What Colloquia, Events, and News Does Northwestern's Sociology Department Share?

Northwestern University's Department of Sociology runs a weekly colloquium series and maintains dedicated sections on its website for upcoming events and news. According to the department's site, the colloquium is held every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and features speakers from a variety of distinguished institutions in the United States and other countries, addressing a wide range of topics. The site also lists an "Upcoming Events" section and an "All Events" archive, plus a "Latest News" area.

The Weekly Colloquium

The colloquium is the department's flagship recurring academic event. Key details from the department's own description:

• Frequency: Weekly, every Thursday
• Time: 12:30 p.m.
• Format: Talks by invited speakers
• Speaker pool: Scholars from a variety of distinguished institutions in the U.S. and other countries
• Topics: Described as a wide range of compelling subjects

If you are a prospective student, current student, or visiting researcher, this is the standing event to check first when planning a visit or looking for regular academic programming.

Events Listings on the Site

The department website organizes event information into two areas:

One practical caveat: at the time the site content was captured, the Upcoming Events section displayed "There are no upcoming events at this time." This is common for academic department pages between terms or during breaks, so an empty listing does not mean the colloquium series has stopped — it reflects the state of the calendar at that moment. Check back closer to the start of a term.

Latest News Highlights

The department's news section surfaces research funding, faculty and student media appearances, and academic publications. Items shown include:

• $1 Million Gift — funds directed toward sociology research and graduate training
• Santiago Molina — featured in Social Science and Medicine
• Rebecca Ewert — featured in the LA Times
• Michelle Shames — featured in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Andrew Papachristos — appeared on WBEZ

These examples show the kinds of updates the department publicizes: major gifts supporting graduate training, peer-reviewed journal placements, and media commentary from faculty and students.

How to Use These Sections

• To attend a colloquium: Plan around the Thursday 12:30 p.m. slot, but confirm the specific week's speaker and location through the events listing, since the site does not guarantee a talk every single week.
• To track department news: The "All News" link leads to the full news archive beyond the highlighted items.
• To gauge research activity: News items and colloquium speakers together give a sense of current faculty and student work across areas such as health, criminology, and social networks.

The department also points to broader program information — undergraduate major and minor details, graduate admissions, courses, and faculty specialty areas — for those who want context beyond events and news.