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Lauren Valentino

@sociologylauren.bsky.social

Assistant Professor of Sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill. I study culture & cognition + inequality & stratification using a mix of methods. www.laurenvalentino.org

56 Posts2699 Follower 472 Folgt

Carolina Population Center @uncpopcenter.bsky.social · 6h ago

Though imperfect in practice, the study of social and behavioral sciences remain our best and most reliable hope for understanding and solving many of the defining crises of our time, says CPC Fellow Kenneth Bollen. www.whysocialscience.com/blog/2026/7/...

Because Look at the Alternatives! — Why Social Science?

Recent Gallup polling shows that Americans believe government dysfunction, skyrocketing costs of living, economic inequality, and healthcare affordability are the most critical challenges facing our n...

whysocialscience.com

UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · last wk.

Why are Americans so skeptical that social policies can work? @davebrady72.bsky.social thinks it's less about a policy's measurable success, and more about an exaggerated myth we can't stop telling ourselves. Listen here for more on the politics of poverty → bit.ly/4vPYJNS

Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist)@fisherdanar.bsky.social · last wk.

Yesterday, @asanews.bsky.social announced that, due to cuts in funding from the National Science Foundation, it will no longer run its Dissertation Research Improvement Grants. The consequences of these funding cuts to science and the future research capacity of the US will be staggering.

Big Ol’ Mush @chadstanton.blacksky.app · last wk.

“A database of more than 38,000 scholarships maintained by the National Scholarship Providers Association shows the number of grants with women-specific eligibility criteria has declined 19% since 2023,” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Schools Are Cutting Women’s Scholarships Even When They Don’t Have To

RPI, Middlebury College and Duke University are among those that have ended or altered programs aimed at supporting female students.

bloomberg.com

Leslie Root @lesja.bsky.social · 3w ago

Apropos of absolutely nothing, saw a cool paper presented at PAA this year that used the onset of Title IX as a natural experiment, showing that the increase in access to sports coincided with improvements in women's bone density

Evangeline Warren @evangelinewarren.com · 2mo ago

Obligatory nod to the paper @sociologylauren.bsky.social and I wrote on the demographic differences in how people define concepts such as racism, sexism, and classism. In short, lots of disagreement on whether intentionality, power, and equality in treatment or outcome matter.

Cultural Heterogeneity in Americans’ Definitions of Racism, Sexism, and Classism: Results from a Mixed-Methods Study

This sequential mixed-methods study examines how Americans ascribe meanings to the concepts racism, sexism, and classism. We first conduct interviews (N = 40) using a symbolic boundaries elicitation a...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nathanael 🧦 Roy@sporkredfox.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Hank Green did a video on how a lot of people have been doing this "I don't hate any race I just think they are inferior in some way, that's not racism" and, like, yes it is. And it unlocked something for me that feels really obvious about how people think about racism wrong

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last call for submissions!! 🚨

Lauren Valentino@sociologylauren.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Please send us your nominations for the ASA Decision-Making, Social Networks, and Society James Coleman Outstanding Article Award!

ASA DMSNS Section Calls for Award Nominations

DMSNS James S. Coleman Award for Outstanding Article
Deadline for Submissions: March 31, 2026

The section on Decision-Making, Social Networks, and Society invites nominations (including self-nominations) for its Outstanding Article Award of theoretical or empirical articles addressing issues of decision-making, social networks, or more broadly entering the traditions of analytical and computational sociology. Eligible articles must have been published within the past two calendar years (2024 and 2025). Both faculty and graduate students are eligible for the award, but an article may not be submitted both to the section’s Outstanding Article Award and Best Graduate Student Paper Award. Co-authors share the award equally. Nominators should be members in good standing of the American Sociological Association. Nominations, including a .pdf version of the article, should be submitted to committee chair Lauren Valentino (lauren.valentino@unc.edu) and committee members Kevin Kiley (kkiley@ncsu.edu), Austin Van Loon (vanloon@mit.edu), and Linda Zhao (lindazhao@uchicago.edu) by March 31, 2026.

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Please send us your nominations for the ASA Decision-Making, Social Networks, and Society James Coleman Outstanding Article Award!

JHSB @jofhsb.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In #NewPublication @sociologylauren.bsky.social & @evangelinewarren.com find that labeling events as discrimination is related to self-rated health, but this relationship depends on how one defines discrimination-> bit.ly/3MSBoKZ @uncchsociology.bsky.social @asamedsoc.bsky.social

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I am so excited to be part of this incredible group of incoming Russell Sage Foundation @russellsagefdn.bsky.social Visiting Scholars.

