IUP Sociology Alumna Shares Peace Corps Experience in Liberia

By Stephanie Bachman Can you find Liberia on a map? Or talk about its history and how it was founded? How much do you know about the small, West African country similar in size and population to Louisiana? Honestly, before receiving the invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), I did not know…

Escape from Wuhan: IUP Alumni Daniel Wethli’s Story of Going from Fulbright Student to Quarantined Evacuee

I recount how COVID-19 (the Corona Virus) impacted me while in Wuhan. This includes my perspective of evacuating Wuhan and being under the first federal quarantine order in more than fifty years.

Prioritizing Women: A Historical Analysis

Jenna God is a student in the Robert E. Cook Honors College. The essays below is from her Freshman Honors Sociology Course focused on the organizing question “How do we understand and use the past?” ——- What is the conflict theory and how does it apply to both colonial-day women and present-day women? The New…

Scholarship Essay Competition – Minc Law Online Harassment Essay

The Minc Law Scholarship was created with the belief that everyone who wants to continue learning in college should get the chance to do so. Minc Law has created a scholarship to give college students the chance to further their education by awarding one person a $1,500 scholarship to be applied to their college tuition…

A Sociological Perspective on the School-to-Prison Pipeline

By Emily Walsh Introduction By 1917, all states in the United States of America passed laws making it a requirement for all school-age children to attend school (Education, 2018). With the passing of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, it made it a constitutional right for all students to receive the same education (Zinn, 2003). But to…

Human Trafficking: Modern Slavery

By Ginalynne DeCesare August 23rd is marked as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This date had marked the beginning of the end for the transatlantic slave trade. Unfortunately, this event did not mark the end of slavery altogether. Modern-day slavery in the 21st century is still a widespread…

The Illusion of the American Dream: How the American Dream Fails to Acknowledge Inequality

By Amber Zinno The America Dream is an ideology of sorts that is deeply rooted in American history yet still a relevant concept of today. The American Dream is a social issue because it over-emphasizes the role of the individual in their pursuit towards success without acknowledging social constraints; such as socioeconomic, racial or gender…

Why are There So Many Older Children in Foster Care?: Barriers to Adoption of Older Kids

by Madelyne Grim Department of Sociology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania When you think of a growing family, what comes to mind? A new a baby? Possibly other children, as well? Stereotypes about what a family “should” look like in our society impacts how people think about and proceed with adoptions. Prospective adoptive parents commonly believe…

IUP Hiring Student Peer Educators

IUP is hiring new Peer Educators for the upcoming academic year and our current staff identified sociology students as fantastic candidates for the position. I am asking you to pass on this information to your students in the hopes that they are interested in a paid leadership experience next year. Peer Educators aim to encourage students…

Racial Inequality in America

By Kameryn Gill The issue of inequality in America has plagued American society since as early as United States history can date back. Many American citizens have strived for equal opportunity of all races for quite some time. America is supposed to be the “land of free”, but is this statement actually truthful? Are we…

The Sociological World of Installation Art

By Tia Harne In today’s contemporary society, the concept of art and the world in which it belongs is difficult to define. What constitutes art? What is an art world? According to Howard Becker, an American sociologist revered for his studies of occupations, education and art, that which is considered art and its respective art…

AmeriCorps Job Opportunities – For IUP Seniors

Applications are currently being accepted for 20-plus positions for the 2018-2019 Lake Effect Leaders AmeriCorps VISTA cohort. Visit Website: https://lakeeffectleaders.com/ The organization is interested in recruit graduating seniors interested in a service-oriented career path? Lake Effect Leaders is a multi-county intermediary AmeriCorps VISTA Program Grant which serves as a pipeline for nonprofit leadership development. Led…