Eastern Sociological Society

2018 Annual Meeting

Call for Papers

Class and Culture:

Cultural mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance and disruption of social inequality

A Mini-conference at the Eastern Sociological Society’s Annual Meeting

Baltimore, MD:  February 22-25, 2018

Mini-conference dates:  February 23-24, 2018

Co-organizers: Annette Lareau, University of Pennsylvania and Elliot Weininger, SUNY Brockport

For this ESS mini-conference, we are inviting the submission of papers which interrogate the ways in which class-based cultural practices, broadly conceived, matter in the transmission of inequality and the facilitation of social mobility. Contributions might, for example, highlight the ways in which social class shapes the level of cultural knowledge and skills individuals have and the ways in which these impact how individuals navigate institutions. Or, participants might focus on the ways that class-based cultural practices impact how individuals negotiate personal relationships, interact with institutional gatekeepers, or manage key turning points in their lives. Other topics related to the theme are also welcome.

The mini-conference will of the Eastern Sociological Society annual meetings in the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD. It will begin, however, at noon on Friday February 23^rd and end on Saturday at 5:00 p.m on February 24^th.  Interested participants should submit a long abstract of the proposed paper to ESS on the normal website submission, detailing research question, data source, and provisional findings (if available). (Use keywords “miniconference: Class and Culture”).In addition to submitting the abstract to ESS, please also send copies directly to Annette Lareau, University of Pennsylvania (alareau@sas.upenn.edu), and Elliot B. Weininger (eweining@brockport.edu), SUNY College at Brockport. The deadline for abstracts is October 15^, 2017._

The conference organizers are also arranging an informal dinner at a local restaurant on Friday evening, February 23^rd around 7:30 p.m.  Every effort will be made to limit expenses, but, due to funding constraints, participants who wish to attend the dinner will need to cover the cost of their own food and drink.  Participation in the dinner is not a requirement of attending the conference; it is simply an opportunity to continue the conversation. Conference attendees will need to register for the Eastern Sociological Society annual meeting. For additional details see www.essnet.org

Any questions should be directed to Annette Lareau and/or Elliot Weininger.

Please plan to join us for a lively conversation on class and culture in Baltimore.

The Dissertation Fellowship is designed to provide doctoral candidates at UMBC an opportunity to devote the necessary concentration and attention towards finishing the writing of their dissertations.  The Fellowship is specifically designed for students with full-time jobs off-campus, for those without any financial support who are making steady progress with their writing, and for whom having additional time and resources would permit them to complete the process more expeditiously.  

• be in good academic standing;
• provide a letter of support from the Chair of the Dissertation Committee that

• provide, if employed outside the university, written evidence from the student’s employer indicating the employer’s willingness to reduce job time and duties in order for the student to participate in the Fellowship;
• submit a dissertation abstract of no more than two pages in length; and
• submit a 1-2 page management plan signed by the Chair of the Dissertation Committee describing the status of the dissertation work, the steps required to complete the work, and the feasible time line for completion.
• Identify, if a prior recipient of a Dissertation Fellowship, the prior term (e.g., Spring 2017) in which the Fellowship was received.

Gun Show
September 4 – October 14
Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture

An Opening Reception with the Artist will be held on Thursday, September 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents Gun Show, an exhibition of more than 100 life-size replicas of assault rifles created by artist David Hess from “rescued” objects. The exhibition is curated by Kathy O’Dell, Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Special Assistant to the Dean for Education and Arts partnerships.

David Hess started assembling life-size sculptures of assault rifles from what he calls “rescued” objects — ranging from an old black sneaker and vintage turquoise sewing machine, to a raggedy crutch and pink Barbie bike frame — decades ago, increasing his pace of production following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012. While he has shown some of the works since 2015, Gun Show at UMBC is the first presentation of all 112 sculptures. Hess aims for this project to foster dialogue about one of the most volatile issues of our time – guns, who should or should not own them, whether or not to legislate them, ramifications of their use or misuse, and how issues of race, class, gender identity, and age impact every aspect of these questions.

Artist David Hess harvests contrasting forms and materials to create a collision between the man-made and natural worlds. Hess refers to these artifacts as “rescued objects,” suggesting that these materials are loaded with history and cultural narrative – making them not only worthy of salvage, but of incorporation and preservation. At Dartmouth College, Hess studied with realist wood sculptor Fumio Yoshimura, whose precision and humor had a profound impact. Concentrated studies at Dartmouth in pre-med, engineering, Japanese design and filmmaking continue to inform his current studio practice. From these he draws upon methods of observation, object making and constructing narrative in his creation of commissioned furniture, sculpture, architectural elements and public art projects.

Enroll in POLI 409: American Conservatism from Goldwater to Trump

Wednesdays, 4:30-7:30; Public Policy Building 354

Dr. Thomas Schaller

Course Overview: POLI 409 is a special topics course focusing on modern American conservatism from the Goldwater era to today. The course will examine conservatism—and, where so often applicable, its relationship with the Republican Party—as a movement: its philosophical premises, arguments and ideas; its leaders, coalitions and movements; its electoral, policy, political and media strategies, tactics and narratives; and, more generally, its successes and failures.