Category: Topics in Sociology
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Socioeconomic Status: Definition and Measurement
What is socioeconomic status? Socio-economic status (SES) refers to a specific configuration of material conditions that impact how people think and behave; those conditions are income, education, and occupational prestige. In this post, we discuss how social scientists define and measure socioeconomic status (SES). We focus on surveys, but these can be adapted to other […]
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Does Going Abroad Boost Your Income and Help Your Career?
As a small world gets smaller, employers across the US and Europe are looking for that “international experience” element in the resumes of job applicants. Does going abroad, even for a little while, give you an edge in the job market? Working or living abroad gives people skills and knowledge that businesses can use as […]
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Visual Sociology and Artificial Intelligence: AI Images of Society
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform society in terms of work, economy, politics, and culture. As these changes seem inevitable, people become increasingly concerned over the ethics of AI, and more and more sociologists are studying the potential impacts of AI on society. In this post, we examine how sociologists have examined Artificial Intelligence […]
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Marxist and Neo-Marxist Theories of Social Stratification
Why does social stratification exist? Karl Marx had a Theory Karl Marx, a social and economic thinker in the 19th century, had a theory of how societies are organized and why inequality exists. His powerful theories inspired the Communist revolutions in Russia and China, and eventually in Eastern Europe and Vietnam. Because of the popularity […]
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Basic Sociology Concepts: Social Stratification and Inequality
What are the basic sociology concepts in social stratification and inequality? To understand basic sociological theories in social stratification and inequality, we must first understand basic concepts in this field. This post presents definitions of basic sociology concepts and concepts related to inequality and social stratification. It is based on classic theorists. You may be […]
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What can we learn about society and sociology from very old textbooks? Not much.
In sociology, the concept of society is fundamental. It is a concept that every sociology student, and simply everyone, should think about. But what is society in sociology? And can we learn it from very old sociology textbooks? In this post, I attempt to answer these questions with the work of Charles A. Ellwood, 14th […]
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Sociology Blogs in 2022
What are sociology blogs? Sociology blogs are typically short-form online writing by professional sociologists. Many blogs are about particular topics, such as political inequality, or economic sociology, and so on. Some are general interest sites, such as Everyday Sociology and The Sociology Place. What sociology blogs are still around in 2022? There was a boom […]
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What is Power? What is a Power Structure?
To define a power structure, we must first define power. Power has many definitions: Power is a relationship We must understand that power is a relationship. Power as a social relationship has two main “agents:” the principal and the subaltern. In this relationship the principal wields power that affects the subaltern. Akin to the power […]
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The Rise of Big Data and Computational Social Science in Sociology
In this post, we examine the rise of big data and computational social science in sociology. Many sociologists complain about quantification Academics (on Twitter and elsewhere) often loudly complain about metrics — the quantification of their production, including impact factor, citations, and “points” that universities and other academic institutions, as well as government institutions, devise […]
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Racial Discrimination in US Housing: Evidence from the 2000 HUD Study
Racial discrimination is in the real estate market Clearly, there is such discrimination. But how do we know if the discrimination is due to race, or some other factor? The key is to isolate the racial factors from all other possibilities. This can best be done through studies and experiments. The U.S. government periodically commissions […]