024 Election; Federal Race/Ethnicity Standards

DCSS Admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:09:11 GMT

The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Virtual Series Issue (VSI) is a virtual journal based around thematic or significant anniversaries or events (e.g., MLK Remembrance, SPSSI's Annual Conferences), calendar events (e.g., LGBT Pride Month, Earth Day), and major policy initiatives (e.g., immigration reform, major Supreme Court cases). The VSI Editor identifies and selects appropriate articles from previously published issues of SPSSI's journals to be bundled for inclusion in each virtual issue.

VSI papers can be read in full by any member of the public (although they are not available for downloading or printing). Two recent items of interest to the DCSS community:

"She Came, She Saw, He Conquered: Gender, Polarization, and the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election" (December 2024) by Benjamin Blankenship, PhD, James Madison University and Roxanne Moadel-Attie, PhD, U.S. Census Bureau.

"Psychological Research, Social Activism and the 2024 OMB Federal Standards for Race and Ethnicity" (September 2024) by Roxanne Moadel-Attie, PhD, and Mehrgol Tiv, PhD, U.S. Census Bureau.

The Virtual Series Issue papers can be accessed via the SPSSI journals website.

First-Generation Graduate Student Symposium

DCSS Admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:03:31 GMT

"Join the Boston University Newbury Center, Duke University First-Generation Graduate Student Network, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS, along with our Cooperating Sponsor, FirstGen Forward, for our 8th annual symposium for graduate and professional students on February 7, 2025 via Zoom. This national symposium is open to any student who identifies as a current first-generation graduate or professional student and is studying any discipline. We define a first-generation graduate/professional student as someone whose parents, guardians, or caregivers have not completed an advanced degree, e.g. master’s, doctoral, or professional degree (like a JD or MD)."

Registration for this symposium is free for all graduate and professional students. See complete details on the event website.

Junior Theorists Symposium 2025 Call for Précis

DCSS Admin — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 18:38:11 GMT

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.

IPUMS Data Available in the SDA Online Data Analysis Tool

DCSS Admin — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:25:44 GMT

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.

Encourage continuation of ACS

DCSS Admin — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:23:02 GMT

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.

Online workshops on structural equation modeling

DCSS Admin — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:16:57 GMT

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).

SPSSI 2025 Summer Conference

DCSS Admin — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:10:28 GMT

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.

GMU suspends Students for Justice in Palestine chapter

DCSS Admin — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 01:58:18 GMT

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.

New Spencer Foundation resources on education

DCSS Admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:19:13 GMT

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.

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad

DCSS Admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:08:09 GMT

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.

SSRC “Policy Experiment Stations” to Support Government Innovation

DCSS Admin — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 13:36:32 GMT

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.

FY 2025 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Competition

DCSS Admin — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 19:01:26 GMT

The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) program provides grants to support overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. Projects may include short-term seminars, curriculum development, group research or study, or advanced intensive language programs.

There are group projects in research, training, and curriculum development. Projects must focus on the humanities, social sciences and languages, and must focus on one or more of the following areas: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and Eurasia, and the Near East. Applications that propose projects focused on Canada or Western Europe will not be funded.

The deadline to apply is Jan. 21, 2025.

See the program page on the USED website for complete information. Additionally, the GPA program officer will host a live question-and-answer session on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 5 p.m. (Eastern Time). See "How to Apply" on the website.

Teaching with AI Workshops from AAC&U

DCSS Admin — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 18:42:25 GMT

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is offering "Teaching with AI," a series of workshops designed to prepare faculty for a new era of human learning. January 27 – February 17, 2025, Mondays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET (Virtual).

"The emergence of powerful generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is having a significant and disruptive impact on higher education today. Almost immediately after the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, students began leveraging AI to help with a variety of course-related tasks, often including the completion of writing and other types of assignments. Meanwhile, nearly all business sectors now anticipate using generative AI in the workplace, and many are already reporting challenges in filling roles that require AI skills.

"While the initial inclination may have been to limit AI’s influence in the classroom, higher education now faces the challenge of preparing students for a world where working with AI is increasingly likely to be a job expectation and a sought-after competency."

See complete information about the workshops on the AAC&U website. Note that many colleges and universities have institutional memberships that may allow faculty members to participate for a reduced price.

NICHD Fellowship and Career Development Information Series

DCSS Admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 20:18:28 GMT

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD) presents the Fellowship and Career Development Information Series. These virtual Q&A sessions describe funding mechanisms that support training and career development and allow participants to get answers from NICHD experts.

For complete information, see the event website.

CFP: Understanding Health and Population Dynamics through Big Microdata

DCSS Admin — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 21:28:29 GMT

The IPUMS Big Microdata Network and NDIRA, a collaboration between IPUMS and the University of Minnesota Life Course Center, are currently accepting submissions for the 2025 Data-Intensive Research Conference, to be held in person in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 6 - 7, 2025; key components of the program will also be available to virtual participants. The conference theme is Understanding Health and Population Dynamics through Big Microdata. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2025.

There has been an explosive growth in the quantity of census microdata available for social science and health research. Researchers now have access to full-count individual-level microdata from the U.S. Census spanning 1850 to the present when combining IPUMS full count data with resources available through the Federal Statistical Research Data Center. Similar resources exist in other countries with full count census data and population registers. Full count microdata are a powerful resource for operationalizing historical and present-day contexts; linking persons, families, or communities to examine trajectories; and elucidating experiences of small demographic groups that often cannot be studied with the available sample in other data sources.

See the complete announcement on the UM website

BLS and Census Bureau Pause Decrease in CPS Sample Size

DCSS Admin — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 15:49:07 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA):

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau have paused plans to reduce the Current Population Survey (CPS) sample in January 2025, due to a provision in the recently passed continuing resolution that allows BLS to spend CPS funds at a faster rate.

See previous COSSA coverage of this issue here.

NSF request for comments on research ethics

DCSS Admin — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 15:45:55 GMT

Request for Information on the CHIPS and Science Act Section 10343: Research Ethics

Section 10343 ("Research Ethics") of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 directs NSF to incorporate ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the merit review process that is used to evaluate research projects or other activities for funding. Section 10343 notes that "a number of emerging areas of research have potential ethical, social, safety, and security implications that might be apparent as early as the basic research stage." In addition, Section 10343 states that "the incorporation of ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the research design and review process for Federal awards may help mitigate potential harms before they happen." Moreover, Section 10343 states that "The Foundation should continue to work with stakeholders to promote best practices for governance of research in emerging technologies at every stage of research."

Comments must be received on or before 11:59 P.M. Eastern time on Friday, December 13, 2024.

See the complete announcement and link to comment on the NSF website.

SSRC Policy Innovation Days

DCSS Admin — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 15:33:21 GMT

From the Social Science Research Council (SSRC):

The Policy Innovation Days initiative, supported by Arnold Ventures, provides funding and support for U.S. member universities to work with state and local government partners to host convenings connecting campus-based researchers with agencies seeking research and evaluation support.

Research partnerships between universities and state and local governments can help communities adopt more effective ways of delivering critically important public goods and services like health, education, safety, clean air and water, and growth-oriented infrastructure. Both federal and philanthropic funds can support these research and evaluation partnerships. Yet it is not easy for either government agencies or campus-based researchers to form these research collaborations.

The Policy Innovation Days initiative supports convenings designed to incubate impactful and funded research and evaluation collaborations between SSRC member universities and their state and local government partners. The SSRC will provide planning support, funding for convening expenses, and post-event support to help develop funding proposals for partnered research projects.

See complete information about the program online here.

New Report Calls for Changes to How Biomedical Research Uses Race and Ethnicity

DCSS Admin — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 15:39:23 GMT

"Biomedical researchers should change the way they use race and ethnicity in their research, says a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, calling on researchers to scrutinize whether the use of race and ethnicity is appropriate at each stage of their work — and explain the scientific reasoning behind their decision in any publications.

"Biomedical research spans human health and disease — from laboratory studies of animal tissue that improve our understanding of human biology, to clinical trials for new medical treatments. Race and ethnicity are used widely in biomedicine. However, the report says, racial and ethnic categories are often used inappropriately in biomedical research as proxies for biology — or as poor substitutes for factors such as genetics or environmental exposures — despite there being no genetic or biological basis for race. In some discrete cases, their use can be appropriate, for example in identifying health disparities."

Read the full media release here

Access the report here

Heather Washington appointed ASA Executive Director

DCSS Admin — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:32:27 GMT

ASA President Adia Harvey Wingfield announced on November 1 the appointment of Dr. Heather Washington as Executive Director of the American Sociological Association. Heather has been serving as Interim Executive Director since May 2024. In August, the Finance Committee unanimously recommended Heather for appointment to Executive Director, and in October, ASA Council enthusiastically and unanimously voted to appoint her to the position.

Heather has been an integral part of ASA since 2021. She began her career at ASA as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), where she directed the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and led efforts to advance ASA’s DEI goals. Most recently, Heather served as ASA Deputy Director, a role in which she continued to lead the association’s DEI efforts, while also serving as the principal investigator on two large grants: The National Science Foundation-funded ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant and the William T. Grant Foundation-funded project on recognizing and rewarding community-engaged scholarship in tenure and promotion.

Heather holds a PhD and MA in sociology from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining ASA staff, she was an associate professor of sociology with tenure and an accomplished researcher and teacher. Heather is a Fellow of the ASA MFP (Cohort 38), a recipient of the American Society of Criminology minority fellowship, and a graduate of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. In 2018, she was selected as an Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, a significant honor recognizing professors who have distinguished themselves in their various academic disciplines and who are working to make our society more equitable and just.

