One of the best ways to combat legislative interventions that damage our discipline is to convince voters that sociology is valuable and that reducing its reach is damaging to students, families, local educational institutions, and local communities. To this end, we encourage sociologists to write op-eds focused on the areas of study you know and the local impact you see and can envision from this legislative encroachment. Op-eds can have a significant impact on public understanding and can amplify grassroots voices and strengthen community organizing. It is valuable to write for local, regional, and national outlets, and we encourage you to focus on impact about which local legislators care. Community voices need to be heard to create and drive narrative change.
Following is a list of helpful resources on writing and submitting op-eds:
Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks, from the OpEd Project
How to Write an Op-Ed Article, from Duke University
How to Write Op-Ed Columns, from the Columbia Climate School
How to Place an Op-Ed in Your Local Newspaper, from MoveOn
Guide to Writing an Opinion Article, from the Washington Post
Please join us on March 22 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern for a free interactive Op-Ed Writing Workshop, led by Dr. Stacy Torres, a sociologist who has cracked the code on how to write op-eds and get them published in popular media. You will learn the basics of op-ed writing, begin to draft your own piece, and receive feedback on translating your scholarly work for broader audiences. By the end of the session, you should feel more prepared to complete your op-ed and pitch it for publication. Click here to register. Following this session, participants will be invited to attend a follow-up “Op-Ed-athon” to build on the work done in the Op-Ed Workshop, with a goal of providing a network of support for people to write topic-oriented op-eds, as well as developing a collective strategy to submit op-eds to local papers across the country. The workshop will be recorded and posted here.
As you write, it might be helpful to read illustrative examples from your colleagues:
“5 reasons why immigrants aren’t bringing higher crime, as Trump claims,” by Steven E. Barkan and Michael Rocque, CNN
“AI can’t teach children to learn. What’s missing?” by Rina Bliss, The Washington Post
“Being the Main Breadwinner Didn’t Necessarily Keep Married Mums in Work During the Pandemic” by Leah Ruppanner, Caitlyn Collins, Liana Christin Landivar, and William Scarborough, The Conversation
“Beware of Dehumanizing Messages in the Media,” by Faustina M. DuCros, The Hill
“Caring, Romantic American Boys,” Amy T. Schalet, The New York Times
“Chicago is right to study whether gay-owned businesses should get contract set-asides,” by Giacomo Negro and Mahesh Somashekhar, Chicago Tribune
“CRT is not what you think it is: Why we must prevent banning diversity topics in education,” by John Broadus and Trisha Douin, Courier Journal
“Education could be transformational if politicians would get out of the way,” by Colleen E. Wynn and Elizabeth Ziff, The Fulcrum
“First They Came for the Social Scientists,” by Michael Schwalbe, Academe Magazine
“The Florida GOP’s removal of this core college course is absurd,” by Jacques Berlinerblau, MSNBC
“Here’s why sociology is worth saving in Florida,” by Afshan Jafar, The Tampa Bay Times
“History Repeats Itself in D.C., The Legacy of Racial Violence Continues,” by Faustina M. DuCros, Visible Magazine
“Home appraisals are biased. Here’s how to tackle this problem in Philly,” by Cherelle L. Parker, Gregory D. Squires, and Ira Goldstein, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Housing policy affects population health, research shows,” by Gregory Squires and Antwan Jones, The Baltimore Sun
“How to attack racial bias in home appraisals” by Gregory D. Squires and Ira Goldstein, New York Daily News
“In Indiana, the culture wars aim at Kinsey—the heart of sex research,” by Justin R. Garcia, The Washington Post
“It’s not just Harrison Butker. Benedictine College perpetuates traditional roles.” by Megan Thiele Strong, The Chicago Tribune.
“Parent and Educator’s Plea to School Administrators: Don’t Rush to Reopen,” by Faustina M. DuCros, Local News Matters—Bay Area
“Protect More Than Women’s Bodies on Campus” by Megan Thiele Strong, Ms. Magazine
“Pursuit of ‘colorblindness’ will perpetuate racial inequality” by Gregory D. Squires, The Baltimore Sun
“The Real Mommy War is Against the State” by Caitlyn Collins, The New York Times
“Removing sociology as a Florida core course demonstrates the danger of politicizing education,” by Joya Misra, Prudence Carter, and Adia Harvey Wingfield, The Tampa Bay Times
“School Is for Making Citizens,” by Heather McGhee and Victor E. Ray, The New York Times
“Should writing for the public count toward tenure?” by Amy Schalet, The Conversation
“Sociology is worth fighting for,” by Carol Petty, The Baltimore Sun
“Sociology: Practically Constitutional!” by Jerry A. Jacobs, Inside Higher Ed
“Sociology saves us all” by Megan Thiele Strong, Fulcrum
“The structural causes of homelessness need our attention” by Akram Al-Turk, the Austin American-Statesman
“This is no time to ban DEI initiatives in education; we need DEI more than ever” by Megan Thiele Strong, The Hechinger Report
“Too Many Americans Don’t Understand What Happens in Their Schools,” by Maia Bloomfield Cucchiara, The New York Times
“U.S. teens are having less sex — but stigmatizing their sexuality does more harm than good,” by Amy Schalet, NBC News
“What make sociology classes a target of political attacks?” by Sašo Venovski, Orlando Sentinel
“Why Haven’t U.S. Mothers Returned to Work? The Childcare Infrastructure They Need Is Still Missing” by Caitlyn Collins, Leah Ruppanner, and William Scarborough, The Washington Post
“Why I teach a course called ‘White Racism,’” by Ted Thornhill, The Conversation
“Why Our ‘New Normal’ Feels Anything But,” by Colleen E. Wynn and Elizabeth Ziff, Visible Magazine
If you have published a relevant op-ed, please send it to [email protected].
Our communications team is also glad to review and edit your piece and work with you to find an appropriate outlet for publication. If you are interested in writing an op-ed and would like our assistance, please email [email protected].
