Everyday Sociology Blog

Crows, Cities, and Sociology

By Lisa Smith

“Crow o’ clock” is that time of day in Vancouver when crows make their way at dusk and dawn, to and from their roost. After a busy day in the city hunting for snacks, watching out for predators, and chattering in the trees, rest is a must. And as deeply social creatures, crows rest up together. These winged fixtures of the city scape congregate in different spots, but most head to a wooded area adjacent to an industrial park—Still Creek in Burnaby, British Columbia. It is estimated that around 10,000 crows settle in every night in the same spot. You can check out footage of the daily trek and typical routes, which have been well documented.

Managing Fear Itself

By Stacy Torres

I like to see myself as a tough and seasoned lifelong New Yorker. I pride myself on quickly distinguishing real urban dangers from visibly troubled city dwellers who may talk to themselves or act erratically but are much more likely to suffer harm than to hurt me. But despite declining crime, recent random attacks on strangers have rattled me and many residents in cities across the country.

To Go or Not to Go: Why Student Choice Matters in the Class Attendance Debate

By Monica Radu

Does attendance really matter?

It’s a question I ask myself a lot, especially on days when it feels like I’m lecturing to an empty classroom.

The topic of optional class attendance at colleges and universities often sparks heated debates. At its heart, this isn’t just about policies, it’s about agency, the ability of students to make meaningful choices about their education. In higher education, agency shapes how students engage with their learning environments, whether in a lecture hall, a small classroom, or a virtual meeting space.

On the Disappearance of Community

By Karen Sternheimer

By now you have likely heard about the wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles in January 2025. The fires destroyed more than 10,000 homes, including my own.

Sociologists study the importance of communities in shaping individual and social life. We might think of ourselves as individuals seeking places to live that meet our personal needs, but communities shape our experiences of the spaces we inhabit. Community violence, for instance, can cause stress so severe that it impacts public health. Or in the case of my neighborhood, the people and setting added to a sense of well-being and belonging. We enjoyed walking in our neighborhood and hiking on the trails in the state park nearby. Ironically, we felt safe there.

Castles and Housing Crises

By Karen Sternheimer

When I have visited Europe, I always found the castles there a bit shocking in their sheer size and number. One can stumble upon a castle on a walk or on the side of the highway, as they are seemingly everywhere. Their magnitude can be visually stunning, yes, but the American in me feels a bit smug that we don’t have a royal family or old castles to tour. 

Except that we do—maybe we don’t have royalty, but in the U.S. the unofficial royals still build and live in modern-day castles, especially in Los Angeles where I live, a city that is often ranked as the most unaffordable and is in the midst of a housing crisis.

Policing Tulum: The Militarized National Guard of Mexico

By Janis Prince Inniss

When my aunt expressed mock horror—I think it was mock—at the thought of me going to Mexico because Canadian tourists had been killed there, I chided her. She’s alarmist, giving into negative portrayals and stereotypes of the country and its people, I thought.

I have changed my mind: She was right! My change of mind and heart is based on the volume of militarized police all over the town of Tulum—many carrying weapons the size of a small person! The experience led me to several sociological questions about what such a show of force means. For one friend, the heavy police presence represents safety. I wonder how much of the police presence is meant to reassure the omnipresent tourists that they are safe, and encourage them to keep coming back for more sand, sun, and fun in Mexico. The question I could not avoid though is why there is a need for this many police.

The Balancing Act: Why “Showing Up” For Kids Matters, But so does Showing up for Work

By Monica Radu

If you've spent any time on TikTok lately, you've probably come across the "showing up" trend. It’s a feel-good trend where parents proudly showcase how they try to be present for their kids, whether it's for school events, games, or random day-to-day moments that mean the world to children. The message is heartwarming: being there matters, and kids notice when parents show up. I also know that research consistently suggests that parental involvement is important. But as a working mom, I can't help but feel a little tug of anxiety every time I see those videos.

The pressure to be physically present for every milestone or school event ties into the larger societal expectation that good parents—especially mothers—are always available. This isn't a new idea, but social media has amplified it, making it harder for working moms to ignore. These pressures align with the concept of intensive mothering, which demands that mothers devote immense time, energy, and emotional labor to their children, often at the expense of their own needs or professional aspirations. Whether it’s a holiday party or a preschool graduation, there’s an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) expectation that we’ll be there. And while these moments are important, they often come at a cost.

Becoming a Group Member

By Karen Sternheimer

I have recently become a member of a group, joining my local trail running community. The process of joining a new group got me thinking about the sociological processes involved in becoming a member of a group, a long tradition in sociology. Understanding that we are more than just individuals navigating the world around us is a core component of the sociological imagination.

Sociologists spend a lot of time thinking about social groups; it is the foundation of the discipline, and some of the most seminal work in sociology is all about the significance of the groups to which we belong. Emile Durkheim was interested in social cohesion and how connected we are to the society around us, as well as how we divide up tasks among social groups—his focus in The Division of Labor in Society. Most introduction to sociology books will have a chapter on groups, sometimes small or large if the book focuses on organizations. Max Weber’s focus on bureaucracy highlights the way that power and authority is transmitted through large-scale organizations.

Why Many Americans Don't Feel Worse About a UnitedHealthcare CEO's Murder

By Stacy Torres

Confession time. I’m having difficulty mustering much sympathy for the brazen and targeted murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, shot outside a Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan as he walked to a shareholders meeting.

And apparently, I’m not alone. The intrigue-filled assassination has drawn the ire of Americans fuming at a health insurance industry that prioritizes profits over people’s lives. Social media reactions have ranged from dark, sarcastic humor to outright cheers, compelling UnitedHealthcare to turn off comments on a Facebook post about the murder when 41,000 of 46,000 reactions were laughing emojis. One user wrote, "My thoughts & prayers were out of network." I couldn’t help but chuckle grimly.

Racing to Win: Running and the Looking Glass Self

By Karen Sternheimer

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently ran my first  trail race. I entered a local 22k race, also called a “heavy half;” at 14.5 miles and more than 2,300 feet of elevation gain, the race is longer than a half marathon (13.1 miles), and the elevation puts the “climb factor” at 19 percent. This means the course requires the same amount of energy as a flat run of about 17 miles.

I felt physically prepared to run this race; I had a plan, and it was a course that I am very familiar with, so I had a good idea of what to expect. The biggest unknown for me was the impact of the other participants, reminding me of Charles Horton Cooley’s concept of the “looking glass self.”