NASEM Calls for Experts for Study on Disabilities in STEM Workforce

DCSS Admin — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:23:02 GMT

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has put out a call for experts to participate in a study focused on increasing knowledge about barriers, solutions, and policies facing people with disabilities to advance a robust STEM workforce and STEM education workforce. NASEM staff is looking to build a team of approximately 12-16 volunteers whose tasks will include collecting information on potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications regarding this study. NASEM is seeking experts in the following areas: disability studies, STEM career development, STEM and STEM education workforce, employment law, disability accommodations for academic and non-academic workplace environments, universal design, and STEM policy administration.

The full solicitation and description of qualifications can be found here. The deadline to submit recommendations is November 15.

Source: Consortium of Social Science Associations Washington Update, October 29, 2024

Sociologist Alondra Nelson to Join National Science Board

DCSS Admin — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:14:04 GMT

On October 15, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the newest class of National Science Board members, which includes sociologist and former White House official Alondra Nelson.

The National Science Board (NSB) is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms and new members are appointed by the President.

Alondra Nelson is a sociologist who served as the first Deputy Director for Science and Society at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Biden Administration and was the first social scientist and woman of color to serve as interim OSTP Director. She left OSTP in 2023 and returned to academia at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Source: Consortium of Social Science Associations Washington Update, October 29, 2024

UMD online short courses in quantitative methodology

DCSS Admin — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 14:39:51 GMT

The Center for Integrated Latent Variable Research (CILVR) at The University of Maryland is pleased to announce the following popular online short courses open to the public:

ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX SURVEY DATA (from NCES)
Dr. Laura Stapleton, University of Maryland
November 7-8, 2024

MULTILEVEL MODELING
Dr. Tracy Sweet, University of Maryland
December 12-13, 2024

For more information on the complete CILVR course catalog and to register, see the UMD Open Learning website.

Two sociologists awarded MacArthur “genius” grants

DCSS Admin — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 21:30:00 GMT

"Loka Ashwood is a sociologist examining the intersection of environmental injustice, corporate and state power, and anti-government sentiment in American rural communities. Ashwood reveals how state support for some corporate interests can come at a high cost for rural residents. She draws from her own experience on her family’s farm and ethnographic research in rural communities facing ecological, economic, and social challenges. By analyzing specific local issues in the context of larger institutional structures, she sheds light on rural identity, culture, and politics."

See Ashwood's complete profile on the MacArthur Foundation website.

"Ruha Benjamin is a transdisciplinary scholar and writer illuminating how advances in science, medicine, and technology reflect and reproduce social inequality. By integrating critical analysis of innovation with attentiveness to the potential for positive change, Benjamin demonstrates the importance of imagination and grassroots activism in shaping social policies and cultural practices. In People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier (2013), Benjamin examines the persistent gap between those who contribute to new medical technologies and those who actually benefit from them."

Read Benjamin's complete profile on the MacArthur Foundation website.

How social sciences and humanities programs can prepare students for employment

DCSS Admin — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 16:30:00 GMT

[Ed. note: This article was published in October 2022 but was recently reprinted by the Consortium of Social Science Associations. The study was based in Canada but provides useful lessons for US educators, as well.]

By Sandra Lapointe Ph.D. (McMaster University)

Future graduates face complex global challenges like climate change, as well as ethical, social and cultural implications of emerging new technologies like artificial intelligence.

The urgency of these challenges — and the complexity of skills and capabilities needed to address them — has prompted a revisiting of the role of social sciences and humanities programs in equipping students for civic engagement and as future leaders.

[Read the complete article at The Conversation]

Potential scam: "NIH and Academic Research Federal Grant Proposal Writing Workshop"

DCSS Admin — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 16:00:05 GMT

by John W. Curtis, DCSS Treasurer

I received an e-mail with the above subject line on October 2. The sending e-mail address shows a domain of "nihproposals.org" but the offer comes from a website of the "National Funding Foundation." (see a screenshot from the e-mail header below)

A quick visit to the "National Funding Foundation" website left me highly skeptical. I could not find the offered workshop listed and the "Foundation" does not list any staff. The overall look of the website seems much more spare than what I would expect from a legitimate organization.

A Google query led me to this entry from the Brown University IT Department, listing a similar e-mail from NFF in October 2023 under the heading of "phishing e-mail."

I would advise caution. If you have additional information or comments, please feel free to e-mail me at dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com

Deadline extended: CFP, Time Use Conference 2025

John Curtis — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 19:21:45 GMT

Time is a health resource but critical gaps remain in understanding how time use is associated with health and well-being. The 2025 University of Maryland Time Use Conference theme is "Time Use as a Social Determinant of Health." They welcome abstract submissions on (a) innovative data, measures, and analyses of daily time use and health and well-being disparities; (b) time use and sleep; and (c) sedentary and physically active leisure across the life course; (d) variations in time-related health behaviors among children, adolescents, and parents; and (e) associations of daily time use behaviors, energy expenditures, and obesity. They also encourage research on other dimensions of time use as a social determinant of health.

The deadline to submit an abstract is now October 4, 2024. See complete details online.

UMD Joint Program in Survey Methodology short course schedule 2024-25

John Curtis — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMT

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology offers a variety of short courses. Short courses are open to the public and admission to the University of Maryland is not required.

Short courses for 2024-2025 will be delivered online through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction, with the exception of Introduction to Survey Sampling.

See the complete schedule, pricing, and registration links at the JPSM website.

2024 World Population Data Sheet

DCSS Admin — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:39:49 GMT

The Population Reference Bureau has released its 2024 World Population Data Sheet, featuring the latest demographic data on more than 200 countries and territories and a focus on primary health care. You can view the report on the interactive website and also download poster and booklet versions.

Census Bureau ACS 2023 1-year data release

DCSS Admin — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 15:14:37 GMT

The US Census Bureau released new data tables and data files from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates on September 12, 2024. Read an extensive news release, "Nearly Half of Renter Households Are Cost-Burdened, Proportions Differ by Race," including links to further ACS resources. See more information about data files here and here.

PAA 2025 Annual Meeting Call for Papers

DCSS Admin — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 20:54:34 GMT

The Population Association of America 2025 Annual Meeting will be in-person in Washington, DC, starting on Thursday, April 10 and going through Sunday, April 13. The Call for Papers is now available and the submission system is open. Deadline for submissions is September 29.

NSF requests comments on merit review process

DCSS Admin — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:42:42 GMT

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is requesting the higher education community’s feedback on its merit review polices and processes. Written comments are due by Friday, September 20, 2024.

NSF is interested in knowing whether there are any misunderstandings or lack of clarity about the Merit Review criteria and process and if so, what the agency can do to provide clarity to the higher education community. In addition, NSF is interested in learning more about the experiences and perspectives of those who have reviewed proposals submitted to NSF, as well as how NSF could better support awardees in demonstrating and documenting outcomes of their awards in advancing knowledge.

The original request for information is published in the Federal Register. (PDF)

Note that the deadline for comments has been extended to 9/20, and the form for comments is online here.

Information on the Merit Review Reexamination Commission is here.

Call for Abstracts - 15th Annual International Conference on Stigma

John Curtis — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 21:49:10 GMT

Conference Theme:
“Stigma No More… It’s 2024!”

A Hybrid Conference Hosted by Howard University
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 – Friday, November 22, 2024

Deadline for Submission: Friday, September 27, 2024 by 5:00pm (EDT)

This hybrid conference aims to increase awareness of the stigma of HIV and other health conditions and to explore interventions to eradicate this stigma. This conference also serves to educate healthcare providers and the general public about stigma as both a major barrier to prevention and treatment of illnesses and a human rights violation. The organizers are looking for original research that addresses HIV stigma or other mental or physical health-related stigma to be presented during the conference virtual poster session on November 21, 2024.

For complete information, see the attached PDF.

New Book: Agenda for Social Justice 3, Solutions for 2024

John Curtis — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:19:26 GMT

Agenda for Social Justice 3: Solutions for 2024 provides accessible insights into some of the most pressing social problems and proposes public policy responses to those problems.

Written by a highly respected team of authors brought together by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), the book offers recommendations for action by elected officials, policymakers and the public regarding key issues for social justice. Chapters include discussion of social problems related to criminal justice, the economy, food insecurity, education, healthcare, housing and immigration.

Edited by Kristen Budd, Heather Dillaway, David Lane, Glenn Muschert, Manjusha Nair and DCSS Executive Committee member Jason Smith.

Please send notices of your new publications to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com; we will publish brief notices as space permits.

NSF: Strengthening the Evidence Base Related to Broadening the Participation of LGBTQI+ Individuals in STEM

John Curtis — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:12:10 GMT

Dear Colleague Letter: Strengthening the Evidence Base Related to Broadening the Participation of LGBTQI+ Individuals in STEM

This DCL aims to advance NSF’s Vision of a "nation that leads the world in science and engineering research and innovation, to the benefit of all, without barriers to participation", which is closely aligned with the NSF 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Data Action Plan. NSF is fully committed to the development of a future-focused science and engineering workforce that draws on the talents of all Americans, including those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) communities.

NSF is soliciting four types of proposals, which are described in full on the NSF website.

Remembering Sheila Jackson Lee

John Curtis — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:47:09 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA):

On July 19, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee passed away at the age of 74. Jackson Lee represented Texas' 18th Congressional District since 1995 and was campaigning for her 16th term in office when she announced she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was one of the two longest-serving members of the Texas congressional delegation.

Jackson Lee's legislative accomplishments included establishing the Juneteenth federal holiday and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. She served Houston in elective office for close to 35 years, first as a Houston City Council member before winning election to the U.S. House in 1994. Jackson Lee was on three Congressional committees and was a senior member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and the Budget Committee.

Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa released a statement saying, "Known for her relentless advocacy, the congresswoman dedicated her life to public service, advancing civil rights, healthcare reform, and disaster recovery... And in the spirit of Sheila Jackson Lee's legacy, we will march forward in our fierce commitment to fighting for justice, equality and opportunity for all."

NSF-backed SECURE Center will support research security, international collaboration

John Curtis — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:38:21 GMT

The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced a five-year $67 million investment establishing the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE).

"Research security is a concern because some foreign entities attempt to unethically — or even unlawfully — access and use U.S. research. As mandated in the 'CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,' the NSF SECURE Center, led by the University of Washington with support from nine institutions of higher education, will serve as a clearinghouse for information to empower the research community to identify and mitigate foreign interference that poses risks to the U.S. research enterprise. The SECURE Center will share information and reports on research security risks, provide training on research security to the science and engineering community and serve as a bridge between the research community and government funding agencies to strengthen cooperation on addressing security concerns."

Read the full announcement on the NSF website

Improving the lives of children is complicated

John Curtis — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:03:24 GMT

By Narayan Sastry, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)

For empirical researchers in the social and behavioral sciences who focus on children, adolescents, and young adults, high-quality survey data are an essential ingredient for studying important scientific and policy research questions. Such data are a public good and foundational infrastructure for the social and behavioral sciences. They are the equivalent of the Hubble Telescope for researchers across all career stages—but especially for new and early-stage investigators. Survey data are typically offered to the research community as a free and shared resource that can answer an untold number of questions. Recent budget cutbacks, however, threaten the future of these essential data.

I direct the Child Development Supplement (CDS) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) which provides unique and important social and behavioral data on children in the United States. CDS is funded primarily by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It builds on the rich longitudinal and intergenerational data collected in PSID, which is an ongoing survey of a nationally representative sample of US families that began in 1968 and has collected data on the same families and their descendants for 43 waves over 57 years. Since 1997, CDS has collected data on children in PSID families, through interviews with primary caregivers, who are typically a parent, and with adolescents. CDS has also included assessments of reading and math skills, data on time use, and saliva samples for genetic analysis.

(Read more at the Why Social Science? blog)

SSRC launches AI Disclosures Project

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 14:05:58 GMT

The Social Science Research Council announces the launch of its newest program, the AI Disclosures Project, led by noted technology innovator Tim O’Reilly and economist Ilan Strauss. The AI Disclosures Project will work on developing best practices for firms’ disclosures about their uses of AI models, ensuring that stakeholders have access to consistent, accurate, and transparent information about how AI models are being developed and deployed.

The AI Disclosures Project focuses on addressing the potentially dangerous consequences for society’s safety and equity that might arise from how AI is commercialized. Through enhancing corporate transparency and disclosures, the AI Disclosures Project aims to ensure that economic incentives don’t lead corporations to ignore risks or otherwise harm users of their AI technology products.

Two notices regarding the American Community Survey

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 13:59:37 GMT

There are two active Federal Register notices for the American Community Survey. Comments on the Timeline for Implementing Updated 2024 Race and Ethnicity Data Standards close August 12, 2024. Proposed changes to the Agricultural Sales and Farm Indicator Data are open for comments until August 19, 2024.

Workshops in Science Communication and Science Policy

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 13:40:43 GMT

Summer Professional Development Opportunities in Science Communication and Science Policy

SciCom Consulting LLC is offering science communication and science policy professional development opportunities this summer. Upcoming Virtual Workshops:

Science Communication Fundamentals: July 20 and July 25
Science Policy Fundamentals: July 24 and August 21

In-Person Workshop: The Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, will host an in-person Science Communication Fundamentals workshop on August 3, 2024. Registration deadline for this event is July 26, 2024, at 11:59 Eastern Time.

You can register for the workshops at: https://scicomconsultingllc.com/register-for-workshops/

New Book: Derek Hyra, American U.

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 13:20:57 GMT

Derek Hyra (American University) has a new book coming out soon: Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings Occur (University of California Press). From the publisher: "In Slow and Sudden Violence, Derek Hyra links police violence to an ongoing cycle of racial and spatial urban redevelopment repression. By delving into the real estate histories of St. Louis and Baltimore, he shows how housing and community development policies advance neighborhood inequality by segregating, gentrifying, and displacing Black communities."

Please send notices of your new publications to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com; we will publish brief notices as space permits.

CFP: Students Have Their Say: Novel Approaches and Solutions to Current and Emerging Public Health Problems

John Curtis — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 14:11:01 GMT

Call for Papers | Students Have Their Say: Novel Approaches and Solutions to Current and Emerging Public Health Problems

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is committed to developing the scientific writing skills of public health students. As part of that commitment, PCD is pleased to offer a new student paper publishing opportunity as a special feature of its 2025 Student Paper Contest. This new opportunity will allow high school, undergraduate, graduate, and recent postgraduate students, and medical students and residents to improve their scientific writing skills by serving as lead (first) authors, becoming familiar with a journal’s peer-review process, and receiving feedback from the journal on how to strengthen their submission regardless of whether it is accepted.

For this Call for Papers, the journal will consider manuscripts only from students. The essay may be written and submitted to the journal by one student or more than one student.

Although it is not required, interested students are encouraged to submit an inquiry to learn whether their essay idea aligns with the scope of the journal and the objective of this Call for Papers. These inquiries should be submitted by September 20, 2024. The deadline to submit a final manuscript is 5:00 PM EST on Monday, March 24, 2025.

See the complete call for papers online.

CFP: Understanding Rising Mortality and Morbidity among Americans without College Degrees

John Curtis — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 13:56:04 GMT

Request for Articles
Moving Beyond Deaths of Despair: Understanding Rising Mortality and Morbidity among Americans without College Degrees

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

We invite scholars to submit proposals that address the questions of what explains the growing educational divide in physical and mental health and what this widening means for the lives of Americans without college degrees. We expect that many of the papers will directly address differences in mortality, including not only drug abuse, alcohol-related disease, and suicide but also major causes of death such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. But we also encourage papers that will encompass topics as diverse as the changing labor market; social class; gender, racial, ethnic perspectives; studies of family and personal life; spatial variation; political processes; and social policy.

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract no later than 5 PM Eastern on September 4, 2024.

See the complete request online.

BLS announces review of the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Manual

John Curtis — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 22:44:47 GMT

On June 12, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Federal Register notice announcing review of the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Manual for possible revision in 2028. As former DCSS President Lynda McLaughlin noted on LinkedIn, "this is your chance to help shape how federal agencies collect and classify occupations. The review committee is especially interested in comments on STEM and care worker occupations."

Comments should be submitted by August 12. See the complete notice online.

American U. sociologist Jordanna Matlon wins ASA book award

John Curtis — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 22:31:16 GMT

DCSS member Jordanna Matlon, of American University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, has been announced as the winner of the 2024 American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award for A Man among Other Men: The Crisis of Black Masculinity in Racial Capitalism (Cornell, 2022).

See the complete list of award winners and read the announcement for Dr. Matlon at the ASA website.

White House Issues Blueprint for Use of Social and Behavioral Science in Policymaking

John Curtis — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 22:06:13 GMT

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking in May. According to the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), "The blueprint is the product of nearly two years of work by social and behavioral science experts from across federal agencies and departments."

Further, "the document ... takes a whole-of-government approach to assist agencies and departments with leveraging social and behavioral science insights to improve federal policies, programs, and services to the American people. It makes six recommendations for better incorporating social and behavioral science research into the work of federal agencies and outlines five immediate actions."

Read the White House announcement here and download the report here. (PDF)

ASA election results

John Curtis — Mon, 27 May 2024 16:14:12 GMT

The American Sociological Association (ASA) has announced the results of its 2024 election.

Shelley J. Correll of Stanford University will serve as President-Elect beginning September 2024.
Victor E. Ray of the University of Iowa will serve as Vice President-Elect beginning September 2024.
Laurel Westbrook of Grand Valley State University will serve as Secretary-Treasurer-Elect beginning September 2024.
The member “Resolution for Justice in Palestine” was approved. The ASA statement implementing the resolution reads, "The American Sociological Association, on behalf of its members, calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Further, the association supports members’ academic freedom, including but not limited to defending scholars’ right to speak out against Zionist occupation." (PDF) The full text of the member resolution is available on the ASA website.

Complete ASA election results are also on the ASA website.

Four US sociologists elected to the National Academy of Sciences

John Curtis — Sun, 12 May 2024 13:58:29 GMT

On April 30, the National Academy of Sciences announced the election of 120 members and 24 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Among them are four US-based sociologists or demographers:

Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Department of Sociology, Yale University
Thomas Dietz, professor and University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Michigan State University
Noreen Goldman, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Demography and Public Affairs, Office of Population Research, Princeton University
Arne L. Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

See the complete listing on the NAS website.

ASA Announces 2025 Virtual Mini-Conference

John Curtis — Sun, 12 May 2024 13:53:20 GMT

The ASA has announced the inaugural ASA Virtual Mini-Conference (VMC), January 30-31, 2025. It will be based on the theme of the in-person 2025 Annual Meeting, “Reimagining the Future of Work.” Spread over two days of programming from 11:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Eastern, the VMC will offer eight paper sessions, a spotlight session on the future of sociology, and two book forums, as well as a networking event. The online portal will open for submissions on June 10, 2024. The deadline to submit is July 11, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

For complete information, see the ASA website.

