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 GenderLeave a 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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Tell Me Lies: Power, Privilege, and What Goes Unsaid

On April 6, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Class and Stratification, Monica Radu, Popular Culture and Consumption, Race and Ethnicity, Theory1 Comment

By Monica Radu

I have been waiting years to write this. Tell Me Lies has wrapped after three seasons; For those unfamiliar, the TV series follows a group of college students as they navigate relationships, friendships, and identity over several years, with a central focus on Lucy and Stephen’s complicated and increasingly destructive relationship.

The main timeline begins in 2007, when Lucy starts college, and unfolds through her college years, while a flash forward to 2015 shows how those earlier dynamics continue to affect their lives into adulthood. When people talk about Tell Me Lies, the conversation usually centers on how “toxic” the relationships are. And they are. The lies, the manipulation, the emotional push and pull, the way certain dynamics keep repeating even when they clearly are not healthy. It is hard to miss.

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The Collective Effervescence of a Marathon

On March 13, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Karen Sternheimer, Popular Culture and Consumption, TheoryLeave a comment

By Karen Sternheimer

If you want to see the best humanity has to offer, run a marathon.

Emile Durkheim, one of sociology’s founders, coined the phrase “collective effervescence” in his 1912 book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life to describe coming together to experience something outside of everyday life. These experiences take on a religious-like fervor, with rituals that heighten a community’s cohesion.

Durkheim probably wasn’t thinking about marathons when he wrote about collective effervescence. The revival of the classic Greek 26.2-mile race had just recently happened in 1896, a few years before Durkheim’s book was published. Based on my first marathon experience, it fits Durkheim’s concept very well.

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Not Always Relatable, But Still Meaningful: A Sociological Take on the Kardashians

On February 11, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Class and Stratification, Monica Radu, Popular Culture and Consumption1 Comment

By Monica Radu

Whenever the Kardashians come up in conversation, a common reaction is that they are not “relatable.” While that is true, relatability is not necessarily the goal. Much of everyday life already reflects familiar struggles, including balancing work, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and exhaustion. Those experiences are well known and widely shared.

For anyone less familiar, The Kardashians follows the Kardashian-Jenner family, a group of celebrities and business owners whose fame began with reality television and expanded into fashion, beauty, social media, and brand entrepreneurship. Their lives are highly visible, carefully curated, and shaped by extraordinary economic privilege and public attention.

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Using Sociology to Imagine Alternative Paths: Abbi and Nathan in Liberty Lost

On February 2, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Class and Stratification, Marci Cottingham, Popular Culture and Consumption, Relationships, Marriage and Family, ReligionLeave a comment

By Alana Hogan, Student, Kenyon College, and Marci Cottingham, Associate Professor of Sociology, Kenyon College

The podcast, Liberty Lost, centers on the story of Abbi and Nathan—two teenagers whose lives are deeply shaped by the religious conservatism of their community. Abbi is home-schooled and close to her sisters and parents in a home run by her father as the traditional patriarch. Nathan is a public-school athlete raised in the same tight-knit community, where faith, reputation, and obedience are treated as non-negotiable. When she discovers that she is pregnant at sixteen, this triggers a chain of decisions that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Abbi and Nathan, surrounded by well-meaning but fearful family members, and experiencing feelings of shame for violating their religious beliefs, do not know how to navigate their new circumstances. Abbi’s parents, motivated by a desire to fulfill their duties to God and community, decide to send her to the Godparent Home.

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A Year of Living Minimally

On January 16, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Karen Sternheimer, Popular Culture and Consumption2 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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