A list of the 19 incoming visiting scholars, including their headshots, names, and institutional affiliations:
Gregory Acs, Urban Institute
Omer Ali, University of Pittsburgh
Tony Cheng, Duke University
Bo Cowgill, Columbia University
Peter Hepburn, Rutgers University–Newark
Jelani Ince, University of Washington
Elizabeth Jacobs, University of Connecticut
Christine Jang-Trettien, City University of New York
Gabriela Kirk-Werner, Syracuse University
Lisa Levenstein, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Rachel Meltzer, Cornell University
Tali Mendelberg, Princeton University
Suzanne Mettler, Cornell University
Ryan Parsons, University of Mississippi
Samuel Perry, University of Oklahoma
Laurel Smith-Doerr, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Mary Ellen Stitt, Rutgers University
Lauren Valentino, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Caitlin Zaloom, New York University

Yourqueerprof @drcompton.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Two real world examples of What to do with “Other, describe:” and coding protocols. @gaylekaufman.bsky.social @sociologylauren.bsky.social

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Neal Caren @haphazardsoc.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We’re hiring! The UNC-CH Sociology Department is looking for a Teaching Assistant or Associate Professor (3–3 load) to join our faculty. Great students, great department. Application review begins 2/16. unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/312...

Teaching Assistant or Associate Professor

The Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites applications for a Teaching Assistant Professor or Teaching Associate Professor (depending on the selected candid...

unc.peopleadmin.com

Carolina Population Center @uncpopcenter.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Congrats to CPC Fellow and Assistant Professor of Sociology Lauren Valentino, who was selected for a Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year!

Neal Caren @haphazardsoc.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Carolina Sociology is hiring! • Tenure-track in computational sociology or advanced quantitative methods • Open rank in population health. unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307... unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

Assistant Professor

This Assistant Professor position will teach graduate and undergraduate courses, conduct research in the field of Sociology, participate in departmental service, and mentor graduate students.

unc.peopleadmin.com

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I'm giving a talk today to social psychologists! +1 for interdisciplinarity

UNC Psychology and Neuroscience SOCIAL ORG TALK September 29, 2025 12 pm Howell 205. "How Americans Define Racism, Sexism, and Classism." Lauren Valentino, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, UNC - Chapel Hill.

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 11mo ago

More of our recent research, this time featured on The Society Pages!

The Society Pages@thesocietypages.bsky.social · 11mo ago

How do Americans define discrimination? Research by ‪‪@evangelinewarren.com‬ & @sociologylauren.bsky.social‬ in the American Journal of Sociology shows that views on racism, sexism, & classism are complicated and filled with nuance. Read @Jordyyyn117031's latest on TSP here: 🔗 bit.ly/3HCRC8G 🔗

Contexts Magazine @contexts.org · 11mo ago

Sociology quick-take! "Defining Discrimination Changes Policy Preferences" covers new @amjsoc.bsky.social research by @sociologylauren.bsky.social & @evangelinewarren.com on Americans' racism, sexism, & classism evaluation criteria & how they change opinions on redress contexts.org/articles/def...

A screenshot of the social science website contexts.org shows a photo of a person highlighting the word "racism" in pink in a dictionary and includes the title of the article, "Defining Discrimination Changes Policy Preferences." The byline reads, "By Parker Muzzerall."

Jae Yeon Kim @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social · 12mo ago

unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/303... Tenure Track AP position at UNC's SILS. "We seek a scholar whose research examines the complex interconnections between AI technologies and social, organizational, and/or ethical systems."

Assistant Professor

The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invite applications for a tenure...

unc.peopleadmin.com

Jerad Walker @jeradwalker.bsky.social · last yr.

Due to the rescission of federal funding, North Carolina Public Radio is facing a major budget shortfall (roughly $800k). @wunc.org is the largest nonprofit newsroom in the state but also home to national programming. If you care about quality journalism, please give what you can www.wunc.org/donate

WUNC Recurring Gift - North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC

wunc.org

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · last yr.

Nice to see our recent AJS article featured in Contexts! @evangelinewarren.com

"Defining Discrimination Changes Policy Preferences" by Parker Muzzerrall.

There’s widespread consensus that racism, sexism, and classism are pervasive social problems requiring consensus and coordination to address. However, a recent study in the American Journal
of Sociology suggests that Americans understand these problems in very different terms.

Using a mixed-methods approach combining
interviews with a nationally representative survey, sociologists Lauren Valentino and Evangeline Warren discover that Americans define instances of race-, sex-, and class-based discrimination using
three interpretive criteria: the intentionality of the act, whether the act led to equal or unequal outcomes, and the balance of power between
the perpetrator and victim. Importantly, though, Americans do not weigh these criteria equally. Conservatives and men tend to emphasize intentionality and individual acts while liberals, women, and racial minorities are more likely to define discrimination based on
unequal outcomes and systemic power imbalances. Most striking, this variation in definitional criteria strongly predicts policy attitudes, much more so than socio-demographic attributes alone. Those who emphasize outcomes and power structures in their definitions are much more likely to support policies of redress, like affirmative action and anti-discrimination laws.

By shedding light on the deep cultural and cognitive divides in how Americans interpret social problems, this research offers a crucial insight: meaningful progress in addressing racism, sexism, and classism may require bridging not just political divides, but also fundamental differences in how we perceive and define discrimination.

