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California's proposed billionaire tax is a one-time revenue fix that raises concerns about feasibility, taxpayer impact and broader wealth-tax policy, says Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor Cristobal Young. The measure faces growing Democratic opposition as debate intensifies over taxing extreme wealth.
Weak social ties, not close friendships, may drive polarization, Cornell College of Arts and Sciences sociologist Michael Macy finds with collaborators. Their study suggests status-driven dynamics among acquaintances reinforce social divisions as communication technologies expand social networks.
Cornell University sociologists Benjamin Cornwell, Barum Park and Cristobal Young of the College of Arts & Sciences found social connections are as unequally distributed as income, reinforcing economic advantage. Their open-access book, Friends and Fortunes: Social Capital Inequality in America, shows wealthy Americans hold larger, more influential social networks.
Cornell University’s Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures funded seven 2026 Graduate Student Research projects across multiple disciplines. The awards provide research support for emerging scholars advancing racial justice, inequality, labor, identity and social change studies.
Graduate students and alumni of Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences have benefited from Cornell University’s Graduate Teaching Fellows program, which trains future faculty through workshops, institutes and mentorship. The program marks 15 years this spring.
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences honors the winners of its 2026 teaching and advising awards. Faculty members Nicole Giannella, Karola Mészáros and Landon Schnabel stand out this year, earning major awards for excellence; many instructors and teaching assistants received recognition, as well.
Joice Chen is majoring in sociology, information science and is a Robert S. Harrison College Scholar.
Louisa Howe is majoring in sociology and English.
New sociological research shows that while many young adults are leaving organized religious institutions, they are not abandoning spirituality or belief. Instead, they're practicing their faith in more personal, values-driven ways—a phenomenon the authors call "DIY faith."
David Grazian speaks with sociologist Mabel Berezin about America's rapid decline into authoritarianism and unchecked presidential power.
Grad student Brian Haggard published an article in the journal of Society and Mental Health, examining the ways ministers serve as intermediaries between congregants and professional care.
Since graduating from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences in 2004, Rachel Krug, vice president of sales at Eyes On Eyecare, has realized that her experiences on the Hill taught her unexpected things. She writes about these lessons in a Cornellians ‘Chime In’ column.
Prof. Mabel Berezin discusses how national pride, resentment, and fear undergird the rhetoric of national populist leaders across the globe.
Washington state just passed a tax on incomes above one million dollars a year. The so-called “millionaire tax” has critics warning we’re about to see an exodus of Washington’s wealthiest residents.
To hear some Silicon Valley insiders tell it, California is on the verge of economic suicide. This November, Californians will likely vote on a ballot initiative that would levy a one-off tax on the wealth of about 200 of the state’s richest residents. Garry Tan, the CEO of the start-up incubator Y Combinator, posted on…
Faculty experts from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences analyze how Donald Trump’s AI-generated Christ image and attacks on Pope Leo have escalated Vatican tensions and drawn criticism from Catholics and evangelicals. The controversy reveals fractures linking faith, politics, and conservative Christian identity.
Lila Schwab is a senior completing a double major in Sociology and Government.
An anniversary gala will mark the Cornell Black Alumni Association’s 50th anniversary April 24-26 in Washington, D.C. Hosted by alumni of Cornell University, the event honors leading alumni and launches a $1.5 million legacy fund.
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries. At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
Sarah Mullally’s historic installation as the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury highlights rapid institutional change within Anglicanism. Cornell University sociologist Landon Schnabel emphasizes how incremental reforms built support for her swift rise.
This month’s featured titles by A&S alumni and faculty include an evolutionary look at dating, a Christian work on inner peace and a queer love story.
Consultant Meredith Oppenheim ’95 on the benefits of senior housing – and why the industry isn’t ready for the Baby Boomers.
Use of Christian apocalyptic language by commanders reflects a climate shaped from the top down, says one Cornell expert. Another adds: the belief that Christians should actively bring about the end times rests on a misreading of the Book of Revelation.
