As of Jan. 1, Seattle hiked its minimum wage to $19.97 an hour for workers at larger companies like Starbucks. That’s the highest minimum wage of any major city in the U.S.
Former labor leader David Rolf, who drove the
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Alexes Harris
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Ann Frost
Visit scholar websiteNews | September 29, 2020
Applied Research Fellows develop tool to explore population changes in King County
The 2020 Population Health Applied Research Fellows concluded their 10-week program to produce small area population forecasts at the Census tract and Health Reporting Area levels by sex, race, ethnicity and five-year age groups for King County from 2020 to …
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Barbara Reskin
Visit scholar websiteNews | May 24, 2017
Black life is draining out of Seattle, census shows
South King County has long been a place where people with modest incomes could find a home. Now more people are coming, driven by high rents in Seattle. And a University of Washington School of Sociology researcher has found that …
News | January 23, 2024
Building community resilience: A $2 million NSF grant will transform disaster response
Amy Sprague
January 16, 2024
…“Our advantage of being an interdisciplinary project at the University of Washington is that we are drawing from an excellent corps of researchers with complementary expertise at a University whose mission includes working for the
News | April 14, 2020
Can Rainier Beach develop without displacing its residents?
Catch the light rail southbound, and when you erupt from the tunnel after Beacon Hill station, you see a city shifting: multicolored duplexes and mixed-use buildings. Continue, though, and development dissipates. In Rainier Beach, Seattle’s southernmost neighborhood, empty lots …
Course | JSIS A 464, SOC 464
Contemporary Society in the People’s Republic of China
Separate development of rural and urban social institutions in the People's Republic of China since 1949 from a sociological perspective. Family and marriage, social control, educational institutions. Dilemmas of contemporary China and reasons for institutional change.News | July 11, 2019
Could court fines and fees be keeping people homeless?
A new University of Washington School of Public Health study sustains a long-held argument that court-imposed fees and fines may keep the most vulnerable people ensnared in a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration.
The researchers found that, among a …
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Cristina Lacomba
Visit scholar websiteNews | December 3, 2019
Dads in prison can bring poverty, instability for families on the outside
Studies of the societal effects of prison often focus on the imprisoned: their physical and mental health, job prospects after release, their likelihood of returning to jail.
A new study from the University of Washington looks instead at families of …
News | July 7, 2016
Data Science for Social Good 2016
This summer we are thrilled to be supporting the eScience Institute’s Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) program.
Modeled after similar programs at the University of Chicago and Georgia Tech, with elements from eScience’s own Data Science Incubator, sixteen …
Course | SOC 569
Demographic Studies of Stratification
Overview of development of models of socioeconomic achievement ("status attainment" paradigm) in the field of stratification. Begins with work of Blau and Duncan. Covers elaboration of basic models to include race and ethnicity, social psychological variables, class, school and labor market effects, and other structural variables.Course | SOC 513 / CSDE 513
Demography and Ecology
Theories and research on human fertility, mortality, mobility, migration, and urbanization in social/economic context. Comparative and historical materials on Europe, the United States, and the Third World.Course | AES 361 / SOC 363
Ethnicity, Business, Unions, and Society
Interrelationships of ethnicity, business, unions, and the larger society. Examines financial and sociological structure of business and manufacturing sector, how this sector performs, and consequences of performance for selected ethnic groups in United States.News | October 5, 2016
First Livable City Year projects underway; kickoff event Oct. 6
Not even a week has passed since the start of the quarter, and already a group of University of Washington public health students is deep into discovering the cultural flavor and identity of each neighborhood in a nearby city.
The …
News | May 17, 2016
Get Out of Jail Now, Now Pay Up: Your Fines are Waiting
When you’re convicted of a crime in America, it’s not just prison time you may face—there are fines, fees, and other cash penalties, too. And when you get out, they’ll be waiting. Plus interest.
The plight of “Kathie” symbolizes everything …
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Hedwig E. Lee
Visit scholar websiteNews | December 7, 2022
Homelessness Research Initiative convenes homelessness scholars from across the UW
Last Tuesday, faculty, staff, and students from across the University of Washington met in the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health for a convening of the Homelessness Research Initiative. Led by faculty co-chairs Rachel Fyall, associate professor in …
News | March 8, 2017
Honoring Women Collaborators at Urban@UW
In honor of International Women’s Day, we are highlighting just some of UW’s brilliant female professors, scholars, and and change-makers with whom Urban@UW is proud to collaborate. Click on their names to explore their work.
