One fun aspect of being a social scientist is that social science is everywhere. One of my favorite ways to engage with social science in my everyday life is through music. Below are some playlists that align with my academic interests. Much like my latest manuscript or ggplot2 graph, these are always a work in progress.
Grad School Vibes
A mix of ennui, angst, and excitement for you or the grad student in your life.
Deaths of Despair
These songs capture stories and themes from Case and Deaton’s work (along with others’) on the “deaths of despair” (drug overdose, alcohol, and suicide) and decreases in life expectancy in the United States. The songs describe macro-level factors that set the stage for reasons behind the rise in these deaths as well as personal stories about the toll of these deaths on diverse communities, families, and individuals around the U.S.
Family Demography
These songs describe family formation and dissolution and capture parenting dynamics in different contexts. There are also songs that capture elements of the Second Demographic Transition (Lesthaeghe 2010) as gender roles are re-negotiated amid increased women’s participation in the labor force and higher education and how our concept of what makes a family has moved beyond marriage.
Emily E. N. Miller 