Sociology News & Events
Maxwell Panel Weighs the Implications of the Proposed Dismantling of the Department of Education
The Center for Policy Research’s latest ‘What’s at Stake’ discussion explored the potential effects on public schools, Title IX, higher education accessibility and more.
See related: Congress, Federal, School History, U.S. Education, United States
Fairchild Article on the Collection of Public Health Surveillance Data Published in The Conversation
“The collection of public health surveillance data has never been politically neutral. It has always reflected ideas about individual rights. Despite controversy, it remains public health’s foundational tool,” writes University Professor Amy Fairchild and her co-authors.
See related: Federal, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Gender and Social Class Dynamics in Intergenerational Financial Transfers Among Older Adults
“Gender and Social Class Dynamics in Intergenerational Financial Transfers Among Older Adults: National Trends Over Two Decades in Sweden,” co-authored by Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein, was published in Ageing & Society.
See related: Europe, Gender and Sex, Parenting & Family
Maxwell Alumni, Friends Invited to Awards of Excellence Event in DC
Five extraordinary alumni will be recognized, and the school’s commitment to engaged citizenship will be celebrated, at the March 27 event at Syracuse University’s new Dupont Circle home.
See related: Awards & Honors, Washington, D.C.
Self-Reported ADHD Diagnosis Status Among Working-Age Adults in the United States
“Self-Reported ADHD Diagnosis Status Among Working-Age Adults in the United States: Evidence From the 2023 National Wellbeing Survey,” co-authored by Maxwell professors Andrew London, Shannon Monnat and Iliya Gutin, was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.
See related: Education, Gender and Sex, Mental Health, Race & Ethnicity, Rural Issues, United States, Urban Issues
Fairchild Cited in The Atlantic Article on the Erasing of Science in the US
Scientific expertise itself is now being billed as a political liability, which opens the door to “a populist approach to what counts as valid scientific knowledge,” says University Professor Amy Fairchild.
See related: Environment, Gender and Sex, Race & Ethnicity, Research Methods, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Collective Action, Trusted Messengers, and UNITE HERE's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Fighting to Survive: Collective Action, Trusted Messengers, and UNITE HERE's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Sociology Gretchen Purser, was published in Labor Studies.
See related: COVID-19, Labor, United States
Civil Lawfare
“Civil Lawfare,” co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner, was published in Social Problems.
See related: Crime & Violence, Disability, Economic Policy, Law, State & Local, United States
Claiming Citizenship: Race, Religion, and Political Mobilization among New Americans
Prema Kurien, professor of sociology, examines the political mobilization strategies of people of South Asian and Indian descent in the United States. She also traces how immigrants reshape the host society, both conforming to aspects of that society while also transforming it to meet their unique needs. (Oxford University Press, 2025)
See related: Asian-American, India, U.S. Immigration, United States
Mothering in the Time of Coronavirus
Amy Lutz, associate professor of sociology, and co-authors, two Maxwell alumni, focus on remote and essential workers in Central New York, exploring the evolving demands on mothers as well as public policies that may have hindered their ability to balance work and caregiving. Published by University of Massachusetts Press.
See related: COVID-19, Education, Gender and Sex, Parenting & Family
Sibling and Parental Military Service and Suicidality Among Adolescents in the United States
Professor of Sociology Andrew London and his co-author examine whether having a sibling and/or a parent on active duty in the military is associated with suicidality among 12- to 17-year-old adolescent girls and boys in the United States. Published in Military Medicine.
See related: Children, Adolescents, Mental Health, Parenting & Family, United States
Childhood Speech Impairment and Dementia Risks Among US Older Adults
In this study, Assistant Professor of Sociology Haowei Wang and co-authors investigate how the experience of speech problems before age 16 are associated with the risk of dementia among older adults aged 50 and older. Published in Innovation in Aging.
See related: Aging, Health Policy, Mental Health, United States
Research Studies by Engelhardt and Montez Cited in 2025 Economic Report of the President
Separate research studies by Professor of Economics Gary Engelhardt and University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez were referenced in Chapter 4 of the report, “Expanding and Strengthening U.S. Health Insurance Coverage.”
See related: Economic Policy, Federal, Health Insurance, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Intergenerational Relationships and Family Support: Implications for Health and Wellbeing
In this review, Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein and co-authors summarize research projects supported by the National Institute on Aging that have contributed scholarship on intergenerational relationships and support provided to older adults that frequently precedes, and is often complementary to, intensive caregiving. Published in The Gerontologist.
See related: Aging, Gender and Sex, Longevity, Parenting & Family, Race & Ethnicity, United States
Maxwell Sociologist’s New Documentary Reveals Plight of Syracuse Tenants
Written and directed by Gretchen Purser, the film is the culmination of a research grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
See related: Grant Awards, Housing, New York State, Race & Ethnicity, Social Justice, Urban Issues
Religious Change and Continuity Across Generations
See related: Aging, Canada, Europe, Parenting & Family, Religion, United States
Reforming the Shadow Carceral State
Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner and co-authors examine the repeal of prison pay-to-stay policies in the United States. Published in Theoretical Criminology.
See related: Crime & Violence, Economic Policy, Human Rights, State & Local, United States
Purser Piece on the Need for Syracuse to Adopt the Good Cause Eviction Law Published on Syracuse.com
“Landlords would still be able to evict tenants who are behind on their rent or who have violated the terms of their lease, but this law would give tenants the presumptive right to stay in the property otherwise. It would be a mechanism for both contributing to housing stability and prohibiting landlord retaliation against tenants who play by the rules,” says Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology.
See related: Housing, Law, New York State, State & Local, Urban Issues
Older Adults’ Descendants and Family Networks in the Context of Global Educational Expansion
In this paper, Haowei Wang and co-authors examine the socioeconomic bifurcation of adults in midlife and beyond in terms of the existence of descendants and other kin. Published in Population and Development Review.
See related: Aging, Child & Elder Care
Yingyi Ma Cited in Nature Article on the Future of Science in the US
Although Chinese-student enrollment at U.S. universities has rebounded since the pandemic, China’s best and brightest might be shying away, says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology. Soaring anti-China rhetoric probably plays a part, she says, but so do expanding opportunities for Chinese graduate students at home, and the growing challenges to obtain work visas.
See related: China, Education, Government, International Affairs