End of Semester

Congratulations, you (and I) have made it through the semester. I'm going to continue blogging, but it will be less about sociology, more about life in general. I hope some people continue to read....maybe just my family!

The end of the semester is always a mixed bag. On the one hand I'm glad to not have the commitment of showing up twice a week to be entertaining, but on the other hand I start to think of things I should have differently or things I forgot to do at all. I try to make a list for the next time I teach, but it may be awhile before I teach intro again.

Marriage

Well, I haven't been a very good blogger, have I? Maybe this will work better next time. I will keep trying.

There was an interesting editorial in the NY Times that fits well with our recent discussions about marriage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html?ex=1353819600&en=edea6bb06d38c5fc&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Coontz has written extensively about the history of families and marriage. How does her argument fit with the functionalist explanation of marriage? Or is it closer to a rational choice model?

Reactions to Paul Farmer's talk

I think this year's first year students have had one of the best lectures. I thought the speaker was engaging, interesting, and got his message across. It helps that everyone had read Mountains Beyond Mountains (or at least part of it) so they knew some of the background of Farmer's work. That allowed him to expand on some topics and tell stories. I've got to get myself a laser pen!

As a sociologist, of course, Farmer's work is very interesting. He speaks eloquently about the relationship between the structure of the society and the individual. We can think about the "personal troubles" of people facing serious life-threatening diseases, and the "public issues" of the way in which systemic poverty contributes to (and causes) those troubles. I like how he stressed the importance of understanding the historical facts about an issue--another point in Mills' sociological imagination.

I hope that the sociology students who attended were able to come away with some of the same impressions.

Tattoo remorse

After class today I came back and glanced at cnn.com. There is a great article about "Tattoo Remorse." They point out that 24% of people interviewed had tattoos and 17% of those with tattoos considered having them removed.

If having a tattoo makes you part of a subculture, does having it removed make you part of a different subculture?

Note how the new mom says the tattoo "didn't fit the image she wants to portray" anymore. Are some subculture groups easier to enter or leave than others?

Here is the link.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/09/10/hm.tattoo.removal/index.html#cnnSTCText

Research Ethics, Toe Tapping, and Bathroom Behavior

One of the classic examples of unethical research used in sociology is Laud Humphrey's study of sex in public restrooms. Humphrey is criticized for his methods which include deception and the lack of consent. But, we often tend to forget about his actual findings. The recent controversy over Sen. Larry Craig's behavior in a public restroom makes Humphrey's study relevant today.

Humphrey argued against the use of police to lure men into sexual encounters in public bathrooms. He pointed out that there was a complex system of signalling and response that took place between consenting men. This system ensured that men who were not interested would not be bothered. He argued that tracking down men engaging in anonymous sex in public restrooms did more harm than good.

There is an interesting op-ed piece in the NY Times that looks at Humphrey's study and the connections to the Larry Craig case.

The article appeared on Sept. 2, 2007 and I've posted it under the course documents link on Blackboard.

Scholarly debate

Our reading for tomorrow, Promises I Can Keep, was part of an intense scholarly debate a few years ago. A respected African American sociologist, Eli Anderson, accused Edin and Kefalas of borrowing heavily from his work on African American young adults without properly crediting him. There were accusations on both sides, complicated by the fact that both Edin and Anderson were faculty members at University of Pennsylvania (where I received my PhD).

I know Eli and Kathy only casually. When I was at Penn I never had a class with Eli and knew only a little about his work. I've met Kathy a few times over the years, but don't know her well. Several prominent family sociologists came to Kathy's defense, and in doing so, probably overstating the nature of Eli's claims and understated the value of his work. This led to a second round of accusations and calls of dishonesty.

I've debated about whether to raise this issue in class, and if so, how. I think rather than talking about it when we discuss this material substantively, I'll talk about it when we discuss methods. the issue is really who owns ideas and how do we build on the work of others.

I've attached a link to the whole debate, for those interested.

http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v52/n07/spout.html

First Week

It always feels good to get the first week of classes under my belt. Most students are pretty eager and anxious at the beginning, so there is more energy in the classroom. I'll have to remember that when the October doldrums roll in.

I have found two interesting blogs that others might like to read...
The first is about early onset Alzheimer's Disease. It is a first person account of what it it like to suffer from AD. http://www.thetripover.com/

The second is another SU professor who is very popular and has some interesting views that students might like to consider http://www.moralhealth.com/

That's it for this morning. I'm waiting to hear from my husband who is getting the news about needing knee surgery....

Durkheim, Suicide, and Anomie

I heard an interesting story on the radio this weekend about the high suicide rates in Greenland. Apparently this is partly tied to the rapid cultural shifts that this country has encountered in recent years. There is a summary of some of the issues here:
http://www.sikunews.com/art.html?artid=63&catid=16

We sometimes think about these historical sociological concepts as outdated, but many of the issues raised in the past continue in society today.

Too late now....

I just made 160 copies of my syllabus...I hope there weren't any errors in it!

Final touches!

I think the syllabus is ready. I ended up not using anything from Mountains Beyond Mountains, but I did enjoy reading the book and hopefully can include some examples from it in lectures. I met with the Teaching Assistants today and we are finalizing what will be done in the discussion sections.

I hope I've left enough time for all the topics I want to cover. There are so many things to include.

Looking forward to the first day.....

I'm still tweaking the syllabus. I've decided to add in a new movie that I previewed at the sociology meetings. It is on hip hop culture and masculinity. I think it will tie in well with both the ideas of culture and gender. I also added a recent article on obesity and social networks. I like putting in research from areas I actually work in!

Back from vacation

Well I'm back from vacation and, believe or not, I took my course reader along with me!! How nerdy is that? Anyway, I decided to add two readings to the beginning of the semester that highlight two social theories. One of the readings, on working at a toy store, is interesting and easy to read. The other, on stratification, is a little tougher--but hey, this is college now.

So, unless I change my mind in the next few weeks, look for those readings early on.

Mountains Beyond Mountains

I'm trying to find a way to include a reading in the course from the community reading book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Maybe one of the early chapters that addresses Haitian culture would be appropriate. Or something about the distribution of resources. It's been an interesting read.

Beginning a Blog

This is my attempt at becoming more technologically savvy. I'll have to admit that while I've been thinking of a blog for awhile it wasn't until I read the article "Pimp my Class" in the Chronicle that I decided I should go for it. I'll try to post things frequently and the main audience is my sociology 101 class, but others are free to read as well.