4+ day, 10+ hour ago (522+ words) It's a discipline that blends insights from cognitive science, developmental psychology, and even sociology to examine the intricate dynamics among students, educators, and educational settings. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of educational psychology, exploring its core concepts, career paths, and the educational journey required to become a professional in this vital field. So, what is educational psychology? Simply put, it's the scientific study of human learning. The educational psychology definition focuses on how cognitive, emotional, social, and developmental factors influence the learning process throughout the lifespan, but particularly within formal educational contexts like schools and universities. The field is broad, encompassing various aspects of the learning experience. Educational psychologists delve into several key areas to build a holistic understanding of education. Key areas of study include: An educational psychology degree opens doors to a diverse range of rewarding careers…...

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (834+ words) Santa Cruz Long Term Recovery Group Executive Director Tonje Switzer (Oakes "16, sociology) was awarded the Mountain Affair"s Green Heart Award in October. UC Santa Cruz alumna and Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Long Term Recovery Group Tonje Switzer (Oakes "16, sociology) was awarded the Mountain Affair"s Green Heart Award in October, for her resilience, generosity, bravery, and community leadership following the CZU Complex Fire." "It"s such an honor to receive that award," Switzer said. "The award is specifically geared towards someone who"s made a difference in people"s lives, and it"s a deep honor to be recognized in that way." Five years ago, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through the Santa Cruz Mountains, scorching 80,000 acres and destroying 1,450 structures. One of the most devastating natural disasters in the county"s history, it left hundreds of…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (411+ words) There is beauty in an ending, the serene light at dusk. This issue is the last of our editorship, the last print edition of Contexts, and in that sense, a crescendo of conversations spanning 25 years. Along for the ride are some stylish writers. Owen Whooley draws attention to a "warrior mentality" and "masculine police culture" to explain why officers think that mental health work is not "real" police work. Even if we send officers to mental health school, the curriculum is corrupted by stereotypes and jokes that "dilute the lessons of crisis intervention training." Religion also goes back to school. In public education, "one side speaks of God, morality, liberty, and the restoration of American values, the other of democracy, pluralism, church-state separation, and value erosion." Where will this tug-of-war between "Christian nation" and "pluralist America" take us? For Caroline…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (422+ words) Let's define displacement in psychology. At its core, displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism where the mind redirects emotions or impulses from their original target, perceived as threatening or unacceptable, onto a substitute target that is perceived as safer or more accessible. The core emotion remains the same, but its expression is shifted. Displacement serves a crucial psychological purpose. It acts as a safety valve, allowing individuals to express powerful, potentially overwhelming emotions without facing the feared consequences of confronting the original source. This is a key aspect of psychology displacement. Understanding displacement examples psychology helps illustrate how this mechanism manifests in everyday life. The redirection can take many forms, often appearing irrational if the original trigger isn't known. Here are some common scenarios: Another example of displacement in psychology could involve someone who is secretly attracted to a friend's…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (868+ words) In the early 1960s, a young sociologist named Don Zimmerman arrived in Santa Barbara carrying with him the seeds of a revolution few yet recognized. Before completing his doctorate at UCLA under Harold Garfinkel " the pioneering sociologist who launched ethnomethodology " Zimmerman stepped into a discipline unsure of how best to study everyday life. Sociologists were divided about which methods mattered most, and Zimmerman simply kept looking closely at what people actually do. For Zimmerman, the foundations of social life were never abstract structures or grand theories. Social order, he taught, is an ongoing accomplishment of ordinary people acting together in real time. In classrooms filled with students eager to understand how society actually works, he cultivated the disciplined craft of noticing " how talk organizes cooperation, how paperwork sustains institutions, how gestures carry moral weight. At a moment when