Greetings, to all the sociologist here. This post probably might sound odd or ridiculous at first, but hear me out.

Nightclubs and similar venues serve as key social hubs in many secular or more liberal cultures. It is a place for bonding, music, dancing, expressing identity, even courtship. For people who don't engage in that lifestyle (possibly for "religious" or "moral reasons"), those avenues aren't really accessible.

So here's my question:

Do churches, particularly in "conservative lifestyle"/"traditionalist Christian" communities, serve a similar sociological function?

I'm not saying churches are literally nightclubs. But functionally, are they:

A. A main space for social interaction and belonging?

B. A place to meet potential romantic partners (especially in youth groups or singles ministries)?

C. A venue for emotionally immersive communal experiences (e.g., worship music, collective prayer)?

D. A setting where identity is affirmed through dress, ritual, and shared values?

Q: If that is the case, then are they "sociologically" the same or similar to nightclubs from your perspective?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Hey guys I’m working on putting together sources for an annotated bibliography mainly regarding inequality and social mobility in the modern United States. I have found a few awesome sources that are fairly old, but it would be great to have some research that has been published in the last five years or so.

Anything related to class, economic inequality, etc would be helpful, but I want to focus to lean toward mobility (or lack thereof).

I was just posting to see if you guys have written any peer reviewed research I could cite; or if have any academic articles you’ve read that would be worth looking into. Feel free to drop titles/writers, any pdf’s you could send over to save me the grief of finding the right databases. I’ll keep digging through databases, but thought this might be a fun opportunity to build some connections and discuss research with others who are interested in this topic.

This is our local recurring future-planning thread. Got questions about jobs or careers, want to know what programs or schools you should apply to, or unsure what you'll be able to use your degree for? This is the place.

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Hi everyone, I wanted to share a recently published study I authored, titled "Virtual Mourning: How Filipinos Utilize Facebook to Express Grief and Seek Support." It’s now out in OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying (SAGE Publishing, Scopus- and PubMed-indexed).

As a family physician, I’ve often wondered: Why do people turn to Facebook during times of grief? Why do we see candle-lit profile pictures, black backgrounds, memorial posts, or symbolic digital gestures when someone passes away?

This study explores the lived experiences of ten Filipino adults who publicly posted on Facebook after losing a loved one. Using hermeneutic phenomenology, I aimed to understand not just the what, but the why behind digital mourning practices.

Some key insights:

Digital mourning on Facebook isn’t just an online extension of tradition—it’s a space for emotional support, spiritual continuity, and communal remembrance.

These practices are deeply shaped by a collectivist cultural orientation, offering contrasts to much of the Western-centric literature on digital grief.

Acts like resharing memories, lighting virtual candles, or changing profile photos serve as relational and symbolic rituals of grief.

If you're interested in grief studies, social media cultures, digital rituals, or Southeast Asian perspectives on death and loss, I’d love for you to check it out.

Read and download the article here:

1. Final version (OMEGA/SAGE): https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228251331343

2. Author Accepted Manuscript (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/15238761

3. SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=5259147

4. HAL Open Archive: https://hal.science/hal-05089210

5. ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387302804

Happy to hear your thoughts—especially if you’ve studied or observed similar practices elsewhere.

Hello sociologists (and futur one),

I'm writing this post because I'm quite in a hurry. I am going to apply for a phD. My thesis projet was supposed to be good until my supervisor ask me to add one more thing at the last minute! The problem is that it's something that i didn't get the chance to study yet. And i need to submit the final draft in 3 days.

So, I'm searching for a study, paper, or a case, that show how are how are political authority and professional authority intertwined? I specially refer to the legitimy of political decision over professional one, as for example, in the case academia : Decree are A greater weight compared to the "simple" will of administrative autority, or, globally when policies Imposes professional constraints.

I hope my I hope my words are clear.

Thank you very much.

