Department of Sociology – University of Wisconsin-Madison – UW–Madison Skip to main content University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Sociology University of Wisconsin-Madison Search Menu About Chair’s Welcome Contact Us Make a Gift Department Committees Department Resources Honorary Visitor Request Request Changes to My Webpage or Department Site History News & Events In the News Race, Justice, and Inequality Calendar Seminars and Working Groups Annual Events Alumni Newsletter People Administrative Staff Sociology Faculty Emeritus Faculty – Both Sociology and C&E Affiliated Faculty, Department of Sociology Graduate Students Postdoctoral Fellows and Visitors Ph.D.s on the Job Market Board of Visitors Undergraduate Program Graduate Program Graduate Program For Prospective Students For Current Students Graduate Courses Syllabus Archive Student Life Diversity, Climate & Resources Placements of Recent Graduates PhD Alumni profile Research Research Overview Research Areas Seminars and Working Groups Centers and Organizations Research Resources Data Resources Publications Careers Career Resources for Undergraduates Ph.D.s on the Job Market Placements of Recent Graduates Alumni Make a Gift Board of Visitors Undergraduate Alumni Profiles Student Stories Alumni Connections Alumni Newsletter Send an Update Make a Gift The study of race, justice, and inequality is at the fore for many of our faculty and graduate students. See our research and resources on understanding and ameliorating racial inequality “Guided by the Wisconsin Idea of service to the citizens of Wisconsin and beyond, the Department of Sociology conducts world-class research on important local and global social issues and prepares students for meaningful careers and lives of engaged citizenship.” - Mission Statement of the Department of Sociology Our department is a well-knit community of faculty, staff, and students.  Under our umbrella, we pursue research that is leading many sociological subfields in new and different directions. We emphasize teaching and public service as well as research. Indeed, we draw no hard boundaries between our research, teaching, and service missions. We value and promote methodological, social, and cultural diversity. The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is committed to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality. We condemn the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha as well as the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson and many others before and since. We are adamantly against racism and bigotry in all of its forms. Resources on Race, Justice, and Inequality An Op-Ed Piece in the “New York Times” by Sociology Alumni Gianpaolo Baiocchi (Ph.D. 2001) and H. Jacob Carlson (Ph.D. 2020) In an op-ed article titled “A Fix for More Affordable Housing” in the March 4 edition of the “New York Times” Baiocchi and Carlson propose a plan to promote affordable housing during the difficult economic period in the United States caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  After a review of what happened to housing after the 2018 financial crisis they write, “We propose the creation of the Social Housing Development Authority, a federal agency that would purchase distressed real estate, ensure it is livable and environmentally sound, and finance its transfer to the so-called social housing sector, including tenant cooperatives, community land trusts, nonprofits or public housing.” The article describes their plan for obtaining property, refurbishing housing, community engagement, and policy change.  Baiocchi and Carlson argue “Crises are moments of upheaval, but they are also opportunities to look at the ways we’ve done things and ask whether we could do them differently in the future. It is time to make transformative change in a housing system that even before the pandemic was failing too many. Congress and the White House have a chance to create policies that not only help us bounce back from this crisis, but also help prevent the next one.” Gianpaolo Baiocchi is a professor and director of the Urban Democracy Lab at New York University and H. Jacob Carlson is a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University’s Population Studies and Training Center, and Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4). Click here  for a complete calendar Tweets by UWSoc News and Announcements Mike Light’s Research on Criminal Justice Reform Featured in “The Washington Post” Kelly Marie Ward Receives Award for Early Achievement in Social Science Research Doug Maynard Awarded 2021 Garfinkel-Sacks Award for Distinguished Scholarship An Op-Ed Piece in the “New York Times” by Sociology Alumni Gianpaolo Baiocchi (Ph.D. 2001) and H. Jacob Carlson (Ph.D. 2020) Michal Engelman Interviewed about Decrease in Life Expectancy in U.S. More News posts Gina Longo, Daanika Gordon, Casey Stockstill, and Katrina Quisumbing King celebrate completing their doctoral degrees in 2018. Site footer content Quick Links Home People Undergraduate Program Graduate Program Alumni Contact Us 8128 William H. Sewell Social Science Building 1180 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706-1393 Map Email: soc_communications@ssc.wisc.edu Phone: (608) 262-2921 Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: soc_communications@ssc.wisc.edu. This site was built using the UW Theme | Privacy Notice | © 2021 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.