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.”

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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.

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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.

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A Year of Living Minimally

On January 16, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Karen Sternheimer, Popular Culture and Consumption3 Comments

By Karen Sternheimer

It has been a year since losing my home in the Los Angeles firestorm of 2025. While others are reflecting on the anniversary with concerts, community events, and hand-wringing over the rebuilding process, I have been reflecting on my 12 months as a minimalist. It has been an enlightening, and yes, in an odd way a positive experience.

Of course, I wouldn’t have chosen this experience. Finding myself without most of the material possessions I had accumulated for decades was quite a jolt. The first few weeks left me shell shocked. I was figuring out what I really needed for day-to-day living, while at the same time as managing insurance claims and other adventures with bureaucracy.

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Overtourism: Revisiting the Sacred and Profane

On August 18, 2025October 20, 2025 By econnellIn Behind the Headlines, Karen Sternheimer, TheoryLeave a comment

By Karen Sternheimer

You have probably seen news of protests in Europe about overtourism—locals upset about their hometowns being overrun with crowds, often pricing them out of local housing markets. Cities like Barcelona, Florence, Venice, and Paris have experienced problems with overwhelming summer crowds.

While the rebound after the COVID shutdowns of 2020 kept people from traveling for a year or more is part of the explanation, we can use our sociological imagination to think more deeply about why certain places draw crowds.

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