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George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) hosted a two-day working symposium: Leaving and Belonging: Making an Impact on Immigration and Displacement through Arts, Culture, and Storytelling.

The Urban Research Hub conducted its second photo contest, providing participants a chance to showcase photos of urban spaces. Participants submitted photos reflecting “Urban Contestations.” The winning photos are featured on the CSSR website and in the associated article.

Amy Best, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Social Science Research is quoted in Slate about prom traditions and youth culture. “Prom is a creative space, but it’s also a place of ritual. … We’re in this moment where there’s both a longing for shared experience in collective life, and also a moment where there’s a high premium on personalization. You write your own wedding vows. Everyone is self-scripting. And I do think irony is a long-held resource for young people. Some arrive at that pose with a degree of seriousness. For others, it’s out of parody.”

SOAN graduate students, faculty, and alumni are at it again! Nearly 20 GMU students and recent alumni attended, and 14 presented, at one of these two conferences, which were scheduled back-to-back in Los Angeles, California this March 2024.

This year, George Mason University’s Sociology and Anthropology Department hosted a table in the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference bookroom to spread the word about the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and our Bioarchaeology program.

The Spring 2024 cohort of Next System Fellows is now open for applications, offering a unique path to realizing your ambitions. Creating a new world system is our ultimate goal and the focus of our research.

Fellows from the Youth Research Council (YRC) presented on a paper panel at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) in February of 2023 in Baltimore, MD! YRC's paper, titled "Youth Research Councils: youth-led research and social change", authored by the YRC leadership team, was part of the paper session "Coming of Age: Racism and Young People."

Youth Research Council fellows attended the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). There, fellows presented a poster detailing the research project YRC has been conducting for the last two years, which asked the research questions: 1. What are the mental health effects of racial and ethnic microagggressions on high school students in Northern Virginia? and 2. How do high school students respond to and resist racial and ethnic microaggressions in school contexts?

In November 2022, the Urban Research Hub conducted its first ever photo contest, providing participants a chance to showcase photos of urban spaces near them. Participants submitted photos reflecting urban spaces that were either underused and in need of being revitalized or that had been revitalized and had benefited the community. Entries were judged by members of the Urban Research Hub and prizes distributed among 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The winning photos are posted below and can also be found on display at the Center for Social Science Research located in Research Hall, Suite 450-463.

The CSSR Urban Research Hub invites you to showcase your photo of an urban space near you and how it has impacted your neighborhood.