sociology chased sweeping…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (350+ words) The concept of the sociological imagination invites us to see how individual experiences are linked with the historical and institutional forces that shape them. By applying social theory insights, we can ask: Why does one neighborhood experience higher unemployment than another, or why do certain social networks foster upward mobility while others do not? Thus, data science becomes not just a technical skillset, but a means of deploying social theory insights in the making and measuring of society. There are several compelling reasons to integrate a sociological lens with data-driven practice: Let's think of concrete examples of how this synergy plays out: In each case, data science provides the measurement and modeling power; sociology offers interpretive depth and normative framing. When you engage in a project that tries to blend sociology with data science, it helps to pose guiding questions…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (222+ words) Fourth, the tipi image is accompanied by the words "erasures and defiance." Unfortunately, there is nothing in the image that conveys concerns about erasure or that elicits ideas about defiance. Instead, the word erasure is linked to an absence of contemporary Native Americans. The Harmful Nature of Omission and Misrepresentations Laurel R. Davis-Delano (White American) is a Professor of Sociology at Springfield College. Stephanie A. Fryberg (Tulalip Tribes) is a Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University. Both scholars research representations of Native Americans in the United States and the harmful impacts of omission and stereotyping in these representations. Leilani Sabzalian, Sarah B. Shear, and Jimmy Snyder. 2021. "Standardizing Indigenous Erasure: A TribalCrit and QuantCrit Analysis of K12 U.S. Civics and Government Standards," Theory & Research in Social Education 49(3). The authors of this study examine U.S. state standards for K-12 civics and government curricula, finding that some states erase and…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (468+ words) By Meredith McCarroll " Published on November 13, 2025 In "Economic Sociology," Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology Francesco Duina presents students with a social and philosophical question." "I ask, "How many of you like a lot of inequality?" Usually none of them raises their hands. But then I say, "How many of you would want perfect equality?" He shakes his head. "Nobody raises their hand. They"ve never thought of that." Duina brings questions like these to his classes, never revealing much about his beliefs because his focus is on helping students examine their own tendencies." "So, where are you and why? Why do you accept some degree of inequality?" he asks. Students are thus encouraged to understand or at least see their own ways of justifying the world around them, including inequalities. His most recent book has a similar aim." Using four…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (189+ words) coming soon! from the editors in brief: "A Misguided Movement Strategy?" Elena G. van Stee "Persistence of the Paranormal." Colter J. Uscola "A Giving Gap." Parker Muzzerall "Precarious Work, Fragmented Stories." Elena G. van Stee "Sleepless under Falling Stars." Colter J. Uscola "Urban Power at Street Level." Parker Muzzerall q&a: "Something Beautiful: An Interview with [] "A Misguided Movement Strategy?" Elena G. van Stee "Persistence of the Paranormal." Colter J. Uscola "A Giving Gap." Parker Muzzerall "Precarious Work, Fragmented Stories." Elena G. van Stee "Sleepless under Falling Stars." Colter J. Uscola "Urban Power at Street Level." Parker Muzzerall "Something Beautiful: An Interview with Fabio Rojas and Rashawn Ray." Amin Ghaziani "Ambassadors for Sociology: An Interview with Seth Abrutyn and Amin Ghaziani." Letta Page "Academic Publishing in Contexts." Amin Ghaziani, Seth Abrutyn, Ilene Kalish, Carsten Pedersen, Leslie K. Wang, Eric L. Schwartz, and Clayton Childress "When Police Go to Mental Health School....

2+ week, 5+ day ago (250+ words) Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward understanding this psychological event. Here are common scenarios where projection often occurs: Not all psychology projection is the same. It exists on a spectrum, from relatively harmless daily occurrences to more severe, reality-distorting forms. At the mild end, we might project a good mood onto others, assuming everyone is as happy as we are. This benign projection can even foster positive social interactions. This introspective work is not about self-blame; it is about self-reclamation. By consciously acknowledging and integrating disowned parts of ourselves, we reduce the need to project them. This is the heart of what Carl Jung called "shadow work." We look in the mind's mirror and accept the full picture of who we are, flaws included. When you are on the receiving end of someone else's projection, the key is…...