ASA members called upon to cast votes by May 20 on Palestinian Resolution

John Curtis — Tue, 07 May 2024 09:00:00 GMT

On April 28, 2024, nineteen former presidents of ASA put out an open letter endorsing the Member Resolution for Justice in Palestine currently on the ASA ballot. That letter was disseminated to ASA section chairs/listserv managers and appears on the website for Sociologists for Palestine (S4P). The development of the Resolution began last December when a group of 125 Sociologists sent a letter and proposal to the ASA Council and Executive Committee in support of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In January 2024, the ASA Council declined to adopt that statement or to issue their own ceasefire statement. In early February 2024, the ASA Council issued a statement on academic freedom – here is the text. Later in February, S4P submitted a petition, signed by 581 ASA members, to include the Resolution for Justice in Palestine on the ASA ballot – here is the text. You must be a current member of ASA to vote in the ongoing election; voting continues through May 20, 2024, at 5 PM Eastern.

DCSS Celebrates 2024 Award Recipients

John Curtis — Sun, 05 May 2024 19:55:35 GMT

Members and friends of DCSS gathered for the 2024 awards reception on April 18. (All photos by Alex Rodriguez, DCSS Secretary.)

Jill Howard received the Master's student paper award.

Maria Valdovinos Olson received the doctoral student paper award.

Abid Shamdeen (right) and Brandon Jacobsen (center) accepted the Cooper award on behalf of Nadia’s Initiative from Gay Young, DCSS President.

Steve Tuch (center) accepted the Rice Award for Career Achievement, shown here with Jill Brantley (left) and Gay Young.

Changes Coming to NIH Applications and Peer Review

John Curtis — Sun, 05 May 2024 19:25:11 GMT

NIH is implementing multiple changes that will impact the preparation and peer review of most grant applications submitted to NIH for due dates on or after January 25, 2025. See this article for details and a link to a guide notice that provides an overview of each change to help the community contextualize them as details are released over the next few months.

Moving beyond individual-level determinants of mental health to address mental health disparities

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:36:01 GMT

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a request for information (RFI) that invites input on addressing gaps in:

Identifying determinants of mental health disparities beyond the individual level (for example, at the social, systemic, and structural levels.)
Developing culturally responsive, multilevel interventions to address mental health disparities.

NIMH is interested in hearing from healthcare providers, scientific research communities, patient advocacy groups, people with lived experience, educators, and other interested parties about these gaps in U.S.-based research.

See the complete RFI and submit a comment online.

Urge Congress to Prioritize Funding Social and Behavioral Science Research in FY 2025

John Curtis — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:56:04 GMT

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) held its 10th annual Social Science Advocacy Day on April 9. Now, COSSA is asking social scientists and others to contact Congress directly.

COSSA writes, "Congressional appropriators are preparing legislation that will determine funding for federal science and statistical agencies for the next year. With strict discretionary budget caps currently in place, it is essential that we fight for the prioritization of social and behavioral science research funding in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Now is the time to write to your Members of Congress to urge their support for research funding in FY 2025!"

Visit the COSSA Action Center page to send a letter to your Senators and Representative and tell them why it is critical that they prioritize funding in FY 2025 for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Education and Foreign Language Programs, and the federal statistical system.

President Biden Issues Executive Order to Advance Women’s Health Research

John Curtis — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:49:04 GMT

On March 18, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order, titled “Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation.” This order directs specific advancements and improvements for research on women’s health, largely through the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, established by the Presidential Memorandum of November 13, 2023.

The Consortium of Social Science Associations reports that the Initiative draws on interdisciplinary backgrounds to advance research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. This order now names the following topics of interest: women’s midlife health, addressing current gaps in research, and integrating women’s health research into federal research programs. These directions align with the President’s priorities to reduce health disparities, to translate research into real-life applications, and to ensure access to high-quality, evidence-based health care. The Executive Order coincided with many announcements made by federal agencies to promote women’s health research.

NCSES Requests Responses to Data Tools Survey

John Curtis — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:45:05 GMT

The Consortium of Social Science Associations reported in January that the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) in the National Science Foundation (NSF) had released Knowledge Base, a new user resource on NCSES tools and data. The website provides robust information on how to understand and use NCSES data as well as answers to frequently asked questions and a glossary for commonly used terms. The Knowledge Base is intended to help people navigate NCSES data while simultaneously providing support in an easy and accessible way. This resource comes as NCSES works towards making their data more available for public use.

NCSES is now requesting responses to a survey intended to improve NCSES data tools. This link will take you directly to the survey.

Nadia’s Initiative receives the Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization

John Curtis — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:21:23 GMT

by Michelle Newton-Francis and Gay Young

Nadia’s Initiative is the 2024 recipient of the Anna Julia Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization. In the face of socially produced racial/ethnic and gender inequalities, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) is dedicated to promoting sustainable projects for rebuilding communities displaced by war and conflict and advocating globally for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.

Recently, the founder and president of Nadia’s Initiative, Nadia Murad, was named by Time as one of the Women of the Year 2024. Her profile opens as follows: “Nadia Murad dreamed of running her own beauty salon in Kojo [northern Iraq] … ‘In my imagination, the salon was a safe space where women and girls could share ideas, learn things, and have something for themselves,’ she says.” While Time’s emphasis on “the dream” of running a beauty salon is cringe-worthy, the opening sentence of Nishaun T. Battle’s article on Black girls and beauty salons argues, “The African-American beauty salon has the potential to be a space of refuge for Black women and a place where Black girls can learn from Black women about the challenges they experience in their daily lives.” * Battle maintains that the beauty salon provides a place for social commentary on emotional, mental, and physical health and where wellness and growth can thrive. Thus, Nadia Murad’s early imagination emerges as profoundly sociological.

That sociological imagination fully informs NI’s mission of creating a world where women and girls are able to live in equality and communities that have experienced crisis and displacement are redeveloped. NI advocates—at the local, national, and international levels—for resources and policies needed to rebuild communities sustainably and support survivors of sexual violence. Three Guiding Principles for the organization’s work reflect the sociological thinking that frames the analysis of how to remediate racial/ethnic and gender inequalities: All NI programs are (1) Survivor-Centered; (2) Community-Driven; and (3) intended to foster Sustainable Development and Peace.

We also note a significant accomplishment by the organization in its advocacy for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence across the globe. In May 2022, the Murad Code Project was launched as a collaborative effort among NI, the UK government’s Prevention of Sexual Violence Initiative and the Institute for International Criminal Investigations. The code serves as a guide for both investigators and journalists when interviewing survivors of conflict-related sexual and gender based violence. The intention is to institutionalize survivor-centered documentation practices which avoid re-traumatization of survivors and demonstrate respect for survivors’ needs and wishes and their right to make their own choices.

In our view, Nadia’s Initiative enacts approaches to and advocacy for displaced communities and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence that are sociologically informed and relevant to the DCSS service area—not only to residents who have experienced displacement and/or sexual violence, but also to the many local, state, national and international policymakers in the DMV region.

We hope you will join us in honoring Nadia’s Initiative at the April 18 DCSS awards reception.

* Nishaun T. Battle (2021) “Black Girls and the Beauty Salon: Fostering Safe Space for Collective Self-Care,” Gender & Society 35(4):557-66. See also Adia Harvey Wingfield’s Doing Business with Beauty: Black Women, Hair Salons, and the Racial Enclave Economy (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), which examines one of the most popular businesses – hair solans – run by Black women, an often-overlooked group of entrepreneurs, revealing Black women business owners’ struggles for autonomy and their successes.

Rice Award for Career Achievement to be presented to Steven A. Tuch

John Curtis — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:29:02 GMT

by Jill Brantley

The Stuart A. Rice Award for Career Achievement will be presented to Steven A. Tuch, Professor of Sociology, Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University, in recognition of his many contributions to scholarship and teaching. Professor Tuch also served as DCSS President (2000-2001) and maintained the DCSS e-mail news list for many years. His career has been focused on two issues: the place of quantitative methodology in the analysis of social science data and the study of inequality in the US and Europe, with a special emphasis on race relations in the US.

Steve has been an active scholar and collaborator, frequently co-authoring with current and past members of DCSS. In 2022, he published (with Paul M. Kellstedt and Guy D. Whitten) The Fundamentals of Social Research (Cambridge University Press). His 2013 book, Religion, Politics, and Polarization, co-authored with William V. D’Antonio and Josiah R. Baker, won the DCSS Rosenberg award in 2015. Other books include The Other African Americans: Contemporary African and Caribbean Immigrants in the United States (co-edited with Yoku Shaw-Taylor, 2007); Race and Policing in America: Conflict and Reform (co-authored with Ronald Weitzer, 2006); and Racial Attitudes in the 1990s: Continuity and Change (co-edited with Jack K. Martin, 1997). Among many articles, he has recently returned to one of his central concerns in “Racial Attitudes in the Deep South: Persistence and change at the University of Alabama, 1963-2013” (with Michael Hughes et. al.), published in Sociological Inquiry in 2023.

Professor Tuch has also been active in building bridges between Polish and American sociology in works like “Urbanism and Tolerance Revisited: Racial Attitudes in the United States” with Michael Hughes in Marta Smagacz-Poziemska, Krzysztof Frysztacki, and Andrzej Bukowski (eds.), Re-Imagining the City: Municipality and Urbanity Today from a Sociological Perspective, 2017.

Steve has been a supportive and generous advisor to dozens of doctoral and MA students in the graduate program and served as Department Chair from 2007 to 2013.

We hope you will join us in honoring Professor Steven A. Tuch at the April 18 DCSS awards reception.

OMB Publishes Revisions to Standards for Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity

John Curtis — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 20:56:10 GMT

OMB Publishes Revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity

On March 28, OMB published a set of revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (Directive No. 15): Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, the first since 1997. This process started in June 2022, with the first convening of the Interagency Technical Working Group of Federal Government career staff who represent programs that collect or use race and ethnicity data. Since that first convening, OMB has reviewed 20,000 comments and held almost 100 listening sessions to finalize the important standards they have announced.

