Gang dynamics, effective surveys, rural communities, families, environmental issues—Washington State University’s sociology department explored these societal topics and many others over the last 100 years. The department always kept an eye on the university’s mission to connect research with people and communities across the state. Fred Yoder was appointed as the first sociologist at Washington State […]
Who proposes a bill matters more to Republican men than what it says—at least when it comes to the environment, a recent study found. In an experiment with 800 adults, researchers used an article describing a hypothetical U.S. Senate bill about funding state programs to reduce water pollution to test partisan preferences, changing only the […]
Who proposes a bill matters more to Republican men than what it says — at least when it comes to the environment, a recent study found. In an experiment with 800 adults, researchers used an article describing a hypothetical U.S. Senate bill about funding state programs to reduce water pollution to test partisan preferences, changing only the […]
It’s not just chance, who is healthy and who isn’t. There are patterns, and the patterns are often far beyond an individual’s control. Finding patterns in health and wellbeing is population health scientist and William Julius Wilson Distinguished Professor Justin Denney’s specialty. But his work doesn’t stop there. He then finds explanations for those patterns […]
Home is where the research takes you. While pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology, Safiya Hafiz’s interests veered toward criminology, criminal justice, and sociology. She wanted to help people on a larger scale and explore how social problems affected large groups, like those in the justice system. “I learned about social problems in sociology courses,” […]
If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll. But in the U.S., the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself […]
After a successful pilot launch in 2023, the Seattle Experience, a faculty-led alternative spring break program hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, kicked off the first of a three-year donor-funded series this March. This year’s cohort brought together 12 undergraduate students from several majors across five WSU campuses. The students spent five days in […]
A sociologist at Washington State University will test how people at risk for lung cancer in a rural area of the state respond to AI-generated text messages encouraging them to visit a local clinic to be screened for the disease. Two versions of messages will be sent to some 200 patients, one direct and one […]
We all start somewhere. And our first jobs — no matter if you’re an ice cream scooper or an investment intern — leave lasting marks on us. First jobs teach us about ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. MPR News host Angela Davis talked with WSU sociologist Monica Kirkpatrick […]
Washington State University sociologist Anna Zamora-Kapoor is studying how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could help improve cancer survival outcomes among the Pacific Northwest’s rural Hispanic population. As one of 25 fellows in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIM-AHEAD leadership program, and in partnership with Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster, Washington, Zamora-Kapoor is using […]
