Everyday Sociology Blog

Measles, Technology, and Globalization

By Karen Sternheimer In 2000, measles was eradicated from the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that after decades of a successful vaccination program, which began in 1963, there were no more measles

Biography and History Intersecting: Thinking Critically about Individualism

By Karen Sternheimer In his book The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills described the importance of historical events as shaping individuals’ lives. This is not just to say that historical events influence our personalities or pre

Me and My 70,000 Friends: Tailgating and Togetherness

By Todd Schoepflin I’ve always enjoyed going to Buffalo Bills games. I like watching football live and being part of a crowd. I’ve written before about the tailgate scene which adds fun and unpredictability. I’ve attended three games this

Losing Confidence: Americans and Social Institutions

By Karen Sternheimer Do you feel less confidence in the government? In corporations? In the press? If so, your feelings reflect a general trend found in the most recent data from the General Social Survey, a nationally representative house

Finding New Normality, From Micro to Macro

By Karen Sternheimer As COVID cases fall in much of the United States, many pandemic-era restrictions are beginning to loosen. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) revised mask guidelines to local ordinances allowing

Collective Trauma and COVID-19

By Liana Renée Tuller, Research Fellow at Northeastern University's Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence Numerous newspaper and magazine articles, health advisories, blogs, radio segments, and op-eds have dubbed COVID-19 a “collective

Managing Risk and Sociological Theory

By Jonathan Wynn Here’s a situation that you might be familiar with: After months of being careful with a very small "pod" of three families, they decided to take a risk and allow another person into their trusted group. That person ende

What is a Good Member of Society?

By Karen Sternheimer I never really thought about this question until reading a recent Pew Research Center report. While we might have a good idea of what it takes to be a good student (go to class, do all readings and assignments), a good