Gun Deaths in America

When teaching about gun violence, it is helpful to have data. It's even more helpful to have that data visualized.

fivethirtyeight put together an impressive visualization: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/gun-deaths/

In this series of images, each square represents one death.  The images will allow students to see how the gun deaths that dominate our conversations (mass shootings, violence by and against police, and terrorism) are minimal compared to suicides and homicides. The charts also show how this gun violence is connected with gender, age, and race.

Once you scroll through the data, you can explore it on your own using filters.

To compare the US to other countries, check out this data put together by the Upshot: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/upshot/compare-these-gun-death-rates-the-us-is-in-a-different-world.html?_r=0

Cash Welfare in the United States

This summer Marketplace put out a great podcast mini series on cash welfare in the United States.  Not only was the series informative, the accompanying website contained informative info graphics that would be useful in classes.

http://features.marketplace.org/yourstateonwelfare/

When you visit the site, scroll down to the bottom of the page to locate data on your own state. A sample graph is below.

 

It would be great to pair this with readings by some of the sociologists featured in the audio series, such Kathryn Edin or Tressie McMillan Cottom.

American Views on Race [interactive Graphic]

The Pew Center published results from their national survey on race relations.

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/interactives/state-of-race-in-america/

The interactive graphics are a great way to show students how divided Americans feel about these issues.  I find this is especially helpful in places where the majority of students come from similar backgrounds > it opens them up to the possibility that not everyone shares their experiences or attitudes about the topic.

The study also looks at certain questions over time which allows students to see the idea of backlash.

Power and Race [Interactive Graphic]

In response to the recent critiques about racial representation in the Oscars, The NY Times recently put together a graphic showing the "Faces of American Power".  The times include powerful people in entertainment, but also looked at leaders in other fields such as business, politics, and sports.

The result is a powerful representation of just how white our power structure is. You  may even want to point out colorism--those leaders who are included as minorities are often very light-skinned. (Think Marco Rubio or Cory Booker). And finally, wile it wasn't the focus on the analysis, this visual can also show your students just how white and MALE the power structure is.


 I often display charts showing how many CEOs or Senators are white, but I think for some students, images work better than numbers can to illustrate the depth and breadth of the issue. I hope you can use this to help students see the concept of white privilege and power. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/26/us/race-of-american-power.html?_r=0

Women and Sexual Harassment the Workplace [Video]

I'm really enjoying Samantha Bee's new TBS comedy program.   I especially appreciate the feminist viewpoint she brings to the table.

Her segment on sexual harassment in the workplace is spot on. [Sadly] But it will be a good way to break the ice on a sensitive topic before launching into questions about what really makes workplaces equal.

Birth Year & Political Views [Interactive Graphic]

Whenever an election is grabbing media attention, student interest peaks. I often talk to students about how social statuses can influence who votes and what types of choices they make.  The graphic makes a nice starting point when talking about this and can also be used in a methods class.

The NY Times produced this interactive graphic about age and voting.  It clearly shows the cohort effect as well as the tendency to grow more conservative with age.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/08/upshot/how-the-year-you-were-born-influences-your-politics.html

The current graphic is only for whites > I hope they are able to look at other groups in the future.

How close do you live to a Superfund site? [Interactive Map]

This National Geographic site allows you to view Superfund sites on a map.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/superfund/

You can type in your location and the map will zoom to the zip code and give you a sense of where the nearest Superfund sites are. You can also click on the sites for more information about them.



This map is a good starting point for talking about the Sociology of the Environment.   You can ask students to talk about how these sites came to be and about whether the responsibility to clean them up falls on citizens, business, and/or governments.

Additionally, you can use this map to start testing ideas about Environmental Racism.  Does it seem like the nicer areas have less of these sites? If so, why might that be?