See the complete announcement online.

OMB has extended the time to submit comments on these regulations to April 27.

Call for papers: Solving global poverty (Deadline April 2)

John Curtis — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:52:32 GMT

Solving Global Poverty

10th Annual Sociology of Development Conference
Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C. October 18-20, 2024

The Section invites abstracts for papers for a conference hosted by the American Sociological Association Sociology of Development Section and Johns Hopkins University. While the theme is "Solving Global Poverty," they welcome submissions on any topic relevant to the sociology of development.

Deadline for Submissions: April 2, 2024 11:59 PM

See the complete call for papers online.

ASA launches The Value of Sociology Initiative

John Curtis — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 13:57:13 GMT

Across the nation, politicians are interfering in educational decisions that should appropriately be made by subject matter experts. In Florida, for example, sociology was removed from the general education core course options by the Board of Governors, despite the recommendation of an expert panel of faculty. Educational gag order laws have been passed in many states, and similar bills are currently under consideration. Several states have executive orders or other forms of policy restricting what can be taught in classrooms. At the heart of these gag orders is the subject matter sociologists teach, including inequality, race, gender, and sexuality. The current political movement against so-called “divisive concepts” is in fact an existential threat to our discipline. The best way to fight these attacks is to demonstrate to voters and policymakers the value of the work we do. That is the goal of the Value of Sociology Initiative.

Update for Students: The Value of Sociology TikTok/Instagram Contest. The deadline to enter is April 22, 2024.

"Tempestuous Elements" dramatizes a moment in the life of pioneering black feminist Anna Cooper

John Curtis — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 13:30:00 GMT

Several DCSS members and friends attended the March 9 performance of Tempestuous Elements, a world premiere play that brought the life of Anna Julia Cooper to the Arena Stage. Tempestuous Elements deals with a moment in 1905 when Cooper, as Principal of the M Street School in DC, the most advanced secondary school for African Americans in the country, fought for the right of African American students to have the option of following either a vocational curriculum or the classical college-preparatory curriculum. In a scandal orchestrated by the government, her tenure as principal is sabotaged by her colleagues and neighbors leading Cooper's professional and personal relationships to become fodder for innuendo and social ostracization.

Anna Julia Cooper’s contributions to social theory, education, and the long struggle for civil rights in Washington, DC, are described in “A Washington Life: the Sociology of Anna Julia Cooper” by Patricia Lengermann and Gillian Niebrugge-Brantley (The Sociologist, May 2016). DCSS established the Anna Julia Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization in 2019.

Tempestuous Elements references topics from the legacy of slavery through the unfinished work of Reconstruction to the troubled history of segregated education. It is no exaggeration to say that the issues confronting the characters on the stage in 1905 are all very much still part of our ongoing quest for democracy and justice. Numerous luminaries from the historical struggle for civil rights, including Mary Church Terrell and W. E. B. DuBois, join Cooper in advocating for educational equity for her students.

Read "Anna Julia Cooper’s Courageous Revolt: The History Behind ‘Tempestuous Elements’ at Arena Stage" by Emma O'Neill-Dietel on the WETA Boundary Stones website and "How the Black female head of a top D.C. school was ‘punished for leading’ " by Shirley Moody-Turner in The Washington Post opinion section.

Tempestuous Elements, written by Kia Corthron and directed by Psalmayene 24, would fit well in the syllabus of courses on the sociology of education or the history of civil rights or Washington, DC. Perhaps this new dramatization will generate interest in organizing an academic conference “in the spirit of Anna Julia Cooper.” If you would like to report on your teaching or scholarship on these topics or have thoughts about how we might present them to the DMV sociological community, please let us know at dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

Image courtesy of Sally Hillsman

Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education

John Curtis — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 13:00:00 GMT

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is the host for the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education. "Making higher education a more safe, inclusive, and respectful place where everyone can work and learn." The Action Collaborative brings together leaders from academic and research institutions and key stakeholders to move beyond basic legal compliance to evidence-based policies and practices for addressing and preventing all forms of sexual harassment and promoting a campus climate of civility and respect.

Information about organizational membership, events, and resources is on the National Academies website.

Registration for the ASA 2024 Annual Meeting is open

John Curtis — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:48:46 GMT

Registration for the 2024 Annual Meeting is open. Visit registration information for details on rates and policies. All participants on the Annual Meeting program are required to register.

The Annual Meeting will be held August 9-13, 2024 in Montreal, Canada. ASA President Joya Misra has chosen the theme “Intersectional Solidarities: Building Communities of Hope, Justice, and Joy.”

2024 Rankings of Federal Social and Behavioral Science R&D Funding at Colleges & Universities

John Curtis — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:42:16 GMT

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) has released its annual College and University Rankings for Federal Social and Behavioral Science R&D, which highlight the top university recipients of research dollars in the social and behavioral sciences.

COSSA's website also features a rankings dashboard with an interactive map of recipients of social and behavioral science R&D funding so you can see how your university stacks up among U.S. institutions.

The University of Maryland ranked 4th, Johns Hopkins University 49th, George Washington University 52nd, and George Mason University 59th.

COSSA Social Science Advocacy Day, April 8-9

John Curtis — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 21:02:36 GMT

Join the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) on April 8-9, 2024 in Washington, DC. Advocacy Day brings together social and behavioral scientists and science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers.

Note that this opportunity is available to individuals affiliated with a COSSA member organization. If you are a member of or employed by one of COSSA’s member organizations, you are eligible to participate. DCSS is not a COSSA member organization.

For complete information, see the registration page online.

February 2024 issue of The Sociologist is now live

John Curtis — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 20:23:50 GMT

The Sociologist is the public magazine of the District of Columbia Sociological Society (DCSS). The February 2024 issue is now available of the TS website; you can go directly to that issue or learn more about TS via its page on the DCSS website.

Issue Contents

Interview With ASA Immediate Past President Prudence Carter
Intersectional Solidarities: Building Communities of Hope, Justice, and Joy
Remembering a Scholar, Mentor, Colleague, and Friend (Esther Chow)
Remembering John P. Drysdale
A Researcher’s Story on Uncovering the Truth Behind WIC
Documentaries in Sociology
Harold Cruse, Black Intellectuals, and Reconstructing Black America
Revisiting Transracial vs. Transgender Identity
Ask a Sociologist: Racism in the Courts
Ask a Sociologist: Who Are You?

Deadline for graduate student paper awards extended to March 1

John Curtis — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:00:00 GMT

Graduate students in the Washington, DC metro area are invited to submit papers for consideration for the Irene B. Taeuber Graduate Student Paper Awards. This competition for best paper is open to all graduate students enrolled in Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia colleges and universities. The winning authors each receive a $200 cash award and will be recognized at the annual DCSS award event.

Submissions must be solely authored papers on a sociological topic, and they must be the individual work of the author. Previously published papers (or those accepted for publication) are not eligible for consideration. Both M.A. and Ph.D. students are encouraged to apply. Please note your degree program with the submission since separate awards will be made to one M.A. student and one Ph.D. student. Papers should be under 50 pages in length (total number of pages including figures and references, double-spaced) and should not be full theses or dissertations. Papers should be submitted as Word documents.

Submissions should be sent to Dr. Michelle Newton-Francis (mnewtonf@american.edu) by March 1, 2024.

CFP: “The campus crisis toolkit”

John Curtis — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 23:10:49 GMT

For a collection of original essays on the theme of “the campus crisis toolkit,” volume editors Lisa Di Bartolomeo and Kevin Gannon invite expressions of interest from authors. Essays accepted for inclusion in the volume will combine grounded perspective on campus crises with actionable strategies for combating attacks (in all their various forms) on higher ed.

Please submit your proposal by March 15, 2024.

The complete call is available via Google Drive

CFP: Culturally Responsive Qualitative Health Research

John Curtis — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 23:05:50 GMT

Qualitative Health Research announces a call for papers for a Special Issue: Culturally Responsive Qualitative Health Research. This special issue invites authors to contribute manuscripts that explore culturally responsive qualitative research (CRQR). CRQR is a research methodology that includes qualitative designs and qualitatively dominant designs and centers culture.

Early submissions are welcome; final deadline for submission: July 1, 2024. Anticipated publication of Special Issue: March 2025.

See the complete call online.

APSA Seeks Executive Director

John Curtis — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:18:08 GMT

The American Political Science Association seeks an Executive Director to serve as the chief executive officer of the Association beginning in or around August 2024. Following more than two successful five-year terms as Executive Director, Steven Rathgeb Smith’s long-planned departure from the role is set to immediately follow the 2024 APSA Annual Meeting in September 2024.

The Executive Director is the chief executive officer of the corporation and an ex officio member of the Council. The executive director reports to the Council and works closely with the President and other APSA officials.

The announcement is posted on the APSA home page, including a link to the full job description and application portal. Review of applications will begin on March 8.

Removal of Sociology as General Education Requirement in Florida

John Curtis — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:54:08 GMT

"Sociology: Practically Constitutional!" Florida’s move to marginalize sociology is shortsighted, Jerry A. Jacobs writes. (Inside Higher Ed, 2/14/24)

"Being against sociology makes about as much sense as being against meteorology because the weather report might reveal an impending heat wave or cold snap. Good news or bad, we need to know about the weather just as we need to know about what is happening in our society."

ASA letter to members (PDF, 2/5/24): "Fundamentally, we want
students to have freedom to learn sociology, and this is a time when we all as sociologists must work together to advance this shared goal."

APSA statement (PDF, 2/5/24)

Carol J. Petty (GMU), “Sociology is worth fighting for” (Baltimore Sun, 2/2/24)

Nominations for DCSS awards close February 16!

