Volume 43 • Number 6 • September/October 2015 Meet the 2016 ASA President: Ruth Milkman Sarah Jaffe, Fellow, The Nation Institute It was Milkman’s commitment to works in the academy with a real public sociology, to making social world outlook,” says Dan Rounds, inside or Ruth Milkman, being a soci- change and calling out injustice a former student of Milkman’s at ologist is about doing F through rigorous academic UCLA who is now Deputy Director research that speaks to work that inspired Kristen of Legislation, Policy, and Research W.J. Wilson Gives Kluge the issues of the day. That 3 Schilt, now Associate at the California Workforce Lecture mindset has led her to Professor of Sociology at Investment Board. Milkman, he crisscross the country, from Wilson discussed the ways the University of Chicago. notes, encourages students to get the East Coast to California race and class influence Schilt studied under involved, an outlook that served and back again, to dig Americans’ opportunities. Milkman at the University him well in academia as well as in into historical archives to of California-Los Angeles the public policy position he now uncover the struggles of 2017 Theme and Call for (UCLA), and noted that for holds. From Milkman, he says, women workers during the Ruth Milkman 4 many people, the tension he learned that “Objectivity is not Suggestions Great Depression, to hang between wanting to change the about having no opinion, it means President Michèle Lamont out in factories with autoworkers world and wanting to be a com- that you form your opinions based has chosen the theme trying to save an industry being mitted scholar can be difficult to on solid evidence. It doesn’t mean “Culture, Inequalities, an dismantled, to follow immigrant manage, but in Milkman she had a you sit on your hands.” Social Inclusion Across the janitors as they disrupted an entire mentor who helped her find a way I have experienced this firsthand Globe.” city, and to trace the beginnings of to do both. as a journalist who covers labor the Occupy Wall Street uprising. “Ruth combines the rigor and and social movements, I have And now, it has led her to the presi- 2015 Meeting Was a high standards for critical thinking relied on Milkman repeatedly as 5 dency of the American Sociological Rocking Success that’s demanded of somebody who Great Chicago weather and Association. Continued on Page 6 lots of discussions about sexualities. Who could ask for more? Sociological Theory Welcomes New Executive Officer 9 The Importance of Hillsman to Retire in State and Regional Editor Mustafa Emirbayer Association Meetings Chad Alan Goldberg, University of Emirbayer is eminently qualified to May 2016 Don’t think of them as Wisconsin-Madison take the journal’s helm. ally T. the minor league of the he ASA journal Sociological When he was a graduate student, SHillsman discipline. TTheory, which has prospered Emirbayer recalled, “sociological has announced since 2009 under its superb theory occupied a highly that she will Socius Is Seeking outgoing editor Neil Gross, ambivalent position retire from 10 in the discipline.” But Manuscripts will remain in good hands her position now, he notes, there is as Executive Read the inaugural editorial with incoming editor greater appreciation for Officer of the and consider submitting Mustafa Emirbayer. Emirbayer is one of the theoretical inquiry and American ASA Executive Officer your research. Sally Hillsman most prominent theorists debate. Emirbayer’s own Sociological working in the discipline scholarly contributions have Association contributed in no small in May 2016. Since becoming the today. He received his PhD Mustafa Emirbayer from Harvard University part to that development. Executive Officer in 2002, she in 1989, taught at the New School In the course of his career has overseen all the activities of for Social Research from 1991 to he has shaped the sociological the Executive Office, with special 1999, and since then has been at the agenda through a series of brilliant attention to public affairs, scien- University of Wisconsin-Madison, and innovative articles in some of tific publishing, and social science From the Executive Officer .................2 where he is currently Professor of the discipline’s most prominent funding. She has championed the Science Policy .........................................3 Sociology. As a former chair of the and widely read journals, including establishment of section-sponsored the American Journal of Sociology, ASA Forum ............................................ 16 ASA Theory Section (2010-2011), a journals, including Sociology of Theory and Society, and Sociological Race and Ethnicity and Society and Announcements ................................. 17 recipient of the Lewis Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda-Setting Theory. In addition, he has edited Mental Health, as well as Contexts Obituaries .............................................. 21 (2010), and a contributor, consult- a volume on the sociological and the new open-access journal, ing editor (2004-2008), and frequent contributions of Émile Durkheim Socius: Sociological Research for a reviewer for Sociological Theory, Continued on Page 14 Continued on Page 8 footnotes • September/October 2015 To view the online version, visit <www.asanet.org/footnotes/septoct15/index.html> 1 American Sociological Association footnotes.asanet.org from the executive officer Council Approves Disciplinary Standards for High School Sociology t has been a long, sometimes sider current educational reform lished for their discipline. Many stymied the discipline’s efforts to Idifficult road for sociology that movements—namely, standards- disciplinary organizations have get the College Board to estab- began over 100 years ago when based education” (Andriot 2007). already developed and published lish an Advance Placement (AP) sociology was first taught Standards are specific standards, including (but not Sociology course. The ASA High in high schools. But at its shared learning goals; limited to) psychology, geography, School Planning Team and its August 26, 2015, meeting they are not a specific civics, economics, and history. Advisory Board were pleased in Chicago, Council curriculum. Identifying In the absence of standards for to read in ASA President-Elect unanimously approved shared learning goals for high school sociology, states have Lamont’s candidate statement National Standards for High a discipline at the secondary level been doing so in our place, typi- that she intended to “reiniti- School Sociology. is essential to developing effective cally without disciplinary experts. ate efforts to create high school The ASA standards represent and meaningful assessment of Eleven states already include Advanced Placement sociology the culmination of decades of student learning outcomes across standards for sociology within courses and support ASA staff work by sociologists and high a variety of approaches to curricu- their social studies standards in developing K-12 sociology school teachers collaborating to lum and course development by (Andriot 2007), and a 12th state, programs.” In approving the ASA advance sociology at the second- individual teachers and depart- Illinois, is currently engaged in a National Standards for High ary level. Intensive work over ments. This process can lead to process to do so. Indiana, which School Sociology, Council laid the past 18 improvements has had sociology standards for the groundwork for long sought months by in educational some time, is currently attempt- advances for our discipline, members High school teachers of practices to ing to revise them. In approving including a potential AP course. of the ASA increase learn- the ASA National Standards Hayley Lotspeich, ASA High High School sociology have expressed an ing. For this for High School Sociology, School Planning Team Director, Planning urgent need for discipline- reason, stan- Council responded directly to the and Chris Salituro, Assistant Program team dards-based expressed needs of high school Director, both high school sociol- and Advisory specific standards that have been education is teachers in our discipline while ogy teachers, came to the Hilton Board during developed by disciplinary experts. also referred also providing crucial guid- Chicago to personally present more than to as evi- ance for state departments of the proposed standards to ASA 40 meetings The teachers who have been calling dence-based education. Council. After their presenta- produced the ASA regularly for a number of years education by Third, our ongoing efforts to tion and some additional Q&A, final sections the National advance sociology at the post- Council voted unanimously to and topical asking where they can find the Science secondary level will be greatly pass the ASA National Standards areas of the high school sociology standards on Foundation. aided by a stronger presence for High School Sociology. When high school In approv- for sociology at the high school the votes were in, Kathleen standards our website have been dismayed ing the ASA level. Although sociology was Gerson, ASA Vice-President document National first taught at the high school Elect, commented, “This may to learn that there were no approved by Standards for level more than 100 years ago have been the most important Council. The standards—until now. High School (Decesare 2005), early sociologists thing we do here today.” I couldn’t goal was to Sociology, tended to be more interested in agree more. develop