Lab Team Visits UMASS Amherst for Preview of ASA Presidential Address

On December 13, 2023, five mhc metrics lab students and Professor Gebre-Medhin took a field trip to UMASS Amherst to preview Joy Misra’s presidential address, the incoming American Sociological Association (ASA) president.

Misra’s presentation, “Intersectional Solidarities: Building Communities of Hope, Justice & Joy,” provided a glimpse into her vision for sociology’s future in the 21st century. In her talk, Misra articulated that she envisions sociology to continue as a discipline dedicated to building communities where everyone can experience hope, joy, and justice. She acknowledged the field’s strength in identifying and analyzing inequalities but pointed out its relative weakness in finding solutions, a challenge that she believes the next generation of sociologists, including current students, will play a crucial role in addressing.

Lab member Celina Krantz ‘24 shared their reflection after the trip, noting, “it was very different from reading and coding the addresses and a cool opportunity to gain a closer understanding of how the addresses are presented in front of a live audience."