John Curtis — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 23:00:00 GMT

DCSS makes awards in four categories each year: two are individual awards, one named for Stuart A. Rice and the other for Morris Rosenberg; one is an organization award named for Anna Julia Cooper; and two graduate student paper awards, named for Irene B. Taeuber, are made for papers by a Ph.D. student and an M.A. student. The deadline for award nominations and graduate student paper submissions is February 16, 2024.

Awards will be presented at the annual awards celebration in April 2024, venue and date TBA. Information on the awards is below; more information, including previous award winners, is on the DCSS website.

The Stuart A. Rice Merit Award for Career Achievement is presented to a distinguished senior member of the Society who has made a significant contribution to the discipline over a professional career of at least 25 years. Nominations are encouraged for individuals from any career setting, including but not limited to: academics, government service, private research, consulting, retirement and/or independent scholarship. To submit a nomination (which can include nominating yourself), please send a letter of nomination, the nominee’s resume or vita, and related supporting materials to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

The Morris Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Sociological Achievement is presented for outstanding sociological achievement during the past three years by any member of DCSS. Nominations are encouraged for individuals from any career setting, including but not limited to: academics, government service, private research, consulting, retirement and/or independent scholarship. To submit a nomination (which can include nominating yourself), please send a letter of nomination, the nominee’s resume or vita, and related supporting materials to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

The Anna Julia Cooper Award for Public Sociology by a Community Organization is given to a community group using the methods and insights of sociology in its work to improve life in the DCSS service area. The community organization should have a clearly defined purpose that involves addressing socially produced inequalities. The organization may be nominated by any DCSS member. The nomination should be made in a letter accompanied by a general overview of the organization, including the history, purpose, and achievements, and submitted to dcsociologicalsociety@gmail.com.

The Irene B. Taeuber Graduate Student Paper Awards competition is open to all graduate students enrolled in colleges and universities in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Submissions must be solely authored papers on a sociological topic. Previously published papers (or those accepted for publication) are not eligible for consideration. Separate awards will be made to one M.A. student and one Ph.D. student. Papers should be under 50 pages in length (including figures and references, double-spaced) and should be submitted as Word documents. Submissions should be sent to Dr. Michelle Newton-Francis (mnewtonf@american.edu).

Call for Papers, European Review of Applied Sociology

John Curtis — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 22:28:46 GMT

European Review of Applied Sociology is a double-blind peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes scientific articles, research reports, teaching notes, essays and book reviews. The Journal consistently covers an array of subject areas including social change and social structures, globalization, social networks, communication, law and politics, labor market, migration, ageing, social work, community research, family, social statistics and other topics from applied sociology.

The Editors invite authors to contribute with articles to issue no. 28/2024. The deadline for submission is March 15th. For guidelines on manuscript preparation, please visit the Author Guidelines

TESS Special Competition for Young Investigators

John Curtis — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 14:55:25 GMT

Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS) is an NSF-funded initiative. Investigators propose survey experiments to be fielded using a nationally representative Internet platform via NORC's AmeriSpeak Panel.

This Special Competition is limited to investigators who are either graduate students or no more than 3 years post-PhD or post-residency for MDs (i.e., PhD must be received, or MD residency completed, in 2021 or later).

TESS will begin accepting proposals for the Special Competition on March 15, 2024, and the deadline is April 30, 2024. Full details are at this link.

Webinar: Writing About Population Research for Non-scientists

John Curtis — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 14:46:35 GMT

Have you ever wondered how to get your research into the hands of policymakers, or wished your findings were known by a wider audience? PRB and APC are organizing a webinar to highlight ways to expand the reach of your research by distilling your findings into messages and formats tailored for nontechnical audiences, including policymakers and the media. Panelists from Syracuse University and PRB will describe how to write an effective research brief, common pitfalls in writing for nontechnical audiences, and using social media to communicate about your research.

Date: March 7, 2024 (2:00-3:00 PM ET)

More information and registration available at this link

Request for Articles: Climate Hazards and their Social/Political/Economic Consequences

John Curtis — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 22:50:49 GMT

Request for Articles - Climate Hazards and their Social, Political, and Economic Consequences. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

In this issue, the editors invite original research contributions pertaining to the social, political, and economic effects of climate-related hazards in the United States, inequalities exacerbated or created by hazards, and how federal, state, local and/or private mitigation, recovery, and resilience policies affect inequalities.

Abstracts and supporting materials due April 2, 2024

The complete call is on the RSF website

New Data: Veterans’ Grandchildren Mortality Plus

John Curtis — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 22:37:36 GMT

The Veterans’ Grandchildren Mortality Plus sample consists of the records of more than 35,700 total grandchildren: both male and female in nearly equal numbers; about 28,000 of whom survived to age 45; who were born after the war to 16,791 children of 2,825 veterans; and contains an oversample of ex-POW veterans.

The primary purpose of the project was to explore how grandfathers’ trauma affects the longevity and overweight of descendants.

The dataset contains birth and death dates of grandchildren, census information on their parents' household, select socioeconomic and education information from the 1930 and 1940 census, and height and weight information from WWII draft cards for the grandsons. This multigenerational dataset can be used for researching the intergenerational transmission of longevity, overweight and socioeconomic status and the sex-specific pathways of this transmission and for testing mechanical linkage algorithms.

Complete information available at openICPSR

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program

John Curtis — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 21:49:39 GMT

This program provides grants to support overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. Projects may include short-term seminars, curriculum development, group research or study, or advanced intensive language programs.

Projects must focus on the humanities, social sciences and languages, and must focus on one or more of the following areas: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and Eurasia, and the Near East. Applications that propose projects focused on Canada or Western Europe will not be funded.

Application deadline: March 18, 2024

Full information is available through the program page

Webinar: Sharing Sensitive Qualitative Data, February 15

John Curtis — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 22:11:39 GMT

The Center for Open Science will present a webinar on "Sharing Sensitive Qualitative Data" on February 15, 2024 at 11 am ET, led by Dr. Rebecca Campbell of Michigan State U. More information is online. An accompanying open-source journal article, "Open-Science Guidance for Qualitative Research" is also available.

SSRC New Website: Research to solve problems

John Curtis — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 22:15:00 GMT

As the Social Science Research Council enters its second century of work, they have been reflecting on how the Council can best support social and behavioral science aimed at solving important problems. The new SSRC website highlights its offerings of fellowships, research grants, convenings, online knowledge platforms and technical reports, and mentoring programs.

View the SSRC website here

Mid-Career Faculty and Academic Leaders Workshops

John Curtis — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:07:41 GMT

The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) is offering two professional development workshops for experienced faculty members.

The Mid-Career Faculty Workshop (January 17) is intended for associate professors and full professors with 15 years plus remaining prior to retirement. The goal is to provide workshop attendees with tools and resources to navigate the mid-career stage including advancement to full and/or administrative pursuits. Full information is here.

The Academic Leaders Workshop (January 18) is intended for individuals considering moving into leadership positions at the program, department, college, or university level. The goal is to provide workshop attendees with tools and resources to successfully navigate leadership positions including program coordinators, center directors, department chairs, dean, and others. Full information is here.

CFP: Disclosing Failure, Benefit or Hazard for STEM Women Faculty?

John Curtis — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 18:45:43 GMT

Call for Conference Papers: “Disclosing Failure, Benefit or Hazard for STEM Women Faculty? Advancing An Equity and Inclusion Perspective.”
June 11-13, 2024, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
NSF ADVANCE Grant # 2326704

The value of disclosing scientific failures (teaching, mentoring research) has been well established. This conference seeks to transform national conversations and research inquiry by asking why, for whom and under what conditions disclosing failure is discouraged or impeded. Welcoming participants from all STEM disciplines (The NSF definition of STEM includes the social and economic sciences), faculty ranks, and institution types. The term “women” includes cisgendered or transgendered persons who identify as women.

Abstract Submission Deadline: February 15, 2024

Complete information in the attached file or by contacting failuredisclosure2024@gmail.com

UMD Time Use Conference 2024 plus Workshop

John Curtis — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:59:31 GMT

Temporal Dimensions of Structural Racism and Racial and Ethnic Inequities,
June 13-14, 2024

Time is a critical but under-researched aspect of racial and ethnic disparities in daily life, including social and public interactions, health and well-being. The focus of the 2024 University of Maryland Time Use Conference will be using time use and well-being data to investigate temporal dimensions of racial and ethnic inequities and structural racism.

The deadline to submit is January 12, 2024.

Visit the conference website for more information.

In addition, the Maryland Population Research Center is accepting applications for the 2024 Time Use Data for Health and Well-Being Summer Workshop to be held June 12, 2024, the day before the conference.

The workshop aims to promote awareness of and expertise in the IPUMS Time Use data archive, particularly use of American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and Well-being Module data, to investigate ethnoracial, gender, and sexuality population-level health inequities across the life course. IPUMS Time Use (timeuse.ipums.org) offers free, harmonized time diary data from the U.S. and around the world. These data facilitate comparative research and analysis of individuals within family contexts.

The workshop application form is due Monday, February 19, 2024, 11:59 PM EST.

Online course: Transforming Gender Norms for Violence Prevention

John Curtis — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:49:56 GMT

The Prevention Collaborative is offering "Transforming Gender Norms for Violence Prevention: The What, Why, and How."

Recently, development actors’ interest and investment in programs to shift norms have surged. Both donors and programmers are realizing the importance of understanding and addressing social norms as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent and reduce violence. This self-paced course will help you to demystify what social norms are and how to address them in programs to prevent violence against women and children (VAW/C).