Leadership:
Thaisa Way, …
News | July 7, 2022
How many homeless people are in King County? Depends who you ask
Since the data-driven Marc Dones was hired to lead the new King County Regional Homelessness Authority, one of their main priorities has been to get an accurate count of the homeless population. Now, Dones and the Authority have two different …
News | March 15, 2018
How social networks help perpetuate the ‘cycle of segregation’
Think about the last time you looked for a new apartment or house. Maybe you asked your friends or colleagues about where they lived. You thought about your route to work, or that neighborhood you always drive through on your …
Course | SOC 565 / CS&SS 565
Inequality: Current Trends and Explanations
Discussion of recent growth in economic inequality in the United States and competing explanations for these new trends through examination of labor market demographics, industrial composition and restructuring, and the broader political context that impacts policies like minimum wage, strength of unions, and foreign trade.Course | HSTCMP 249 / POL S 249 / SOC 266
Introduction to Labor Studies
Conceptual and theoretical issues in the study of labor and work. Role of labor in national and international politics. Formation of labor movements. Historical and contemporary role of labor in the modern world.Course | SOC 360
Introduction to Social Stratification
Social class and social inequality in American society. Status, power, authority, and unequal opportunity are examined in depth, using material from other societies to provide a comparative and historical perspective. Sociological origins of recurrent conflicts involving race, sex, poverty, and political ideology.Course | SOC 215
Introduction to Urban Sociology
Introduces the field of urban sociology. Focuses primarily on urban dynamics in the United States with attention to the global context in which they operate.News | June 7, 2019
It’s going to get harder to evict people in WA. Will that reduce homelessness?
As the number of homeless residents soars in King County and across the state, housing and homelessness advocates have turned their attention to eviction reform as a piece of the solution. One prominent study, from the Seattle Women’s Commission, found …
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Jelani Ince
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Judith A. Howard
Visit scholar websiteNews | February 22, 2017
Julian Agyeman: A Brief Reading List
Julian Agyeman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, will be delivering a talk at the University of Washington on February 28 at 7:30pm. Agyeman was originally trained as an ecologist and biogeographer before
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Kyle Crowder
Visit scholar websiteNews | August 14, 2018
Kyle Crowder examines renter/landlord perspective on seattle rental ordinances
In a recent interview with KOMO Radio, CSDE Affiliate and Professor of Sociology Kyle Crowder explains the results of a recent study of Seattle’s rental housing market. In that research, Crowder finds that neither renters nor landlords strongly support the …
News | August 11, 2021
New UW collaboratory to support equitable and just climate action
An interdisciplinary group of University of Washington researchers has teamed with Front and Centered to create an innovative Collaboratory to promote just and equitable climate action.
The Collaboratory aims to respond to climate change impacts with attention to equitable mitigation …
News | November 5, 2020
New UW study shows COVID-19 doesn’t spread evenly through Seattle neighborhoods
A new study published by researchers from the University of Washington and UC Irvine examines how COVID-19 spreads in different neighborhoods and it found the virus doesn’t spread evenly through a community.
The study, published in September in the Proceedings
Course | JSIS D 435 / SOC 432
Population and Modernization
Examines role of demographic factors in the process of social modernization and economic growth. The approach is both historical, focusing on populations of developed countries since 1700, and analytic, stressing the attempts made by different disciplines to model demographic relationships, with attention to less-developed regions.Course | SOC 331
Population and Society
Population growth and distribution, population composition, population theory, urbanization. Determinants and consequences of fertility and mortality trends and migration in economically developed and underdeveloped areas.News | May 5, 2020
Population Health Initiative announces award of 21 COVID-19 rapid response grants
The University of Washington Population Health Initiative announced the award of approximately $350,000 in COVID-19 rapid response grants to 21 different faculty-led teams. These teams are composed of individuals representing 10 different schools and colleges. Funding was partially matched by …
News | July 9, 2020
Racial justice is an urban issue: A curated list of resources from UW BIPOC scholars
Racial injustice is not a new issue. Segregation and discrimination on the basis of race has long been tied to the built environments across the country, from redlining and restrictive covenants in the mid-1900s, to white flight and suburbanization after …
News | February 19, 2016
Reading List for Dr. Mario Small’s Visit 2/25
In anticipation of next week’s lecture with Harvard’s Dr. Mario Luis Small we thought you might enjoy a few readings to get a feel for what exactly he is all about.
- No Two Ghettos Are Alike – This short piece
News | October 19, 2022
Recently completed Spark Grants foster research on mobile home wastewater management, and estimating unhoused populations
Over the past year, two teams of researchers from the University of Washington tackled a host of urban challenges in our region with the support of Urban@UW’s Spark Grants. In September 2021 grants of up to $20,000 were awarded …
News | December 20, 2016
Reflections on Urban Environmental Justice in a Time of Climate Change
On November 7th and 8th Urban@UW, in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group (CIG), hosted a symposium to begin transdisciplinary conversation on the multifaceted dynamics and consequences of Urban Environmental Justice in a Time of Climate Change…
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Robert Pekkanen
Visit scholar websiteNews | January 9, 2024
Seattle now has highest minimum wage of any major city in the United States
…
News | May 7, 2016
Seattle’s ‘Diverse’ Neighborhoods Are Surprisingly Segregated
Seattleites know they live in a racially segregated city.
