Category: Applied Sociology

Applied Sociology / Gender & Sexuality / Opinion / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Organizations & Work

A gender milestone: First women presidents in U.S. higher education institutions

By In today’s tense higher education landscape, one may wonder why anyone would take on the role of a university or college president. Indeed, even before the recent accusations against women academics, women who sought to or served as executive leaders of higher education institutions (HEIs) faced gender bias, racial discrimination, and other challenges. Despite this, the number of women presidents in HEIs tripled from 9.5% to 33% between 1986 and 2023. In addition to the personal and professional satisfaction...

Applied Sociology / Class & Stratification / Feminist Theory / Gender & Sexuality / News / Population & Demography / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Research Methodologies / Social Identity / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Social Theory / Sociology of Culture

Introducing a New Journal: Diversity & Inclusion Research

Launching in 2023! Diversity & Inclusion Research is an important new Open Access, multidisciplinary journal publishing high-quality research focussed on improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at the individual, organizational, and societal level. Published by Wiley, the journal aims to contribute towards the deepening of local and international, theoretical and practical understandings of DE&I.​ There is an increasing urgency driving a need for rigorous inequality research. More than two-thirds of countries are experiencing increased income disparity, exacerbating the risks of economic and...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Social Theory / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Health & Illness

Can young children give or withhold consent to heart surgery? Obstacles to innovative research

When we began to research children’s consent to non-urgent heart surgery in 2019, we were surprised by the healthcare professionals’ enthusiasm for consent with the right to refuse. In the first of our 45 interviews with practitioners and related experts, an anaesthetist said: “As a group, we would like to be the best in the world at doing some kind of evidence-based consent that is great for patients and legally robust.  We’re aiming to be amazing at it…Definitely some four-year-olds...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Research Brief / Science & Technology / Sociology of Health & Illness

What is Medical AI Good For?

The use of artificial intelligence has grown rapidly, especially in the field of medicine, with the promise of offering advances ranging from more efficient diagnoses to safer treatments. Yet, this promise overlooks the fact that artificial intelligence still faces some pretty serious limitations, you know, the kind of limitations that prevent the machine from operating like we see in television and movies. Simply stated, artificial intelligence is still not yet that intelligent. Yes, artificial intelligence can do well at particular...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / People / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Research Methodologies / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Globalization

Interview with Dr Zarine L. Rocha, Review Articles Editor-in-Chief, Sociology Compass

In August 2022, Dr. Zarine L. Rocha joined Sociology Compass as co-Editor-in-Chief, leading the Review Articles Section. The Review Articles in Sociology Compass are commissioned pieces explaining important debates and currently published under eight subject sections. We took the opportunity to talk to Zarine about her research background and aims for the Review Articles and the journal. Please tell us about your research background and how you came to study sociology? I am a Sociologist from Aotearoa New Zealand, of mixed Pakeha and Gujarati...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Sociology of Children

Can you hear me? Two researchers’ perspectives on children’s rights, participation and voice

The Topic We have recently published an article in Children & Society journal exploring parent and professional views on the child’s voice in multi-agency meetings, considering how meaningful and impactful this was, or if there was voice present at all. An online survey combined with educational documents, subject to thematic and documentary analysis, presented some interesting findings. The findings highlight the importance of professional beliefs around child capacity and their understanding of what constitutes a competent view. In turn, they...

Applied Sociology / Class & Stratification / Opinion / Political & Economic Sociology / Social Identity

WHAT DOES BAKING TELL US ABOUT CLASS DURING COVID-19 IN INDIA?

In an unequal and diverse society like India, food has had deep associations with questions of identity, whether that of religion, caste, class, gender, ethnicity, or tribe. The recent COVID-19 crisis has highlighted some of these associations in a newer light, including the relationship between food and class. For most of the Indian middle-classes, the period of lockdown has been spent in experimenting with food as dishes like Dalgona coffee and banana bread became popular ‘quarantine recipes’. Food also became...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Religion

Coronavirus reflections: Face masks, Islamic dress and colonial differentiation.

