Global Culture, Immigration, and the World Cup

On July 16, 2026July 16, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Globalization, Immigration, Population, Aging, and Demography, Popular Culture and Consumption, Stacy TorresLeave a comment

By Stacy Torres

My father was from Chile. Five years after his death, I’ve adapted to the past tense when referring to him, but it’s still not automatic. Was. Every time that three-letter verb of no longer being catches in my throat, I notice the slight delay even if my conversation partners don’t.

I remember nothing about World Cup 2022, the year after he died, which remains a blur of loss. One year is nothing when it comes to grief, as Saul Bellow so eloquently puts it: “Losing a parent is something like driving through a plate-glass window. You didn’t know it was there until it shattered, and then for years to come you’re picking up the pieces—down to the last glassy splinter.”

Continue reading →

The Sociology of Science Fiction: Project Hail Mary, Star Trek, and the Broken Earth Trilogy

On July 6, 2026June 16, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Popular Culture and Consumption, Race and Ethnicity, Rob Eschmann, Sex and Gender1 Comment

By Rob Eschmann

Author Andy Weir, best known for his books The Martian and Project Hail Mary, both of which were turned into successful science fiction films starring Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling, has recently been enmeshed in controversy surrounding his anti-woke comments and insistence that politics has no place in fiction.

Though they’re just coming to light, due to the recent release of the blockbuster Project Hail Mary film, he’s held these views for some time. In a 2017 interview, Weir said:

When I’m reading a book, I just want to be entertained, not preached at by the author… I deeply dislike social commentary. For instance, as a lifelong Star Trek fan, it’s always bothered me that there is a presumed “responsibility” within Star Trek shows to talk about social issues. I just want to watch Romulans and the Federation shoot at each other.

Continue reading →

When AI isn’t so I: Health Data Reliability and Validity

On June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Karen Sternheimer, Statistics and MethodsLeave a comment

By Karen Sternheimer

As a social scientist, I like data. If you can quantify something, I’m interested. Data is the foundation of sociology: we are not making casual observations and calling it science; we empirically gather data and look for patterns.

You might have learned about the concepts of validity and reliability in a research methods class. Validity requires that something actually measures what we say it measures. For instance, it’s clear that stepping on a scale is not a valid measure intelligence. Reliability requires that our measure is consistent. Using the scale analogy, it should give us the same result if we step on it a few minutes later. If not, the scale is off.

Continue reading →