White people live north; black people and Asians live south.
But there are a handful of neighborhoods that have become increasingly integrated in recent years – namely, Columbia City and the …
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Shannon Harper
Visit scholar websiteNews | February 1, 2024
Should social media pay for addicting kids? Seattle schools lawsuit gains steam
Reported by KUOW
Written by Sami West
A year into Seattle Public Schools’ lawsuit against social media companies, the case is gaining traction.
More than 50 school districts in Washington state — and dozens more across the country — have
Degree Program
Sociology (Major, PhD)
The Department of Sociology at the University of Washington is one of the oldest Sociology departments in the country. Our distinguished faculty is actively engaged in both research and teaching, and we aim to bring excitement about Sociology to all our interactions with students. Our undergraduate major graduates several hundred students each year, and offers…
Visit program websiteCourse | SOC 403
Sociology in Practice: Applied Community Research Program
Participation in a project-based research group for a real-world client, addressing complex and enduring problems of urban life.Course | SOC 420
Sociology of Food
Provides a historical and comparative overview of what people eat and how this relates to other types of social differentiation.News | April 10, 2021
Tents in Seattle increased by more than 50% after COVID pandemic began, survey says
Oleg Shpungin usually avoids sleeping in tents. They’re creepy, he says, when he can hear someone approaching but can’t see if they’re about to rob him — and he’s been robbed enough.
“A tent is a very dangerous life,” …
News | August 31, 2020
Terms in Seattle-area rental ads reinforce neighborhood segregation, study says
A new University of Washington study of thousands of local rental ads finds a pattern of “racialized language” that can perpetuate neighborhood segregation, using specific terms to describe apartments in different areas of town.
Terms like “convenient” and “safe and …
Course | SOC 415
The City and Neighborhood Dynamics
Focuses on a diverse set of topics including the changing social meaning of community, the effects of the urban setting on social interactions and attitudes, urban poverty, residential segregation, and the neighborhood dynamics of crime. Students have the opportunity to contribute directly to research- and policy-related projects.Course | SOC 459
The New Inequality
Examines "who gets what" in contemporary societies. Students will learn not only how income, wealth, housing, and health are unequally distributed, but how individuals or groups differ in access to "public goods" or the protection of legal rights and liberties. Examines some of the leading explanations for these inequalities, and applies these theories to specific social problems in the U.S. and around the world.Course | SOC 490
The Urban Underclass
Examines underlying issues which have led to the emergence and perpetuation of an underclass within an affluent society. Explores some of the consequences for these people and for this society. Considers policies that might be used to address problems of the urban underclass.Scholar
Tim Thomas
Visit scholar websiteNews | March 19, 2024
To report or not report ‘suspicious people’ near campus
Originally reported in The Daily by Shira Sur
It took three encounters with a person threatening bypassers near the West Campus dorms for first-year student Hannah Whitemarsh to call 911.
Whitemarsh’s call to UWPD, which was made in mid-October of …
Scholar
Tyler H. McCormick
Visit scholar websiteCourse | SOC 365
Urban Community
Comparative and analytic study of organization and activities of urban groups.News | April 3, 2024
Urban@UW announces second cycle of Research to Action Collaboratory projects
Urban@UW is excited to announce the project teams selected for the second Research to Action Collaboratory (RAC) cohort. Throughout the next 18 months, Urban@UW will work with these teams to provide seed funds, dedicate time to building team cohesion and …
Course | SOC 430/530
Urbanism and Urbanization
Human population distribution and migration patterns. Causes and consequences of world urbanization. Spatial and social patterns in the metropolis. Aggregate population movements and selectivity of migrants.News | June 3, 2022
UW Ph.D. students hold symposium on the role of technology in urban environments into the future
Originally written by Mingming Cai, Ana Costa, Kristin Potterton & Salman Rashdi.
On May 20th, students in University of Washington’s Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Urban Design and Planning and Ph.D. Program in the Built Environment hosted the …
News | December 7, 2015
UW project focuses on fines and fees that create ‘prisoners of debt’
Criminals are meant to pay their debts to society through sentencing, but a different type of court-imposed debt can tie them to the criminal justice system for life and impact their ability to move forward with their lives.
Though debtors’ …
News | April 30, 2020
Virginia takes a big step against criminalizing poverty
Virginia will no longer suspend driver’s licenses because people owe court debt, thanks to legislation that was signed into law last week.
The state has been suspending hundreds of thousands of licenses each year, disproportionately those of African Americans and …
News | December 17, 2019
What happens when black Americans leave their segregated hometowns
Where someone grows up is profoundly important for their life chances. It influences things like the schools they attend, the jobs, parks and community resources they have access to and the peers they interact with.
Because of this comprehensive influence, …
News | December 3, 2020
What happens when the eviction moratorium expires?
More than 171,000 Washington households are behind on rent, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In normal times, every one of them could be issued a notice to vacate today, and face eviction in court …
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