The U.S. educational system is largely shaped by neoliberal ideologies and practices that influence the experiences and outcomes of students, teachers, schools, and districts. In this article, we demonstrate how in the current educational climate, certain subjects – and by extension, teachers – may be prioritized over others. Using qualitative data from a survey of K-12 art teachers, we aim to reveal the lived experiences of teaching a subject that is rarely acknowledged in the discourse around standardized testing and accountability. In doing so, we highlight four themes: (1) the perceived devaluing of art education; (2) marginalization and instrumentality in the curriculum; (3) evaluation as a source of frustration; and (4) effects on job satisfaction. Overall, respondents expressed a dissonance between their love for the subject matter and the realities of their day-to-day experiences on the job, both of which have short- and long-term implications for continued inequities in American schools.
Book Review of Random Families by R. Hertz and M. Nelson (2019).
This paper examines how emasculation as a fallen status within the gender order reinforces narrowly defined masculine expectations of behavior based on violence and power in the show Breaking Bad. Since masculinity is precarious, it is fragile and constantly has to be proven to other men. The male characters in this show deal with their emasculation by using violence towards others to re-establish their position within the gender order (Vandello and Bosson 2013; Connell 2005). The exception, Jesse (played by Aaron Paul), fails to recover and prove his masculinity and becomes the “permanent fag” as he struggles with the emotional turmoil associated with violence (Pascoe 2005). Since someone’s masculine status within the gender order is based in relation to age, social class, race and/or ethnicity, these are discussed as well. Furthermore, as masculinity is defined in opposition to femininity, the subornation of women assists in confirming one’s masculinity. Finally, the death of main characters reinforces normative gender constructions of masculinity as they fall victim to the violence inherent in patriarchal systems that equate violence with status. This examination is particularly important as the violence of white men in U.S. society becomes commonplace and normalized. This paper does not examine Breaking Bad from a Criminological standpoint but instead focuses on masculinity and violence as social practices that reinforce the gender order.
Does complexity theory offer novel theoretical and empirical insights into social processes or is it merely a repackaging of sociology’s central tenets? This question motivates the following theoretical overview and analysis in hopes to spur further inquiry into social complexity. Complexity theory posits that interaction between social agents produces emergent macro level patterns; a statement which is remarkably consistent with extant sociological theory. Following this line of inquiry, I provide a brief discussion of complexity theory, emphasizing connection with sociological theory. I then attempt to clarify complexity theory by illustrating that it is neither a theory nor a method of research, but instead a meta-theory. In this light, complexity theory can illuminate certain underdeveloped aspects of sociological analysis, such as the importance of initial conditions and non-linear dynamics, enriching our understanding of social phenomenon. The aim, therefore, of this paper is to spur sociological theorizing, far from equilibrium, at the edge of chaos and complexity.
Academic identity refers to the extent to which one identifies or defines the self in terms of academic-related experiences and can motivate one to engage or disengage from school. Most research on the academic identity of African American students has focused on adolescents; high school students in particular. The primary concern has been academic dis-engagement as an explanation of low African American academic achievement relative to other racial and ethnic groups, white students specifically; the “achievement gap.” As a result, relatively little is known about the subjectively experienced academic identity of African American elementary-aged students: How do they make sense of and understand the student role and what does being “smart” mean to them? Data were drawn from two third grade classes at an African American k-5 charter school on the campus of a prominent HBCU in a small town in the Deep South. Aligning with, yet extending in important ways, the thirty-plus year dialogic tension with the work of Fordham and Ogbu, data presented here clearly indicate this small sample of African American third graders define themselves as intelligent and capable students who identify strongly and positively with the student role. At this stage of their lives, their academic identity is robust; they are engaged, achievement-oriented, and they seem to be saying “School is for me!” Results suggest the school’s proximity to a prominent HBCU in the Deep South may have had a protective effect on student academic identity.
