My co-author, Bill Swiatek, and I just published a new commentary in the latest edition of the Delaware Journal of Public Health. This edition focuses on the issue of homelessness. In our commentary, we show the ways that housing precariousness can interact with climate change impacts, including heat islands and more frequent and intense storm surges, in Delaware. We highlight the role of planning and transportation infrastructure changes to help ameliorate the negative effects of climate change on the homeless. Check it out here, starting on page 60 (no paywall!).
How I Teach
I was recently featured in the UDaily series “How I Teach.” As American Sociological Association research shows, most students that become sociology majors do so because they were inspired by their Introduction to Sociology class. I have taken great pride and joy from teaching this class for almost 20 years!
New Publication in the Delaware Journal of Public Health
In the August 2022 issue Place Matters, Bill Swiatek and I have a new article entitled “Greening, Revitalization, and Health in South Wilmington, Delaware.” From the abstract: “We highlight the potential for paradoxical impacts of green infrastructure integrated with urban redevelopment. Absent directly addressing social inequalities in parallel efforts, green infrastructure may lead to negative health outcomes of disadvantaged residents, including eventual displacement. We present the research literature and reviews on this topic. We next highlight the case of recent in-migration of higher-income Whites and others in South Wilmington, Delaware, spurred on by high-end Riverfront redevelopment at Christina Landing. This migration may obscure how greening efforts—such as a new wetlands park to control area flooding—influence health outcomes in Southbridge, a low-income, African American neighborhood also within South Wilmington. The area’s Census tract boundary, often used in both health and equity assessments, is shared by these distinctive communities. When viewed through the lens of inequality, greening can have multi-faceted impacts that structure health outcomes. We underscore the importance of the mitigation of its potentially harmful effects.”
Trigger Warnings and Teaching Sociology
Several years ago, then-UD graduate student Andrea Kelley (now PhD!) and I gave an informative talk on trigger warnings when teaching sensitive topics in sociology. It came about because I once suggested to them, and was glad that they responded the way they did (“not a good idea!”), that I could “accidentally” eat a Snickers bar into the microphone before class started to begin a discussion of misophonia.
Thinking about trigger warnings has changed some since them, and new research is detailing the complexity and nuance of them. Here are two interesting recent pieces that you should check out if you are considering trigger warnings in your class before certain topics:
“The Data Is In: Trigger Warnings Don’t Work” (paywall through The Chronicle of Higher Education)
“Beyond Trigger Warnings: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Teaching on Sexual Violence and Avoiding Institutional Betrayal” (from ASA’s Teaching Sociology)
Southbridge Neighborhood Plan
It has been a pleasure to work with Asakura Robinson, Healthy Communities Delaware, the South Wilmington Planning Network, the Southbridge Civic Association, residents, and others in the formation of the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan! The plan provides guidance and actionable items that deal with the health, economy, and housing of the Southbridge community, among other things, in the midst of tremendous development along the Riverfront. See the draft plan here, and return for the final version coming very soon!