This course is designed for program managers and technical leads who develop or implement violence prevention programs. It’s also useful for donors and multilateral organizations who design terms of reference for these types of programs.

The course is online, self-paced, and free. For more information and to apply, see the website.

Sage Policy Profiles

John Curtis — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:57:59 GMT

Sage has launched a tool to "empower researchers to discover the real-world impact of their work on policy. Sage Policy Profiles lets researchers easily see specific citations of their work in policy documents and then illustrate and share that work’s impact graphically. The tool is powered by Overton, which hosts an extensive repository of global policy documents, guidelines, think-tank publications, and working papers."

[Ed. note: The tool is similar to other reference databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar, but with the addition of policy documents not typically included in journal citation indices. It may work best if you have an updated ORCID profile.]

DCSS seeking grad student reps for Executive Committee

John Curtis — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:30:00 GMT

DCSS is seeking one or more graduate students to join the Executive Committee as at-large officers. We are hoping to connect with energetic students who are passionate about our community and the field of sociology.

At-large officers are appointed by the Executive Committee to represent the membership at large; student officers represent student members of the Society, in particular. Student representatives typically serve for a period of two years; this appointment will begin in January 2024. At-large officers, including student officers, act as resources for conducting the business of the Society and provide ideas and material support to the principal officers (President, Secretary, Treasurer and Editor of The Sociologist) for organizing events and outreach.

This role presents student representatives with opportunities to become more involved in and contribute to the sociology community in DC. And the Society offers resources to student representatives themselves, in terms of mentorship, collegial networks, publication opportunities, and overall professional socialization both to academic sociology and to sociology practice, including public sociology.

Interested students should send a resume and a short (no more than 150 words) statement about their sociological interests and leadership experience (or qualities) to DCSS President, Gay Young, and/or Secretary, Alex Rodriguez, by December 20, 2023. In addition, Alex can answer specific questions and speak in more detail about her positive prior experience as a student representative. We are looking forward to having graduate students join us and shape the future of DCSS!

AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series

John Curtis — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 16:51:36 GMT

AERA is accepting submissions for the Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series. Submissions are due on December 15. The initiative will provide a formal presentation opportunity for graduate students who are engaged in research that is underway but was not sufficiently far along to submit a paper in response to the AERA Annual Meeting Call for Submissions.

This opportunity is open only to graduate students who did not otherwise submit a paper as an author or co-author for the 2024 Annual Meeting.

The Call for Submissions provides additional information about eligibility and submission

ASA 2024 Annual Meeting Submission Portal Now Open

John Curtis — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 19:11:54 GMT

The ASA 2024 Annual Meeting, with President Joya Misra’s theme, “Intersectional Solidarities: Building Communities of Hope, Justice, and Joy,” will be held in Montréal from August 9-13, 2024. See the Call for Submissions to learn more about the types of proposals being accepted. The online portal is open for submissions now and the deadline is February 26, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

2024 Data-Intensive Research Conference: Aging

John Curtis — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:02:04 GMT

Call for Proposals
2024 Data-Intensive Research Conference
July 31 - August 1, 2024 | Minneapolis, MN & online

NDIRA, a collaboration between IPUMS and the University of Minnesota Life Course Center, is currently accepting submissions for the 2024 Data-Intensive Research Conference, to be held in person in Minneapolis, MN; key components of the program will also be available to virtual participants. The conference theme is Harnessing the Power of Linked Data to Study Aging. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2024.

2022 ATUS Eating and Health Module Data: New Variables and Updates

John Curtis — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:59:04 GMT

The American Time Use Survey Eating and Health Module asks a series of questions related to grocery shopping, food preparation, and nutrition. The most recent module was fielded in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and was previously fielded in 2006 to 2008 and 2014 to 2016. The 2022 Eating and Health Module, set to be fielded again in 2023, asks new questions, asks similar questions in different ways than previously fielded modules, and contains additional variables of high interest to researchers.

Joint Program in Survey Methodology short courses, 2023-2024

John Curtis — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:52:34 GMT

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology, University of Maryland-College Park, offers a variety of short courses. JPSM offers Fellowships to qualified registrants from groups traditionally under-represented in the field. Short courses 2023-2024 will be delivered online in a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction.

See the complete schedule online.

Comment on Census Bureau Plans for ACS

John Curtis — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:47:22 GMT

Please see two active Federal Register Notices for the American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey. Comments on planned tests of questions on sexual orientation and gender identity close November 20. Proposed changes to several topics including the household roster, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, disability, and labor force questions are open for comments until December 19.

Study on mental health service use among black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean

John Curtis — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:03:05 GMT

Dana McCalla, PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University, is seeking key informants for a dissertation study examining mental health service use among black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. The qualitative component of this study involves interviews with various professionals (key informants) located in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area who work directly with black immigrant populations; this includes social workers, faith leaders, immigration attorneys, non-profit leaders, mental health therapists, and clinic administrators. The interview questions will address informants' observations concerning black immigrants' wellness experiences, including engagement with mental health services and barriers to receiving care. Interviews will be virtual and will last between 30 and 45 minutes. This is independent student research conducted on behalf of Howard University. Participation is completely anonymous; any identifying information will be kept confidential.

Professionals who fit the above description and are interested in participating can fill out this brief (2-minute) screening questionnaire.

If you are a mental health or black immigration scholar in the DMV area who can offer helpful insight and/or if you have connections to potential informants please feel free to contact the Principal Student Investigator, Dana McCalla, via email at your earliest convenience (throughout November and December 2023).

Census: Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity and Inequality, 11/14-15

John Curtis — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:39:53 GMT

The U.S. Census Bureau is convening a virtual Workshop on Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality on November 14 and 15, 2023. This event will bring together new perspectives on how data resources can be better leveraged to both measure the dimensions of race and ethnicity within the U.S. population, and to investigate how systemic inequalities by race/ethnicity can be identified within U.S. society.

Visit the conference website for more details and to register.

An Updated Measure of Poverty

John Curtis — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:15:44 GMT

An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line is a new report from the National Academies, Committee on National Statistics. The report offers recommendations for updating how poverty is measured in the U.S. On Thursday, September 28, five members of the committee that produced the report presented their assessment of the Supplemental Poverty Measure and what a change to a new Principal Poverty Measure would accomplish.

The report is available here.

A recording of the presentation is available here.

Sage Foundation Journal Call for Articles: Asians in America Beyond Education

John Curtis — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 15:06:20 GMT

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, Request for Articles: "Asians in America Beyond Education: Career Choices, Trajectories, and Mobility Strategies."

Abstracts due December 11

For complete information, see https://www.russellsage.org/request-articles-asians-america-beyond-education-career-choices-trajectories-and-mobility-strategies

White House Announces Establishment of Office of Gun Violence Prevention

John Curtis — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 14:50:23 GMT

(Via COSSA) On September 22, the Biden Administration announced the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office is expected to accelerate executive action and prioritize legislation that reduces gun violence in the United States.

In February of this year, the COSSA blog "Why Social Science?" addressed the issue with an essay, "Because Gun Violence Requires Social Science-Solutions."

Also in September, the Bureau of Justice Statistics hosted a public seminar celebrating 50 years of the National Crime and Victimization Survey (NCVS). The survey is the only crime and victimization survey in the United States that addresses underreported crime through survey collection rather than police reporting. The NCVS is used to understand crime patterns and the impact of that crime in different households, recognizing victims that may have been indirectly affected by the crime.

Call for Abstracts - 14th Annual International Conference on Stigma

John Curtis — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 14:42:33 GMT

A Hybrid Conference Hosted by Howard University, Tuesday, November 14–Friday, November 17, 2023. Deadline for Submission: Friday, September 29, 2023 by 5:00pm (EST)

Conference Theme: “My Story – Who Can I Tell? Disclosure… Harm… Healing…”

For more information, see the conference website (https://www.whocanyoutell.org/) and the attached flyer.

Book event: Disrupting DC: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City

Gay Young — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:50:03 GMT

The Metropolitan Policy Center at American University is co-sponsoring a book event Wednesday, September 6th at 3pm in the School of International Service (SIS) Building, Room 300.

This event will feature author Katie J. Wells presenting key findings from her new book, Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City (Princeton University Press.

Bureau of Justice Statistics openings, deadline 8/28/23

John Curtis — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 13:38:49 GMT

This position is located in the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) as a supervisory statistician for the Justice Statistics Unit. You will have responsibilities for maintaining, enhancing, and expanding major statistical series and programs to ensure that the knowledge created has utility to stakeholders and that BJS's data collection activities are implemented in ways that maintain the trust and confidence of its data providers. (https://www.usajobs.gov/job/741933400)

Note: This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies, as was also noted in the Twitter announcement from BJS on 8/21.

Employment opportunities at Census for social science grads

John Curtis — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:40:32 GMT

The Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division at the Census Bureau is hiring for a number of positions. The division compiles and analyzes data on the socioeconomic characteristics of households, families and individuals including rates of home ownership and statistics on income, poverty and health insurance, family and fertility statistics, labor force participation, social program participation and measures of community resilience.

They are especially interested in candidates with strong social science skills in survey methodology and using large demographic surveys for research.

GS 7/9 - ideal for those with a bachelor's or master's in sociology, demography, economics, public policy and other social science disciplines.

GS 11/12 - ideal for those with a master's and some work experience, ABD, and PhDs

The current vacancy announcement at USAJOBS closes August 31. The next vacancy posting will not be until around October 2023. Several other areas at the Census may also use the same vacancy announcement for hiring.

If you or anyone you know are attending the American Sociological Association meeting in Philadelphia from Aug. 17-21, Census staff will be there and can share more information about their work in the main exhibit hall.

