Department of Sociology

While there may be nothing better than cuddling with your pet, should you sleep with your dog in the bed? Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

“National crises, from wars to depressions, have nearly always required big deficit spending. But in many countries, including the United States, for the last half-century public debt didn’t get paid down during times of peace and prosperity. Economists and politicians argue about whether this leads to higher inflation, interest rates or capital flight. That debate ignores a truly dangerous consequence of high public debt: It undermines trust in government,” writes Edgar Kiser, professor emeritus of sociology at the UW, about the growth in public debt due to COVID-19 spending.

“The current system of [legal] fines and fees has created an albatross around the necks of the state’s lowest income residents,” writes columnist Naomi Ishisaka. UW sociology professor Alexes Harris is quoted.

Take a look back at the last year of the UW's research of and adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In practice, monetary sanctions have emerged as a ‘predatory’ punishment imposed by the criminal legal system with a varied set of penological aims to punish, generate local and state revenue, and expand social control,” writes UW sociology Professor Alexes Harris.

Professor of Sociology Robert Crutchfield, a nationally renowned criminologist, is mentioned in this podcast on defunding Seattle's police.

Robert Crutchfield, an emeritus professor of sociology and co-author of a new study has found that Black youth who have police contact at a young age may be more likely to have more contacts with police later in life.

In honor of MLK Day, the UW asked Black students, staff, and faculty to respond to the prompt, “What does MLK Day mean to you in 2021?”

School of Art + Art History + Design teaching professor Timea Tihanyi and Victoria Aukland, a senior majoring in sociology and dance explain how art can be beneficial in the cold winter months.

Activist and educator Jesse Hagopian and several other Black Washingtonians who witnessed the day’s events through computer or TV screens described frustration, hurt and anger at the contrast in police response to a mob overtaking the Capitol compared to their own and other Black Americans’ experiences with police. Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

Tinder, Grindr and other dating apps have a reputation for encouraging casual hookups, but a new study suggests app users may be looking for — and finding — love in all the right places after all. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is quoted.

College of Arts & Sciences Dean Stacey explains that there is an important civic, political, social, and cultural element to an education and that you can get that in a wide variety of majors.

Department of Statistics faculty are featured in this article about their COVID-19 research.

Through hours of Zoom meetings, University of Washington vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor found himself nervously folding paper off screen. As he helped the university make high-stakes decisions about its pandemic future, his fingers kept busy shaping origami cranes. Taylor's collection of about 300 cranes tells the story of how he coped with this year, and they will constitute his entry to a virtual time capsule, the culmination of a class he led called "2020: The Course." Taylor; Kate Starbird, UW associate professor of human centered design and engineering; Theodore Myhre, UW assistant teaching professor of law; and Iisaaksiichaa Ross Braine, the UW’s tribal liaison, are quoted. Hilary Godwin, dean of the UW School of Public Health; Dr. Benjamin Danielson, UW clinical professor of pediatrics; Robert Stacey, dean of the UW College of Arts and Sciences; Alexes Harris, UW professor of sociology; Carolyn West, professor of social, behavioral and human sciences at UW Tacoma; and Megan Ming Francis, UW associate professor of political science, are mentioned.

UW researchers found a run-in with police is much more devastating for Black children than it is for white kids. Annie McGlynn-Wright, who did the research while pursuing her doctorate in sociology at the UW, is interviewed.