Is Our Democracy in Danger?
Can democracy survive when large segments of the population no longer have faith in it? And what happens if one of the […]
Red Pill or Blue Pill?
If only seeing the world with the sociological perspective was this easy! Click here or on the image below to watch a […]
Why Voting Matters?
Here is a “sneak peek” episode from my soon-to-be launched “After Class Podcast“. This episode is on a timely topic given it’s […]
Voting Guide: A Platform-Based Approach
In our political system, deciding who you should vote for is pretty simple: 1) read the Platform for both major political parties, […]
Sociologically Relevant Segments this week from NPR
Here are four segments this week from National Public Radio that struck me as particularly relevant to some of the topics we […]
Video Playlist: Ideology and Political Beliefs
Here are some videos I’ve compiled on the topic of political beliefs and ideology in the United States. Given our politically divided […]
Please Remain Seated
Next week four thousand ISU students wearing long gowns and funny hats will walk across a stage and receive an empty red […]
Inequality and Unions
Ever wonder why income inequality in the U.S. is so extreme? Here is one big reason why: This graphic compares the portion […]
Renewing Democracy in Trumpland
Less than an hour before it began, I posted a last-minute announcement on Facebook to alert my local friends about a rally […]
Remembering the Losses of 9/11
Today marks the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 when 2,977 Americans lost their lives. As we pause […]
Drinking the Kool-Aid
On a recent trip to the grocery store my daughter spotted a colorful Kool-Aid display, strategically placed at the eye level of […]
The Secret to Happiness…and Good Grades
A while back I was listening to the Ted Radio Hour. The guest was Harvard psychologist, Dan Gilbert, an expert on happiness. […]
What is the Purpose of a College Education?
Here is a statement lifted from the Harvard University website which beautifully captures the larger goal of a college education — and […]
Labor Dazed
On Labor Day I took my daughter to the parade. It’s an event full of meaning but for her it was mainly […]
This is How Power Works: A Primer and Illustration
The following post was written in 2014 during a controversy on our campus involving the resignation of a recently-hired University president, Timothy […]
The half-million dollar question
Here is a link to a guest column I wrote for our campus newspaper. It deals with, among other things, the way […]
Let Them Eat Peppers!
I recently had a chance to visit an old friend who moved to Scotland several years ago. He and his wife now […]
Ten Things You Should Know About College
I’m currently writing a book that examines the disconnect between popular beliefs about what a four-year college education is all about and […]
Do Guns Save Lives?
I live in a part of the country where it’s common to see billboards and bumper stickers proclaiming that: “Guns Save Lives!”. […]
Just Give Me Some Water
A story that illustrates many concepts we discuss in my class: asymmetry of power to construct social reality; irrational consumer behavior in […]
How to be a Capital “C” Citizen
Baratunde Thurston is the guest on this episode of the TED Radio Hour where he discusses what it means to “Citizen”. In […]
Are we on the Brink of Civil War?
Want to understand where we are as a society…and how we got here? Is democracy dying? Is autocracy winning? Will there be […]
State Senator Hits Back Against Fear-Mongering Republican
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow calls out her Republican colleague for a disgusting fund-raising email that targeted her. She demonstrates what we […]
Inequality By Design
This RAND study finds that the median income in the U.S. would be $42,000 higher than it is today if the income […]
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715
Ode to black lives lost
Most of us are too busy scrolling social media and binging Netflix to read poetry, but NPR’s resident poet Kwame Alexander has […]
Thoughts on Teaching in Era of Coronavirus
As I struggle to move my three courses and 400 students from face-to-face instruction to distance learning I have been thinking a […]
China, Trump and the Coronavirus
China took a lot of heat for its handling of the Coronavirus outbreak —being slow to acknowledge its existence, minimizing the risk […]
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