Society And Culture

Widespread trust in vaccines often leads to higher vaccination rates, but vaccine shortages can deter even those with confidence in vaccines. Furthermore, while vaccine mandates can create an appearance of universal vaccination, people may remain hesitant, resulting in lower compliance than anticipated. Read More

Raheleh Filsoofi has been awarded a Tennessee Art Commission Grant for her project, “The Resonance of the Lands: Finding Identity and Place in Tennessee Through Clay, Music, and Community.” The program involves mapping and extracting clay from various locations across the city to create 25 clay instruments, taking inspiration from the traditional Middle Eastern clay darbuka. Read More

During the spring 2023 semester, students worked on The Musicians in Nashville project, along with the Data Science Team and the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville to create a user interface for survey data of Nashville musicians. The goals of the project were to understand the economic circumstances of working artists and creative entrepreneurs in Greater Nashville, considering inflation, supply chain issues, and broader economic factors. Read More

A new co-edited volume by Vanderbilt researchers is a tribute to the late Katie Geneva Cannon, who in 1974 became the first African American woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church. Cannon’s work lays the groundwork for continued discussions on moral thought among scholars today.   Read More

Women’s autonomy is a multi-dimensional concept that includes the ability to participate in economic and familial decisions, be involved in a community, and be free from actual or threatened violence. Under this definition, protests against femicide functionally demand greater women’s autonomy. This Insights report seeks to understand key predictors of support for women’s autonomy to better understand the context in which protests for greater autonomy occur. Read More

The research of New Testament scholar Richard Batey, BD'58, PhD'61, into the ancient city of Sepphoris in Galilee broadens ideas about Jesus and gives a new perspective for understanding the Gospels. Read More

Art, research, social justice, and community are the cornerstones that support the life and work of sociology Ph.D. candidate Megan Jordan, MA’19. Read More

For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Davidson County voters are concerned about affordable housing and crime, but give positive marks to Mayor John Cooper and other local leaders. Read More

Vanderbilt University legal scholar Michael P. Vandenbergh has been named a 2022 Andrew Carnegie Fellow and has been awarded $200,000 to support his research into overcoming political polarization to address the causes of climate change and the issues it is creating. Read More

Evelyn J. Patterson The effects of racism and sexism lead to higher maternal mortality rates among Black women in the U.S. than previously realized, according to new research from Associate Professor of Sociology and Law Evelyn J. Patterson at Vanderbilt University. Even after controlling… Read More

Jad Abumrad, a public radio icon, podcast pioneer and founder of Radiolab, will join Vanderbilt University to lead and advise on several areas of work, including the launch of a new podcast institute designed to become a national center of excellence for the evolving profession of digital narratives. Read More

Experts from the Vanderbilt LGBT Policy Lab a discussion about the state of research regarding LGBTQ+ rights and policy and the effects of pro- and anti- queer policies on health, education, economic outcomes and overall well-being Read More

Science’s influence on pop culture is undeniable, and the reverse is equally important. Research led by Jay Clayton, the first literature professor to ever receive funding from the NIH, shows that films portray genetic science as risky far more often than television shows. Read More

Vanderbilt Blair creates Curso Virtual de Dirección de Banda, a remote learning program for music directors in Latin America that covers instrument pedagogy, conducting techniques and other topics in band direction. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School will host the third part of a series exploring the realities of the Asian and Asian American diaspora on May 12 the with a 6 p.m. CT film screening and talkback about the documentary film "Far East Deep South." Read More

Holly McCammon, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and professor of law and sociology, shares how a partnership with the Data Science Institute shaped her research on court cases that consider women and the law. Read More

Assistant Professor of History of Art Rebecca VanDiver focuses her research on African American artists—particularly Black female artists of the 20th century. In the classroom, she presents art history not only as a discipline that allows for a study of the history of artistic movements and style, but also as a lens to study culture and history. Read More

In a new study published in "Social Psychology Quarterly," Lijun Song, associate professor of sociology in Vanderbilt University’s College of Arts and Science, examines how the theories of “social capital” and “social cost” predict an individual’s life satisfaction. Read More

A new study sheds new light on the challenges facing African American women. More than half of all African American women in the United States report having at least one family member who is incarcerated, causing higher levels of depressive symptoms and psychological distress than previously understood. Read More

The holidays can be stressful - between wrapping presents, overeating, reflecting on the past year, and shopping for presents - there is a lot to deal with. But many of these common issues can be explained (and combated) with science. Read what our Vanderbilt researchers have to say about these common holiday stressors. Read More