Like many countries across the world, France is currently negotiating the coronavirus pandemic and has recently begun to emerge from lockdown by circulating a slogan not dissimilar to the UK government ‘Sauvez des vies, restez prudent’ (Save lives, stay alert). What then is so notable about the French plan to tackle coronavirus and be free from lockdown? Aside from the bureaucratic plan developed in France, the significant and noteworthy method of returning to some sense of ‘normalcy’ is to mandate...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Political & Economic Sociology

Housing Associations as Third Sector anchor institutions: examples from England and Austria

Housing associations are well-known actors in the provision of affordable housing, not only in England but also in a number of other European countries. Whilst typically being classed as actors of the Third Sector, that is, neither state-owned nor profit-driven, their institutional and regulatory set-up differs widely in different countries. In recent years, there is increasing interest as to the role of housing associations, not just as housing providers but as actors who are influencing and shaping local communities. This...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Health & Illness / Sociology of Organizations & Work

School Closures During COVID-19: Potential Impacts on Homeschooling Regulation

Life as we know it is rapidly changing in the current coronavirus pandemic. While many Americans are experiencing unprecedented financial hardship as unemployment rates are skyrocketing, others with relatively unaffected jobs are nonetheless worried about other aspects of this “new normal”: no handshakes, no large gatherings, and even moving freely about or visiting with loved ones is restricted. Many, of course, are also falling ill or losing family members and friends. Although some states are more affected than others, the...

Applied Sociology / Books and arts / Feminist Theory / Gender & Sexuality / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy

Happy Friday everyone! Actually, when was the last time that you experienced pure happiness? Real unrestrained joy? Many of us, sadly, are feeling increasingly isolated and lonely. During Mental Health Awareness Week recently, leading figures including Alastair Campbell bravely discussed their experiences of depression; raising awareness, with a view to generating a collective understanding of, and sympathy for, those experiencing mental health issues. So, the new book by Lynne Segal, Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy representing ‘a passionate call...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Social Identity / Sociology of Organizations & Work

Mirror, mirror on the wall… which one of the healthcare team am I? Understanding healthcare practitioners’ professional identities and what role professional regulation plays

In this article, Policy Adviser Michael Warren outlines some of the themes and challenges that arise from the Professional Standards Authority’s work on understanding professional identity and regulation. The research can be found here. Think of it, someone comes up to you and asks: “who are you?”. Where do you start? It’s a query that calls into question your entire identity. One place to start is your occupation, or ‘professional identity’. You may even have more than one professional identity,...

Applied Sociology / News

New BSA Curriculum in Applied Sociology

The British Sociological Association (BSA) special interest group Sociologists Outside of Academia (SoA) has developed a curriculum in applied sociology, now available as a free resource for UK higher education institutions. The launch of the curriculum took place on 11 April at the 2018 BSA conference in Newcastle and was well-attended, with around 25 people present including officers and staff of the BSA. Speakers were co-convenors Nick Fox and Tina Basi, Ricky Gee and Teresa Crew. Visit the curriculum pages to explore the content. Why...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Urban Sociology

What About the People? Unlocking the Key to Socially Sustainable and Resilient Communities

The World Resources Institute has published an article by Cathy Baldwin, and Robin King, entitled, What About the People? Unlocking the Key to Socially Sustainable and Resilient Communities. The article is about an applied social science report that argues for the use of social science theories of social capital and social cohesion as key determinants of community resilience in urban communities affected by climate change-related adverse weather events. It looks at this in the context of creating city built environments that...

Applied Sociology / News

Sociologists Outside Academia call for Working Group Members – Developing an Applied Sociology Curriculum!

  For the past 18 months, the British Sociological Association (BSA) group Sociologists Outside Academia (SOA) has been focusing on the potential for careers working as applied or practical sociologists, beyond the traditional remits of academia.  Sociology is essential not only for understanding the big problems that face society, but also the daily issues that need addressing at work, at home or in the community.  We believe sociologists have the concepts, the theories and detailed knowledge of organisations and human...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / People

Sociologists Outside of Academia: Solutions to Everyday Problems. An Interview with Professor Nick Fox

I attended my first British Sociological Association Conference at the University of Manchester, 4-6 April 2017. I’m not a sociologist, nor a journalist, unless we’re counting a short stint as a reporter for an Irish Dancing magazine in 2004. I’m a publisher, and I came to the BSA Annual Conference firstly as an exhibitor, attending to promote the societies, journals, authors, contributors and community who publish with us, and secondly, with a more personal agenda to immerse myself in the...