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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: sociology

sociology stories: 7 news summaries

Racial Identity Shifts With Social Status

Who is seen as black or white can change
over time, study finds

Dec 9, 08 11:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Racial identity isn't set at birth—it's a malleable perception that changes with one's social status, a university study has found. Over 23 years, 12,700 people were asked to identify themselves and others as black or white. One-fifth switched their answers over time, often deeming people black if they... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • race • study • race relations • sociology • President Obama

Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult? 

Sociologist explores such groups and what keeps people there

Apr 10, 08 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - While much of the media is calling the polygamous group raided in Texas a “sect,” some experts say it’s better defined as a cult, LiveScience reports. One scientist points out that the word “cult” is often avoided in academia for its negative connotations. But “if... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Texas • religion • rape • child abuse • sexual abuse • polygamy • sociology • cult • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Americans Get More Liberal With Age

Long-term study
shows elders
trending left

Mar 10, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The older a person gets, the more conservative he or she is likely to be, right? Wrong, say scientists who studied more than 46,000 people who responded to a US government survey from 1972 to 2004. In fact, a lead researcher tells LiveScience, "More people are changing in... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • age • conservative • list • sociology • liberal • age discrimination • senior citizens

Police Piece Together Shooter's Trail

Kazmierczak spent
two days in motel room before shooting

Feb 16, 08 10:43 AM CST
(Newser) - Before his shooting rampage at NIU, Steven Kazmierczak spent two days in a motel, taking cold medicine and drinking Red Bull, the Chicago Tribune reports. He left behind no note, only a sealed duffel bag filled with gun ammo. Kazmierczak, who had stopped taking medication for anxiety, also sent his... More »

MORE ABOUT:
University of Illinois • school shooting • Illinois • scholar • DeKalb • sociology • Northern Illinois University • Steven Kazmierczak • criminal justice • anxiety disorder • psychiatric treatment center • guns

NEW RELEASE

Stop Picking
on Nerds!

US needs more brainiacs, even if
they are unsexy,
new book argues

Jan 1, 08 6:25 PM CST
(Newser) - Americans mock nerds ad nauseum, and psych prof David Anderegg says it's time to lay off. In his new book, Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them, Andregg breezily but thoroughly critiques a cultural prejudice that he claims dates back to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
education • parenting • Bill Gates • intelligence • psychology • sociology • Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your Phone Knows Where You Sleep

...And lots of other potentially useful things about the way we live

Dec 20, 07 12:17 PM CST
(Newser) - Your cell phone knows more than it lets on. Most can tell where they are, for starters, and how close other phones are. Since most of us tote them everywhere, our phones could track or analyze movement patterns for huge populations. “This is obviously sort of useful,” says... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cell phones • MIT • privacy • sociology • accelerometer • Sandy Pentland

Science Makes Great Strides
in Gaydar

Just walking can reveal sexual orientation,
new study shows

Sep 14, 07 2:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - The way people walk apparently broadcasts their sexual orientation, researchers have discovered.  Participants in a new study were able to correctly identify gay men based only on their gait, a sign that “gaydar” might be real. “We can pick these signals up; we can tell who’s... More »

MORE ABOUT:
homosexuality • sexual orientation • sociology • gaydar • gays

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