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Sociology

Immigration policy and the 2024 presidential election
A group of migrants along the Mexico-California border show their identification to U.S. Border Patrol agents, with brown mountains in the background and the sun about to rise, giving a spot of light in an overcast sky.

U.S. Border Patrol agents with migrants seeking asylum, mainly from Colombia, China, and Ecuador, in a makeshift, mountainous campsite after crossing the border between Mexico and the United States on Feb. 2, 2024, near Jacumba, California. 

(Image: AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Immigration policy and the 2024 presidential election

An April 2 symposium will bring together policy analysts, immigration scholars, and representatives of nonprofit advocacy organizations to discuss immigration policies and their impact.

Kristen de Groot

‘Behind the Startup’ looks at venture capital and inequality
Headshot of Benjamin Shestakofsky and image of book cover.

Sociology professor Benjamin Shestakofsky of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote his new book “Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality” based on 19 months of participant-observation research inside a tech startup.

(Images: Courtesy of Benjamin Shestakofsky and University of California Press)

‘Behind the Startup’ looks at venture capital and inequality

The new book by Benjamin Shestakofsky is based on 19 months of participant-observation research, rising from intern to middle manager in a tech startup.
Teacher shortages in America are holding Gen Z students like me back
Business Insider

Teacher shortages in America are holding Gen Z students like me back

Richard Ingersoll of the Graduate School of Education says that qualified teachers make a difference for students by both knowing the subject and knowing how to teach the subject.

The legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois: ‘Something fresh to say’
Zuberi and Morris sit on red chairs at the front of a large lecture hall. The podium reads "Annenberg" and there is a sign saying "Department of Sociology."

Tukufu Zuberi (left) and Aldon Morris (right) at the 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science.

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The legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois: ‘Something fresh to say’

At the 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science, Aldon Morris of Northwestern University and Tukufu Zuberi of the School of Arts & Sciences discuss Du Bois’ contributions to the field and to humanity.

Kristina García

Romance and race
Illustration of a couple walking in a city in the snow.

Image: Adobe Stock/grandfailure

Romance and race

Sociology Ph.D. candidate Olivia Hu is studying how people choose romantic partners across race lines, and how those relationships affect their understandings of social difference.

Susan Ahlborn

Sociology: Practically constitutional!
Inside Higher Ed

Sociology: Practically constitutional!

In an Op-Ed, Jerry A. Jacobs of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Florida’s recent effort to marginalize sociology is a shortsighted move to score political points while jeopardizing an important component of the nation’s world-leading system of higher education.

Who, What, Why: Taussia Boadi on trauma and Black maternal health
Taussia Boadi stands on the mezzaine of the Wharton Academic Research building, with the lobby seen below and a floor to ceiling piece of art in various shades of green behind her.

Sociology fourth-year Taussia Boadi’s research looks at looks at the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, birth outcomes, and resilience in Black women. 

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Who, What, Why: Taussia Boadi on trauma and Black maternal health

The fourth-year sociology major’s research looks at the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, birth outcomes, and resilience in Black women.

Kristen de Groot

‘Are Civil Rights Enough?’
Dorothy Roberts speaks at a podium. The wooden podium has the words "University of Pennsylvania" and its seal.

PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts addresses the audience at the  23rd annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice.

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‘Are Civil Rights Enough?’

During the 23rd annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts addressed the question “Are Civil Rights Enough?”

Kristina García

How common is common sense?
Artist rendering depiction of common sense: This image features an abstract representation of multiple silhouetted profiles facing each other against a background of overlapping, multicolored shapes, symbolizing the interplay and convergence of diverse perspectives and ideas. The interlocking colors and profiles suggest the complex, multifaceted nature of common sense.

How common is common sense? A straightforward question that, surprisingly, has yet to receive a definitive science-based answer. Now, PIK Professor Duncan Watts and co-author Mark Whiting of the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science present a new way to quantify common sense among both individuals and collectives.

(Image: Courtesy of Mark Whiting)

How common is common sense?

Researchers from Penn develop a framework for quantifying common sense, findings address a critical gap in how knowledge is understood.