News

Methodology Resource | Statistics in the Social Sciences Reading Group

Do you want to deepen your understanding of the statistics behind the methods you use in your research?  So do we! We invite to join our Statistics in the Social Sciences Reading Group (SSSRG). This is an interdisciplinary group of faculty, post-doctoral scholars and graduate students who gather to discuss a methodological topic based on group interest. We welcome participants from all disciplines! 
 

Where We Stand and What We See | Four Views on Social Location in the Social Sciences

A full house packed the ISSR lab for the first event in ISSR’s seminar series on Social Science and Social Location. The central question of this panel was “How does where we stand affect what we see, and what we can know as scholars?” Responses came in the form of four thought-provoking expositions on the politics of creating social science that reflects non-traditional academic origins, asks questions that the mainstream is not asking, honors histories and standpoints that have traditionally been excluded from scientific discourses, and claims a vital and legitimate – if fiercely challenged – place in the scientific enterprise. 

Faculty Survey | NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant

This fall, UMass Amherst was awarded a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant to develop systemic and sustainable approaches to advance gender equity (including dynamics at the intersection of race and gender) and promote gender equity in ways that involve women and men.  In order to inform our efforts, we need to hear from you. 

No Coincidence: The Coterminous Rise of Right-Wing Populism and Superfluous Populations

On 17 October, David Snow, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine engaged a packed house at the ISSR lab. Snow lectured on the relationship between right-wing populism and the construction of superfluous populations, drawing from his recent chapter on the topic in Mackert et al’s edited volume Populism and the Crisis of Democracy (Routledge, 2018).

Are We Connecting Online? Paul DiMaggio Presents a Theory-Driven Approach to Understanding Sustained Interaction in Online Forums

How do longstanding theories of social interaction hold up when communication shifts from in-person to online interaction? And how can novel research methods, applied by collaborative teams of social scientists and computer scientists to new forms of online data, help us re-imagine the mechanisms driving social life?

Funding Opportunity | Seed Grants from the Institute of Diversity Science at UMass Amherst

Institute for Diversity Science image of patchwork quilt

The Institute of Diversity Sciences announces its faculty research funding opportunity. The institute will distribute up to $60,000 in seed project funds to teams who apply through a formal RFP mechanism. Funds will go toward supporting new collaborative projects between colleagues from different departments at UMass. Ideal projects will focus on research, involve graduate or undergraduate students in that research (i.e., include an educational component), and have an eye toward social impact.

ADVANCE Grant | ISSR Coordinates Historic Award, Largest Social Science-led Interdisciplinary Grant in UMass History

The National Science Foundation has awarded a coveted ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to support the development of an innovative professional advancement model for underrepresented faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

ISSR Scholar in the News | Elizabeth Evans on Gendered and Racial/Ethnic Inequalities in Veterans' Pain Management Therapies

A recent major shift in practice by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) now means that complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies such as meditation, yoga and acupuncture are increasingly being offered to VA patients as non-drug approaches for pain management and related conditions, says Elizabeth Evans, an epidemiology researcher in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and a member of the ISSR Scholars network at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Urgent Call for Feedback by Sept 17 | Proposed Changes to Census Data Collection

Do you use census data?  Now is your opportunity to ensure continued access to the data products that are important for your work. The American Sociological Association urges you to submit your comment on proposed changes to the U.S. Census Bureau data products. The period for submitting comments to the Federal Register ends September 17. See the ASA call for input for details on how to register your voice.

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