Contexts Magazine@contexts.org · last yr.

Our latest "In Brief" summaries of new #sociology research fea. work on wildfires and out-migration, discrimination and policy preferences, structuring family lending, morals and the legal profession, aging with imagination, and more! journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10....

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · last yr.

GEM 2025 was a huge success! My two faculty colleagues in Engineering and Mathematics and I started a Duke-UNC collaboration seven years ago to promote diversity in STEM. This has been one of my favorite ways of putting my scholarly research into practice for the benefit of the local community.

A group of middle schoolers watch a demonstration of electromagnetism.

A large and diverse group of middle schoolers, college students, and faculty are seated on the steps of a university campus in the summertime.

A group of middle schoolers look on as a cardiologist explains how physicians can image the heart using technology inspired by animals like bats and dolphins.

A group of middle schoolers jump for joy in front of the Duke University chapel.

Evangeline Warren @evangelinewarren.com · last yr.

🚨New Pub Alert🚨 @sociologylauren.bsky.social and I have a new paper out in SRE today! In "Zero-sum or Coalition? A Dyadic Approach for Testing Discrimination’s Impact on Perceptions of Ethnoracial Outgroups" we use perceptions of discrimination to examine racial group relations. Here's a 🧵!

Zero-sum or Coalition? A Dyadic Approach for Testing Discrimination’s Impact on Perceptions of Ethnoracial Outgroups - Evangeline Warren, Lauren Valentino, 2025

Intergroup relations research suggests that individuals perceive racial politics through a zero-sum framework, whereas scholarship on mobilization and social mo...

doi.org

Evangeline Warren @evangelinewarren.com · last yr.

Celebrating my first post-grad day with a paper with collaborator extraordinaire @sociologylauren.bsky.social accepted for publication in Sociology of Race & Ethnicity!

Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · last yr.

Our Annual Review of Sociology article on conceptualizing and measuring structural racism is now available. Get it while studying racism is still legal. @tyson-brown.bsky.social @pahoman.bsky.social (also, lots of great articles are in this volume). www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Advancing the Scientific Study of Structural Racism: Concepts, Measures, and Methods | Annual Reviews

This review provides 10 actionable recommendations for advancing the scientific study of structural racism through theoretically grounded and empirically robust measures and methods. By offering conce...

annualreviews.org

Nicole Yadon @nyadon.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share that my new book is now available for pre-order! This book has been a labor of love for the past decade & I am grateful to a whole community of people who supported this project. Get 30% off your purchase using code UCPNEW at UChicago Press! Link: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

The Politics of Skin Tone

A nuanced examination of the salience of skin tone within African American politics. Research shows that skin tone is associated with significant differences in life experiences. On average, African A...

press.uchicago.edu

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · last yr.

What a spectacular panel at #SSS2025 🔥🔥🔥 "Perceptions and Experiences of Discrimination and Microaggression" with @malissa-a.bsky.social @amiebostic.bsky.social @jessistreib.bsky.social @tianhao.bsky.social

Five photos of the four panelists from the session giving their presentations and answering questions during the Q&A

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · last yr.

Along with @mlamont.bsky.social @pjoosse.bsky.social, I am on the Distinguished Career Award committee for the ASA Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity section. Please send nominations our way! Due March 5. More information here: www.asanet.org/communities-...

Distinguished Career Award
Deadline: March 5, 2025
Contact: Michèle Lamont, Chair

The Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity Section of the ASA is seeking nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Career Award. This award is given annually to a researcher who has made a number of significant contributions to the study of altruism, morality, and/or social solidarity over an extended period of time. It is intended to recognize a senior scholar’s cumulative achievements. Nominations should include a brief description of the career contributions that make the candidate deserving of the award. Self-nominations are welcome. Please also see previous winners of the award for reference here.

Please send nominations, with the subject line AMSS 2025 Distinguished Career Award Nomination, by March 5, 2025 to the Committee Members:

Michèle Lamont: mlamont@wjh.harvard.edu
Lauren Valentino: lauren.valentino@unc.edu
Paul Joosse: pjoosse@hku.hk

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to share my new paper, just out in Sociological Methodology! "What to Do with 'Other, Describe" journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

What to Do with “Other, Describe” - Jaclyn S. Wong, Lauren Valentino, Christina Pao, Katie Donnelly Moran, D’Lane Compton, Gayle Kaufman, 2024

Measuring social categories and phenomena in survey questionnaires is complicated in a dynamic and diverse society. The use of “other, describe”–style open-ende...

journals.sagepub.com

Lauren Valentino @sociologylauren.bsky.social · 2y ago

My engineering colleague, Sophia Santillan, and I were recently given the opportunity to share our work on causes and interventions addressing the gender gap in STEM to an incredible group of women from around the world who are part of the US State Dept's International Visitor Leadership Program.