Blog » Richard Sullivan

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 […]

Why Vote?

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 […]