Snakegrrl Sociology

In the first part, Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson talks about the process of applying for a full-time academic teaching job at an institution of higher education. This video contextualizes the process within a tight academic job market into which ~55,000 newly minted PhDs are unleashed into each year. Because of this stiff competition and few jobs, especially in one’s area of research specialization, it is important to be precise and attentive to your application material package. Dr. Thompson speaks on the composition and perspective of hiring committee members; the pieces of the application, common mistakes, and common-sense details to work on in order to create the best materials for employment consideration. These pieces include: the CV, cover letter, possible teaching statement, research statement, evidence of teaching excellence, sample publication, and list of references or full reference letters. This is the first video in a series of three where the other parts of the process, such as the zoom interview and campus visit, are covered next. (See Video)In the second part, Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson discusses the process of the Zoom interview with the hiring committee and how the candidate should prepare for this encounter. The committee may be comprised of around seven faculty, primarily in the department hiring, along with outside members. Dr. Thompson discusses self-presentation, potential questions, time management, information to look up before the interview, and how to leave a lasting impression. Dr. Thompson also provides the perspective of a committee member who is doing this as additional college service, the number of potential applicants to overview, and the long days of interviewing candidates back-to-back. By the end of the Zoom interview, you want to come across as personable, confident, excited about this particular job, and have the committee excited to meet you in person for the campus visit, which is covered in the third video. (See Video)In the third part, the academic job interview is discussed at the campus visit state. This video overviews the pieces of the campus interview, speaking to an audience of potential job candidates, who will learn about this grueling multi-day interview process for full-time academic teaching jobs. Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson is a sociology professor who has sat on a number of hiring committees and provides the perspective of the committee members. Details about how to plan for this long campus visit with practice tip, from clothing to interpersonal skills. The steps of the process are also explained. This video points to the ever-increasingly competitive academic job market. (See Video) Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

Sociology Professor Beverly Yuen Thompson overviews the book, Indebted: How Families Make College Work at any Cost, by Caitlin Zaloom in 2019. This is an ethnographic study based on interviews with 160 participants, including college students and their parents, about how they understand, communicate about, and engage with student loan debt to finance college, even while the employment arena is increasingly uncertain and precarious. The participants attend both NYU, where Zaloom is herself a professor, as well as students attending a public university in Michigan of the United States. This video overviews the main points of each chapter, the facts and figures, and the sociological framework of understanding the exponentially growing institutions engaged with the process of financing student debt.Video link Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, sociology professors Akello Stone and Beverly Yuen Thompson provide an in-depth overview of the anthology called, “The Sociology of Housing,” edited by Brian J. McCabe & Eva Rosen (2023). This overview mentioned many of the chapters which cover a vast array of topics such as: indigenous land loss, segregation, housing insecurity, short term rentals, types of housing, and social problems related to housing and well-being. This never took off as a sub-discipline of sociology, but this book argues for more research that examines housing as a social phenomenon. Video link Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

I recently traveled to six countries in SE Asia and as I am a sociology professor, I took this opportunity to read or collect about fifteen books on the sociological and historical aspects of the region. This video overviews all the books briefly and provide a glimpse into the trajectory of the region and our relationship to it. I would love to teach a course on SE Asian sociology in the future so be sure to let me know if you’d be interested in more information about any of these books.Video link Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

I overview the main points of the Yale Committee’s Report “On Trust in Higher Education,” based on one year of research, and published on April 10, 2026. The committee worked for the Yale president and conducted interviews and focus groups with hundreds of campus stakeholders, as well as held public forums on a variety of relevant topics. Based on this data, as well as a lengthy bibliography, the committee had a handful of primary topics to address. They also present a list of twenty recommendations for institutions of higher education to consider. Link to videoLink to report: https://president.yale.edu/committees-programs/presidents-committees/committee-on-trust-in-higher-education Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

We discuss Dr. Bruce Jackson’s book, “The Life and Death of Buffalo’s Great Northern Grain Elevator 1897-2023” published in 2024. Jackson is a professor of English at The University of University at Buffalo and has written numerous books, made documentary films, and is a photographer. This book is an archival project, bringing together original documents regarding the structure and its demolition, as well as photographs from Dr. Jackson. The book tells the story of one historical structure’s impact on the city of Buffalo and the actors who worked to demolish the building. Morgan Craig and I (Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson) discuss the book and reflect on the historical and cultural significance of historic structures. I am a sociology professor and Morgan is an artist and PhD candidate in art and philosophy, whose artwork focuses on industrial ruin. Morgan discusses his artwork capturing the decline of manufacturing globally. Video linkMorgan’s website: https://morgancraig.org/Dr. Bruce Jackson’s website: https://www.buffalo.edu/cas/english/faculty/faculty_directory.host.html/content/shared/cas/english/profiles/jackson-bruce.html Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

I am Beverly Yuen Thompson, a sociology professor interested in cities and city development. My partner Morgan Craig is a PhD candidate and visual artist focused on the built environment in a post-industrial society. In this video, we provide a close reading of the book, “The Heart of Toronto: Corporate Power, Civil Activism, and Remaking of Downtown Yonge Street,” by Daniel Ross. This book discusses the history of this once colonial road, how it reflects the history of development of consumer society from main street to the suburbs, and back, and the players who construct the life of the city, from the general public to property developers, to corporate conglomerates. We went to Toronto on a road trip to experience the city and we weave in our perspective on what we saw, as well as use our videos to illustrate the book. Video linkBook Link: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/H/bo156866970.html Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

How Democracies Die (2018), written by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, is overviewed by sociology professor Beverly Yuen Thompson. This overview walks viewers through the book, chapter by chapter, and connecting the topics to current events. These historians provide us historical context of understanding the definitions and measures of authoritarianism, from global historical examples, and what the people can do to push back on these repressive social developments.Link to video Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe

Edward Bernays wrote Propaganda in 1928, establishing his career as one of the first to develop the field of public relations and marketing by working with politicians and companies to sell their products or ideas.This close reading overviews each chapter of the book, which is fully available online: https://dn720002.ca.archive.org/0/items/propaganda-edward-l.-bernays/Propaganda%20-%20Edward%20L.%20Bernays.pdfSee video linkMy deviant behavior course post: https://deviantsociology.wordpress.com/2026/04/23/propaganda-by-edward-bernays/ Get full access to Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson at snakegrrlsociology.substack.com/subscribe