News
New and First Penn Global Seminar for Sociology Department: Dr. Iliana Kohler's new course, "Global Aging—Challenges and Opportunities" - Travel to Malawi, coming in Spring 2025!
Letícia Marteleto, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Sociology, was interviewed by Penn Today regarding her research as a Principle Investigator for Decode Zika and Covid (DZC) and her recent publications surrounding her research
Information on Penn's Environmental Innovation Initiatives Course Inventory for Registration
Pilar Gonalons-Pons, Associate Professor of Sociology, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) in Sociology grant for her project on, "The Care Work System as a Fundamental Cause of Economic Inequalities"
Elena van Stee, PhD candidate in Sociology, new co-host of Podcast: Moral Matters
W.E.B. Du Bois, Erving Goffman, Dorothy Swaine Thomas, and E. Digby Baltzell all broke new sociological ground while working at the University of Pennsylvania. As one of the oldest departments of sociology in the country, Penn Sociology continues its tradition of excellence with twenty-plus award-winning, distinguished faculty recognized for their scholarly achievements and leadership in the field.
Faculty Bookshelf
On the Make
The Hustle of Urban Nightlife
David Grazian’s riveting tour of downtown Philadelphia and its newly bustling nightlife scene reveals the city as an urban playground where everyone dabbles in games of chance and perpetrates elaborate cons.
The Red Guard Generation and Political Activism in China
Develops a performance theory of Red Guard factional violence and traces the ritual process of the transformation of a political generation over a period of forty years.
Mix It Up
Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society
A twenty-first century introduction to sociological thinking on pop culture, the media, and society.
The Wuhan Lockdown
Presenting the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people in their own voices, The Wuhan Lockdown is an unparalleled account of the first moments of the crisis that would define the age.
Fast Food, Fast Talk
Service Work and the Routinization of Everyday Life
Leidner's fascinating report from the frontlines of two major American corporations uncovers the methods and consequences of regulating workers' language, looks, attitudes, ideas, and demeanor.
American Zoo
A Sociological Safari
David Grazian takes us on a safari through the contemporary zoo, alive with its many contradictions and strange wonders.