With the power to unite or divide a nation, patriotism is an integral component of the many attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors which collectively influence the nature and direction of society. In its extreme forms, patriotism can lead to systematic social disorganization, foster intolerance and fear, or give rise to fascist or neo-fascist movements. Given the diverse and potentially problematic roles patriotism can play, identifying determinants for patriotism represents an important line of inquiry. Although several studies have explored the origins of patriotism in society, prior research has yet to examine the influence of birth cohort effects on patriotic self-identification the United States. This study examines generational birth cohort effects on a subjective measure of American patriotism. Data for this research were collected from the Pew Research Center 2014 Political Survey. Results from our analysis suggest that younger cohorts are significantly less patriotic than preceding generations. Cohort effects on patriotism were significant with and without controls. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify a systematic link between birth cohort and patriotism within the context of a multivariate examination. We also found evidence of a significant interaction between religiosity and birth cohort. Specifically, the positive effect of religiosity on patriotism is considerably more pronounced among Millennials than Baby Boomers. In addition to identifying a new source of variation in American patriotism, this study demonstrates the continued relevance and utility of birth cohort research for identifying and describing broad patterns of variation in society.
Immigrants experience a myriad of pressures in accessing resources and negotiating culture that other city populations typically do not experience. At the same time, immigrants report use of unique protective factors, or behaviors and conditions that shelter them from prejudice, aggression, and discrimination even though these factors may have other less desirable consequences. Specifically, in terms of major protective strategies, two general theses that can be seen as complementary or even contradictory suggest that: a) ethnic enclaves or ethnically homogenous social groups who live near one another protect immigrants from a measure of discrimination by virtue of their proximity to one another (Perez, Fortuna, and Alegria, 2008; Zhou and Logan, 1989); and, b) greater intergroup interactions may reduce prejudice and discrimination experiences in part by providing people with the skills, relationships, and resources to avoid or effectively deal with prejudice and discrimination (Mesch 2002).
Using data from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey, the authors examine the effects of density on social interactions. They find that as urban density increases, measures of social interaction decrease, the opposite of what was predicted in the popular sociology book Bowling Alone. Comparing one standard deviation above and below the mean, the results show that the given decline in density raises the likelihood of talking to neighbors at least once a week by 7%, increases the number of times the respondent socializes with friends in a public place by 11%, raises the likelihood of belonging to a hobby club by 24%, and raises the number of club meetings attended, or the number of group memberships by 26% and 8%, respectively. These percentages would be doubled if comparisons were made between the most and least dense city in the survey.
College instructors, as a group, are more liberal than the general US population. The causes and consequences of this incongruence have been the focus of a considerable amount of discourse. However, little scholarly attention has been devoted to understanding if and how political ideologies shape students’ classroom experiences. We advance this area of inquiry by assessing empirically how sociology students’ perceived ideological distance from graduate student instructors affects multiple outcomes, ranging from classroom behaviors to course evaluations. Our findings suggest that students’ perceptions of political ideological distance from their instructors, regardless of the direction of that distance, negatively affect seven out of the eight outcomes we evaluate. We submit that shared concerns about student learning should prompt increased scholarly attention to the role of political ideologies in the college classroom.
This study develops a framework for systematic examination of information and communication technologies (ICTs) usage differences within a group. This framework situates the digital divide and digital inequalities model within a broader conceptual model of digital practice, exemplified by how groups of people use ICTs. I use nationally representative data to examine online activities on social networking sites (SNS) for African Americans and other ethnoracial groups. The data for this research comes from the Pew Internet and American Life’s “Spring Tracking Survey 2008”. The results from regression analyses support the digital practice framework which moves discussions of ICT usage beyond social and economic advantages or disadvantages, and addresses individual and group needs in using these technologies.
The homeownership rate in the US reached an all-time high of 69.2 percent by 2006, attributed to factors like favorable mortgage lending practice, economic boom, and incentive policies. The recent subprime mortgage crisis and economic recession, however, widened the gap in homeownership between racial minorities and whites. A sharp drop in housing price also posed a threat to the amount of equity one could accumulate. In this paper, we examined how the changing economy and both structural and individual-level factors affected the racial disparities in homeownership and home equity, using the 2005 and 2009 American Housing Survey national data. The major finding was that the economic recession affected Blacks the most, followed by Hispanics. Asians, though showing a decline in their home equity, were able to maintain their advantages in the housing market.
