Contexts

sociology for the public

In Brief

News and notes.

The iPhone Effect on Social Interaction

Last September, Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 devices in a weekend. Are those just 10 million new ways to hinder face-to-face interaction? Read More

Orange Is Mostly the Same Gender

On Orange is the New Black, does Sophia's transition through gender reassignment surgery actually reinforce binary notions of gender? Read More

Financial Aid in Crisis

Next time you’re looking to start a conversation with a college student (or college survivor), test-drive this question: “Is college affordable?” If you think … Read More

Birth Control, Religion, and the Social Construction of Whiteness

Most people think of access to birth control as a women’s issue, but its history is a lot more complicated. Read More

Football and University Prestige

In the United States—the only country that links sports so tightly to colleges and universities—football fans are bolstering not only their team’s reputation, but also their students’ brainy prestige. Read More

Gender and Status Matching

How women are wielding their own power—and standards—in the making of marriage. Read More

The Consequences of Framing Fat

Blaming overweight people and stigmatizing fat can result in denying overweight and obese people access to employment, earnings, and medical care. Read More

A Storm Called Hercules

by Corey FieldsWinter storms now have names like Hercules and Maximus, thanks to the Weather Channel. By naming storms, … Read More

Rich Defendant, Poor Defendant

Robert H. Richards IV, an heir to the du Pont fortune, was convicted of sexually abusing his own child. Justifying her decision to put Richards … Read More

The Selfie Exchange

by Corey FieldsIf you are a teen with a social media account, chances are you have posted a selfie. Read More