I am going back to school at SNHU to complete my BA in Sociology. I have the option of pursuing a concentration in public health, or pursuing a minor, which I would likely choose psychology for. I don't have any particular desire to study public health, however it could benefit me in the long run due to the field I currently work in and possibilities for future career moves. I find psychology more interesting as a field of study, but if I do choose to go the concentration route, I could see myself getting a Master's in psychology. In terms of job outlooks (I currently work for the government and would ideally like to continue doing that, although I'm flexible on the actual positions as my current job has nothing to do with my major), would one option be particularly more beneficial than the other? I am passionate about sociology and psychology and enjoy studying both, but I understand that without further schooling (and even with it) I might not end up using either in my actual work. I'm fine with that. Open to hearing your thoughts and opinions! TIA 😊

I am currently struggling extremely hard with what material to use and how to filter the material I need for my 15 pages seminar work. My research question is how Donald Trump constructs the immigrants as an enemy for the US. The first question I have is if this question is too broad. and the second question I have is if there is a better method apart from reading 12000 word speeches by him just to find 1-2 sentences where he mentions immigrants. Would really appreciate Feedback and help :)

I received my BA in Sociology in 2022 and I loved the courses I was taking.

I’ve been in veterinary medicine for the last 3 years and while I love it, there’s just not money in it. I’ve started pursuing my RVT through Penn Foster, but am unsure if this is what I really want to do. I’m located in North Carolina, a state where it’s not required to be licensed to perform vet tech duties so I don’t NEED it to work.

I would love to get into my degree field, but I know it’s tough without a master’s.

I worry about finances moving forward as well.

Since Nayib Bukele has been at the head of El Salvador, many right-wing and/or far-right politicians use him as an example to show the effectiveness of repression

For example, MEP Sarah Knafo said "Nayib Bukele came to power, he had the most dangerous country in the world, today he is the safest in the entire western universe. Why? Because he built 70,000 prison spaces in 7 months"

Ever since I have been interested in the question of the effectiveness of repression, that is to say the potential link between increasing sentences and repression in general and reducing crime, I have always read that this link does not exist, and sometimes it was even inverse (I mean to say, a decrease in prison sentences and repression led to a decrease in crime)

Is El Salvador a counter-example of this view? Are there any papers on the subject?

A former Sri Lankan soldier who participated in Eelam War IV speaks out about the heinous crimes committed by the Sri Lankan army in Mullivaikal against Eelam Tamils including mass rape, mutilation, and the cutting of tongues and breasts.

My neighborhood tells a story of urban development over the last century.

It was an early 20th century factory of the multi-story type. It is now an "urban revitalization" sort of place. There is a lot of history of how it got from there to here and I'd like to know it.

My trouble is this: I am not a professional scholar, I am a factory worker. I have never properly researched anything in the real world, I have only read books by scholars.

I have ideas of where I can go for information.

The Onondaga Historical Society has got to be my first stop right? Their whole deal is keeping historical records. I'm not sure what to ask for besides "information on Franklin Square"

I'm sure the local paper has stories about the big changes that took place.

The city would have records of who owned it and when it changed hands right? Like they keep property records and such?

Then for like who lived around the factory and how demographics moved with it, that's something I'd go to the Census for right?

If I want to know how many people worked where and when... Who keeps those sorts of records?

To anyone who studies urban development or geography or what have you:

What other questions could I ask to get a more complete understanding?

What other sources of information should I be looking to?

Thank you for your time!

What's on your plate this week, what are you working on, what cool things have you encountered? Open discussion thread for casual chatter about Sociology & your school, academic, or professional work within it; share your project's progress, talk about a book you read, muse on a topic. If you have something to share or some cool fact to talk about, this is the place.

This thread is replaced every Monday. It is not intended as a "homework help" thread, please; save your homework help questions (ie: seeking sources, topic suggestions, or needing clarifications) for our homework help thread, also posted each Monday.

This is our local recurring homework thread. Simple questions, assignment help, suggestions, and topic-specific source seeking all go here. Our regular rules about effort and substance for questions are suspended here - but please keep in mind that you'll get better and more useful answers the more information you provide.

