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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Lecturer in Sociology – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (05/01/26)

The School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology – Program in Criminal Justice seeks a full-time, non-tenure track instructor to teach undergraduate courses in the Criminal Justice Program for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Courses may be introductory surveys or upper-level courses focused on specific themes or topics consistent with the criminal justice curriculum and faculty expertise. Candidates who can teach courses on correctional systems, penology, prisons, and/or prisoners, are especially encouraged to apply.

As the instructor of record, the individual is responsible for preparing the course syllabus, delivering lectures, and leading discussions, assessing student work in a timely manner, holding weekly office hours, responding to student emails, and submitting final course grades to the registrar. We are only accepting applications from those willing to teach in-person.

The teaching load is 3–3 (six courses total for AY 2026–2027). This is a 1-year, nonrenewable position.

https://socioloxy.com/lecturer-in-sociology,i11865,n792178.html

CSSCR Spring 2026 Workshops

The Center for Social Science Computation and Research (CSSCR) released its spring workshop schedule. The bulk of sessions focus on data analysis and analytical methods using Codex, Atlas.ti, Python, R, and Stata. This quarter, CSSCR will also have workshops on how create an academic research poster using PowerPoint.

CSSS Seminar: Charles C. Lanfear on “Reciprocal Relationships, Reverse Causality, and Temporal Ordering: Testing Theories with Cross-lagged Panel Models” (04/15/26)

On Wednesday, April 15, CSSS will host Dr. Charles Lanfear (Cambridge University) who will deliver a seminar titled, “Reciprocal Relationships, Reverse Causality, and Temporal Ordering: Testing Theories with Cross-lagged Panel Model.” Sign-ups for meeting with Dr. Lanfear are available here. CSSS is also sponsoring a lunch for students. Those interested can add their name/email to the this google sheet.

Abstract: Reciprocal causal relationships are a common feature of criminological theories. For example, stable employment may reduce offending while offending may lead to job loss, and perceived disorder may increase fear of crime while fear of crime may increase sensitivity to signs of disorder. When multiple observations over time are available, cross-lagged panel models are commonly used to estimate these reciprocal effects. Yet this is often done without careful attention to how they map on to the theoretical process they are meant to capture or whether key assumptions of the models are satisfied. This may result in estimates that are not substantively meaningful or are biased or even reversed in sign. Reciprocal relationships also pose challenges for causal assumptions based on graphical tools; theories that posit reciprocal causation often rely on underlying macro–micro mechanisms not explicitly represented in empirical models. We provide guidance on how to align theory, model specification, and choice of estimator, illustrated with two motivating examples: the relationship between employment and offending and the relationship between perceived disorder and fear of crime. We distinguish theoretical reciprocality—in which feedback processes are of substantive interest—from reverse causality—in which reciprocal processes are a nuisance threatening identification of an effect of interest—and discuss three common issues for cross-lagged panel models: unobserved time-stable heterogeneity, improperly specified temporal order, and insufficient variation over time. We conclude by reminding researchers of the importance of aligning methods with theory in longitudinal research.

Charles Lanfear is an Associate Professor and Director of the MPhil in Criminology at the Institute of Criminology in the University of Cambridge. He conducts theory-driven research on how crime, victimization, and social control are related to large-scale changes in communities and society as a whole using methods from econometrics, epidemiology, and demography.

 

Applications Open for Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Data User Workshop (04/15/26)

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), begun in 1968, is the world’s longest-running multigenerational household panel study. It is used to investigate scientific and policy questions about life course trajectories in health and well-being, intergenerational social and economic mobility, income and wealth inequality, family investments in children, neighborhood effects on opportunity and achievement, and many other topics. This five-day, in-person only workshop–held from June 15 – 19, 2026 at the University of Michigan will orient participants to the content and structure of the core PSID interview, its special topics modules, and its supplemental studies, including the Child Development Supplement (CDS) and the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS). The workshop is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and research professionals. Applications are due by April 15, 2026.

Activities will be divided between lecture sessions, discussions, and hands-on labs, allowing ample time for breaks. Lecture sessions will cover topics such as study design, changes to content and sample composition over time, rules for following sample members into new households, and weighting. Classroom lab sessions using PSID data extracts will illustrate key concepts and participants will develop their own analytic data files under the guidance of project staff. In addition, we will discuss topics including the recently-released and newly collected genomics data collected from 2014-2023 as well as new data files which explain family relationships and demographic characteristics over time.

Course management will be through Canvas and class meetings will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Travel stipends will be available for those who do not have accessible funding.

Eligibility: The workshop is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and research professionals.

Software: Participants should be familiar with Stata or R. Course instruction will be in Stata with parallel R code provided.

Application: Admission to this workshop is competitive and enrollment is limited to 25 in-person participants. To apply for this workshop, select the “Register Now” button, fill out the Summer Program registration form, select this workshop, and then upload the following application materials:

  • Current curriculum vitae (CV)
  • A cover letter summarizing:
    • Your research interest and planned analyses using PSID data
    • How the workshop will help you meet your research or educational goals
    • Where you learned about the workshop (e.g., word of mouth, listserv announcement, advertisement)
  • Applications from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows must include a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor, project manager, or department chair. The letter writer should directly submit their recommendation to the ICPSR Summer Program at icpsr-sumprog@umich.edu and include the applicant’s name and “PSID Workshop” in the subject line or body of the email. The letter writer’s contact information (email address or telephone number) must be included in the letter of recommendation.

Deadline: April 15, 2026

Fee: $100, to be assessed only after applicants have been accepted into the workshop.

Sponsor: Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Science Foundation.