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We sometimes think about these historical sociological concepts as outdated, but many of the issues raised in the past continue in society today.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