The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, campaigned on a promise to raise the city’s income tax on its richest residents from 3.9% to 5.9%. Combined with the state income tax, which is 10.9% for the top bracket, the increase would cement the city’s position as having the highest taxes on top earners in the country.
The Cornell Center for Social Sciences offers multiple grants to help Cornell faculty maximize their research impact. These awards help seed ambitious projects and provide support to teams of faculty applying to major external funding and collaboration opportunities.
"Union-backed ballot measure is aimed at raising healthcare funding, faces oppositionfrom Gov. Newsom."
Raul Armenta, a doctoral student in sociology from Los Angeles, studies the intersection of education and the criminal legal system under the guidance of Bryan Sykes.
A&S-affiliated graduate students were among nearly 60 welcomed by the Graduate School as new Dean’s Scholars at an event to honor students selected for this distinction for academic excellence, leadership, and service.
Coordinated efforts across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments "test whether American public schools belong equally to all families—or whether some families' faith gets privileged by law while others' gets diminished by the state.”
Liberals and conservatives both oppose censorship of children’s literature – unless the writing offends their own political ideology, showing how a once-bipartisan issue has become polarized.
Professor Victor Nee’s autobiography in the Annual Review of Sociology traces the accumulation of experiences involved in a research journey aimed at explanation of social behavior and institutional change.
Professor Cristobal Young contributes to the conversation in the New York Times DealBook:
Steven Brun Caldwell, associate professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, died June 9, 2025, in San Francisco, surrounded by family. He was 83.
There’s no place like home — and even when state-by-state income tax disparities make it profitable to move, high-wage earners seem to agree, according to new Cornell-led research.
The writing was on the wall for the no confidence vote says international populism expert Mabel Berezin.
Chloe Grace Hart’s research examines cultural beliefs about gender, romance, sexuality, and sexual violence in the United States. In one major stream of her research, she considers how cultural beliefs about sexual harassment create challenges for people who have experienced it. A second, emerging line of research examines how people believe romantic or sexual interest…
Best-selling writer and technology blogger Cory Doctorow will make the A.D. White Professor-at-Large program’s second dual-campus visit, ending his week at Cornell Tech in New York City. Four other professors will visit Cornell this fall.
“Reimagining the Future of Work” was the theme of this year’s American Sociological Association (ASA) Annual Meeting, which was held in Chicago, IL from August 8-12, 2025.
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
“The communities that surround Durham are still defined by the legacy of coal and labor organizing. Most families have a connection to the pits: a father, or grandfather, who went down the mines.
“Cities and states across the country are looking at ways to wring more revenue from their richest taxpayers.
"A comprehensive study conducted in the US found that millennials are turning their backs on traditional religious institutions but continuing their search for spirituality. Sociological findings suggest that young people are severing ties with religious structures that conflict with their individual values.
The newest episode of a podcast hosted by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, Startup Cornell, features Meredith Oppenheim ‘95, founder of Vitality Society and now a strategic advisor in the senior housing space.
Cornell government scholars have been tracking democracy's erosion in various regions – including the United States.
Prof. Landon Schnabel comments on the new IRS filing regarding political endorsements by religious institutions.
"The child mortality rate has increased since 2019, with firearm deaths and substance use playing major roles.
Juhwan Seo (Cornell Soc Ph.D. ’25) published a new state-of-the-field review article in the inaugural issue of Sex & Sexualities (the newest ASA journal).
“For kids like me, who grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, comics were a big deal. Our media landscape otherwise consisted mainly of books and records, commercial radio, and, in my family’s case, a small black-and-white TV with a coat hanger antenna that got four staticky channels. So we periodically raided our piggy banks…
“Since the COVID pandemic began five years ago, the U.S. has gone from being merely polarized to split into two separate and incompatible realities. Worse, according to a recently released survey, we lack a ‘common understanding of facts.’ So much for the new normal.