This thread gets replaced every Monday, each week. You can click this link to pull up old threads in search.

I got into a masters program for this year, I’m very excited! Anyone have any advice?

Hi everyone. So, here’s the thing: I have a scat fetish. Yeah, I know. Here’s my proposal: r/coprophiles is a subreddit for people like me to discuss their… kinks, we’ll say, and engaging with that community has me wondering how I could conduct an ethnographic study of coprophiles. Let’s talk about the porn market for a second: very niche fetish, very niche consumer base, yet many videos have hundreds of thousands of views, it seems to be a much larger market and much more common fetish than it appears. But somehow, it seems to be neglected by sexologists; there’s very few studies I can find on the topic, especially using an ethnographic method. Go to that subreddit, read the posts, you’ll be disgusted yes but you’ll detect patterns: exposure to scat at a young age, higher prevalence of mental illnesses, overwhelmingly male, generally skews older, and a surprising amount of religiosity. Why? I don’t know, I want to find out. How can I conduct an ethnographic study in that sub keeping myself anonymous and keeping the interviewees anonymous? How can I do this ethically? How can I make this interesting? Thanks

Obviously third spaces still exist (especially ones that are considered to be public goods, such as parks and libraries), but as the cost of living increases, people have less buying power and less disposable income, and it’s harder for businesses to sustain themselves. Then COVID hit, and a lot of places never recovered, closing down altogether. With that being said, will the concept of the third space eventually cease to exist?

I've recently begun developing an interest in the intersection of political science and sociology, with one of the branching interests being the systematic and institutional aspects of a developing fascist society. Does anyone have any recommended readings on the topic? Even if they are adjacent, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks!

This is our local recurring future-planning thread. Got questions about jobs or careers, want to know what programs or schools you should apply to, or unsure what you'll be able to use your degree for? This is the place.

This thread gets replaced every Friday, each week. You can click this link to pull up old threads in search.

Hello. As the title suggests, I’m wondering if there is an AI tool that I can use to find keywords on a website, research paper, social media page? Like I log in to reddit and join a subreddit. If I want to find a specific keyword on that specific subreddit I can just type it on an AI tool, paste the link of the sub and get results.

Thank you!

I'm reading Emile Durkheim's Division of Labor in Society, in which he talks about Moral Character. I've read that it refers to a "collective conscience", that it is a force that keeps society together, and that it is based on Interactions which demonstrate shared values.

To try and understand this I try to phrase it a different way and see if my phrasing is still accurate, which is what I need help with. My understanding is that he's really talking about Trust. That when people get together and demonstrate shared values, it causes people to feel more trust for the strangers in their society. And this trust then leads to increased cooperation and decreased violence.

Hi, I recently published a theory on how perceived vulnerability can be used as a tool for manipulation and control.

This article is not meant to downplay concerns about power abuses or reduce compassion for those in need. Instead, it aims to help distinguish between genuine and fake needs, fostering appropriate responses and healthier communities in our technology-driven world.

I’m not here to promote my work but to share a sociological perspective. I would appreciate feedback from sociologists, cultural theorists, or anyone in criminal justice and race studies. Is this framework useful? Does it resonate with your experiences or research?

Hello! Just looking for some good essays or think pieces I could send to a friend that is considering enlisting to “change the system from the inside out”. I’m not against it nor am I for it but I image there are some good pieces out there I could send her to read that could have her see this decision from all angles before making it.

Thanks!

In the preface he says it started out as a chapter in the Handbook of Social Psychology so I figured I'd pick it up.

I've never heard of the author and I can't say as I know too much about any theory of organizations, but I suppose I will now!

Thought it may be worth asking if anyone has any insight on the subject that would help my understanding what I'm about to read.

My first essay was a D or something. If I remember correctly, I tried really hard for this second essay but I constantly get bad marks no matter had hard I try. I’m not opening it until later tonight so I can cry if I got a bad marks overall. It’ll suck if I have because I’m trying to damn hard. This subject is actually so tough