Interested candidates are also welcome to reach out to Lynda Laughlin, PhD, Chief, Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch (and former DCSS President) for more information (lynda.l.laughlin@census.gov)

Tell Congress to support funding for federal science and statistical agencies in FY 2024

John Curtis — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:36:12 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations:

Congressional appropriators are currently considering fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills that would decimate funding for federal science and statistical agencies. It is critical that we raise our voices in support of robust investment in social and behavioral science research.

For our members in Maryland and Virginia in particular, now is the time to write to your members of Congress to urge their support for social science research funding in FY 2024.

Take action via COSSA: https://cossa.org/action-center/take-action/#/

GMU Public Sociology Association conference open for submissions

John Curtis — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:12:25 GMT

The Public Sociology Association (PSA) at George Mason University is hosting the 8th annual PSA Conference September 14-15, 2023. This conference will take place remotely with potential opportunities for in-person networking within the DC area.

This year's topic is "Institutional Change in the Face of COVID-19." We are open to submissions from undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professors and other professionals interested in the topic. The submission deadline is July 31. Participants need no more than an abstract to submit. Please click here for more details or to access the submission link.

The PSA is a student-led organization committed to building community among and advancing the scholarship of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as scholars and practitioners engaged in public sociology. The PSA will host traditional paper presentations, poster presentations, organized panels, and workshops at this year’s conference.

UC-DC seeking adjunct instructors

John Curtis — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:03:42 GMT

The University of California Washington Program (UCDC) is seeking qualified candidates for its adjunct instructor pool. UCDC is an academic program of the U. of California that provides courses and internship opportunities for junior and senior undergraduates. Students take at least one class and intern in organizations and institutions that include the federal government, advocacy groups, international organizations, media, science agencies, museums and the arts, and more.

UCDC requires that all instructors be able to teach basic social science, history, or policy research skills and include in their syllabi expository writing assignments. They offer 10-week quarter and 14-week semester courses. Appointments are usually for a single quarter or semester term.

For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Diascro, Associate Director Academics, at jennifer.diascro@ucdc.edu.

Request for Input: Shaping NSF’s New TIP Directorate

John Curtis — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:56:34 GMT

From the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) with a deadline of July 13, 2023.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input into the development of a roadmap for the newly created Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). The roadmap will guide the TIP Directorate’s activities and directions for the next three years, and COSSA needs your input to help ensure that insights from social and behavioral science research are included—if not prioritized—in efforts to shape the future of U.S. technology development and deployment.

COSSA will be submitting comments to NSF on behalf of the research community before the deadline. We want to hear from you. Comments and ideas for the roadmap should be sent to COSSA by July 13 in order to be considered as part of our submission. We welcome any and all contributions that you think help tell the story of why social and behavioral science must be part of TIP activities. Read on to find out the questions posed by NSF and how you can contribute.

https://cossa.org/2023/06/22/request-for-input-shaping-nsfs-tip-directorate/

ASA Statement on Affirmative Action

Gay Young — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 16:29:00 GMT

Following yesterday's SCOTUS decision on affirmative action, the ASA released this statement.

Call for Nominations | DCSS Awards | Due April 3,2023

John Curtis — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:02:00 GMT

We are currently accepting nominations for our four DCSS awards. The nomination deadline is April 3, 2023 for all awards. We expect to present all awards in-person at the Annual Awards Dinner in May (date TBA soon).

The Stuart A. Rice Merit Award for Career Achievements is presented to a distinguished senior member of the Society who has made a significant contribution to the discipline.

Irene B. Taeuber Graduate Student Paper Award. Graduate students are invited to submit papers for consideration for this award, open to all graduate students enrolled in Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia area colleges and universities. The winning authors each receive a $200 cash award and will be recognized at the May awards banquet.

The Morris Rosenberg Award is presented for outstanding sociological achievement during the past three years by any member of DCSS.

For more details including nomination procedures and past award winners, see the Awards page.

New website!

John Curtis — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 17:22:33 GMT

You may notice that the DCSS website has a totally new look. More than just a change of colors and layout, the new website is part of an integrated association management software platform that will enable us to do a much better job of communicating with member and non-member sociologists in the DMV. The new website combines membership processing, events, and communication in a single platform. Look for more information on these new functions coming soon!

New DCSS Executive Committee for 2022-2023

John Curtis — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 16:43:53 GMT

DCSS begins 2022-2023 with newly-elected officers and a new executive committee. We are in the process of planning events for the coming year and welcome input from all!

Gay Young of American University is the new President of DCSS and Alexandra Rodriguez of Howard University is the new Secretary. John W. Curtis continues as Treasurer and Jill Brantley continues as Editor of The Sociologist. The new executive committee members include Yoku Shaw-Taylor (Immediate Past President), Sally Hillsman (past ASA Executive Officer), Jason Smith (George Mason University and Kaiser Permanente), Michelle Newton (American University), Evita Bynum (Catholic University of America), and Denae Bradley (Howard University).

DC Sociological Society News

NSF SBE directorate slated for elimination

Comment on USDA Statistical Products

Federal Register Notice: USDA Statistical Products

Census Bureau releases details on 2026 operational test

U.S. Census Bureau to Conduct Pilot With U.S. Postal Service for 2026 Operational Test

Urge Congress to Prioritize Robust Science Funding in FY 2027 Appropriations Bills

Urge Congress to Prioritize Robust Science Funding!

Claims Deadline March 30: Anthropic AI Class Action Information for Authors

Comment on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031

Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Comments and Suggestions on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031

2026 CTE Summer Research Institute

2026 Research Training Institute June 22–26, 2026 Online training

Mixed Methods Summer Intensive for Practice-Based Researchers

CFP: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness 2026

The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness 2026 Conference

Education and Public Trust: Evidence and Accountability in a Changing Landscape

Baltimore, MD | September 23-26, 2026

Contact Congress for NIJ and BJS funding

Urge Congress to Sign Dear Colleague Letter for NIJ and BJS Funding

New Williams Institute report: Removal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity from Federal Data Collections, January 2025-January 2026

Updated: DCSS and DMV happenings at ESS 2026 meeting

“Doing Sociology in the DMV in a Shifting Sociopolitical Landscape”

March 5, 2026 | 11 AM | Salon E

Washington Marriott Metro Center (12th and H NW)

DC Sociologists Happy Hour at ESS

Panel Study of Income Dynamics Summer Workshop

PSID Summer Workshop, Ann Arbor, MI, June 15-19th, 2026

Updated: Reimagining the National Center for Education Statistics

Updated: US Department of Education attack on educational DEI programs halted—for now

2026 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods

Summer Institute on Longitudinal Data Analysis

Update: Census requests comment on 2026 Operational Test for 2030 Census

Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue

Call for Papers: Social Psychology Quarterly special issue on social status

CFP: The American Research Handbook on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Updates: Restrictions on the teaching of sociology in Florida

Federal survey requests for comments: ACS, PRCS, MEPS, BLS Contingent Worker Supplement

Federal Register Notice: American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS)

Federal Register Notice: MEPS-Household Component (MEPS-HC)

Federal Register Notice: Contingent Worker Supplement

Data Checkup framework for assessing the health of federal data collections

CFP: The New Sociology of Propaganda

Call for a special issue of The British Journal of Sociology “The New Sociology of Propaganda”

How Are Recent Changes to Federal Statistical Data Affecting Your Work?

NSF ends social science dissertation research grants

Potential changes to NIH funding

Nominations for DCSS 2026 awards are now open!

Register Now for Social Science Advocacy Day

CFP: Fifth Global South Graduate Student Conference

Call for Papers Global South Hub, Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University FIFTH GLOBAL SOUTH GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE (Hybrid) April 16-17, 2026

Closing out the Tracking of 2025 Trump Administration Actions

SPSSI 2026 Conference open for submissions

Comment on proposed revisions to the National Survey of Children's Health

Historical Supplemental Poverty Measure

Help Build an Open Repository of Pro-Democracy Teaching and Learning Resources

Five Things You Can Do to Protect Public Data

Resources on Federal Health Survey Data

MDRC's The Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trials Restricted Access File

Call for Letters of Intent: Research Interrupted, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

Request for Articles: Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, 25th Anniversary

Washington: Our Work Helps Us Envision and Build a Better Future

Because Our Work Helps Us Envision and Build a Better Future

By Heather M. Washington, PhD (American Sociological Association)

NSF seeks input on the TIP workforce development roadmap

Call for Papers: Academic Freedom as a Practice of Democracy

An AI threat to online survey research?

OCC2010 is now available in ATUS

Data Intensive Research Conference 2026

Data Intensive Research Conference July 22-23, 2026 | Minneapolis, MN

Virtual Library of Work and Family Syllabi

CFP: Engaging and Retaining Individuals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

HUD information requests on two housing surveys

Enhancing Scientific Integrity: Progress and Opportunities in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: Call for Experts

CFP: The New Asylum Seekers: Subnational Dynamics of Migration Governance in the United States

CALL FOR ARTICLES

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

ISA Declaration: "A Time for Sociology"

CFP: PAA 2026 Applied Demography Conference

Call for Volunteers — Citizen Science Project: Monitoring Federal Statistical Product Releases

2026 Research Training Institute
June 22–26, 2026
Online training

Call for a special issue of The British Journal of Sociology
“The New Sociology of Propaganda”

Call for Papers
Global South Hub, Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University

FIFTH GLOBAL SOUTH GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE (Hybrid)
April 16-17, 2026

Data Intensive Research Conference
July 22-23, 2026 | Minneapolis, MN

Why Social Science?
Because Research-Informed Policy Strengthens Children and Families

Hope in High Water:
A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina

College and University Fund Lecture Series 2025:
Delivering on Government Innovation