We conducted twenty in-depth interviews with residents of a domestic violence shelter in a southeastern metropolitan area to understand how low-income women experience mothering within the context of intimate partner violence (IPV). Interview questions explored the women’s feelings about motherhood, their relationships with their children, and the effects of IPV on their children. Despite the difficulties of raising children with an abusive partner, the women did not regret becoming a mother. In fact, respondents identified their children as one of few positives in their lives and mothering as central to their identity. Relationships with their children enabled the women to feel empowered in ways that their intimate partnerships did not and motivated them to escape the violence and persevere.
This article examines the efforts that low-income mothers go through to get to work in two rural Michigan county contexts. The author relies on qualitative, in-depth interview data with one group of Latina mothers, who worked in agricultural labor often migrating with their families, and another group of white settled mothers in a county dominated by service jobs. Their accounts reveal the backstage labor needed to get to low-wage jobs in rural areas. Commuting, moving, and/or migrating necessitate much effort and planning. Without public transportation, mothers often "scramble" with unreliable, and often unsafe, vehicles. They also rely on friends and family members, negotiate with employers, coordinate their journey to work with the schedules of family members, and take risks to get to work. Programs and policies that provide assistance with reliable transportation, child care, and work and family balance should reduce the work of getting to work.
Research has found that “internal” or personal attributions about the causes of problem drinking increase the likelihood of seeking treatment and treatment efficacy, while “external” attributions, such as environmental, social or cultural causations, may hinder treatment efforts. Results of survey data from a sample of 152 US college students found three main causation belief factors, which were differentially associated with age, heavy drinking, protestant religion, and exposure to problem drinkers. The "Social Cause" factor was the most strongly endorsed belief suggesting external, but surmountable attributions for problem drinking. Implications of attributions for treatment efficacy are discussed.
A trend in the travel industry has been the growth of tours marketed for women only. These often involve travel with the goal of learning new skills, developing competence, or sharing group experiences. In this study, I analyze these tours using feminist leisure theory to illustrate how women are using their agency to take control of their own leisure. Using interviews with tour participants and participant observation, I conclude that taking part in a women-only tour is a unique leisure experience with the ability to remove women from the constraints of everyday role expectations and offer them opportunities to assert independence and develop life skills that are potentially life changing and empowering.
Saundra Westervelt and Kimberly Cook have done a great service by asking this question and by exploring the multiple dimensions of tragedy, irony, paradox, and pain that confront those wrongfully convicted of crimes, confronted with death row, and later found to be innocent. These are, of course, the "lucky ones" -- the mistakes associated with their wrongful convictions were discovered. But how lucky are they? All struggle with multiple concerns, practical, social, and psychological.
It is well established that Asian Americans are fairly represented in professional occupations due to their high educational attainment. However, the representation of Asian Americans in managerial occupations is still small. Despite the dramatic increase of Asian Americans as a percentage of the population in recent decades, not many studies have been conducted to investigate the association between immigrant settlement and occupational disparities in managerial occupations of Asian Americans by ethnicities as well as immigrant generations. In this paper, I examine the characteristics that influence Asian Americans who embark on managerial occupations as compared to other occupations by nativity and the length of their residence in the United States. I also compare trends of native-born Asian Americans with those of native-born non-Hispanic whites to examine whether an occupational disparity has been approaching convergence.
Upon arrival in a host country with considerable ethnic diversity, such as the United States, immigrants are frequently confronted with various different perceptions of local, ethnic, and racial categories and identities. Living in the United States often challenges immigrants to reconsider, modify, or reconstruct their previous identities. This has happened, for example, to Eastern and Southern European immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and more recently to Korean, Filipino, Mexican and African immigrants from Ghana and Cape Verde, who all have had to reinterpret their identities upon arrival in the United States. Many new immigrants start thinking about themselves in ethnic terms for the first time and (re)discover their ethnicity. Through 20 in-depth interviews with Hungarian immigrants this study explores ethnic identity construction among Hungarians in the United States.
