Is Race Real?

We all know that people look different.  Anyone can tell a black person from an Asian person--or can they?  Check out this people sorter activity and see if you can classify people according to race. After that, explore other questions and issues about race with the many interactive activities on this website.   

Also, Watch this Dave Chapelle video of the 'racial draft'
via videosift.com

Class Dismissed

Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class examines television’s portrayal of working class people, from early images of the late 1940s to those on display in recent situation comedies, dramas, and “reality” programs. The film focuses primarily on two issues: television’s under-representation of working-class people and their concerns, and the stereotypes that are used when they are represented at all.

In the United States, commercial television is a huge corporate enterprise, and the backgrounds and interests of those who control the industry have little in common with those of the working class—who happen to be the majority of the American people. Class Dismissed argues that television misrepresentations and stereotypes help to both create and reinforce negative perceptions of the working class.

Watch the program here:

http://www.videosurf.com/video/class-dismissed-how-tv-frames-the-working-class-9230267

Adultescence

Just as the concept of 'adolescence' as a stage of life appears as a result of the industrialization of the 18th century, sociologists (and, indeed, the people at Webster's dictionary) have identified a new social phenomenon that has been labelled 'adultescence', among other things.  I'd like you to read the following articles and comment on your views of this stage of life.  Is it indeed something that is so pervasive in society that it will become as well recognized as the period of adolescence that we all know about and expect everyone to go through?  How is it a result of the structure of our society?  Is it appearing in other cultures besides ours?  Do you know anyone who is currently living this lifestyle?  Do  you expect to be an 'adultescent' when the time comes?

Adultescence

Achieving "adulthood" is more elusive; Transition to Adulthood occurring at a later age

Women should marry younger?

Socialization of Gender in Pixar films

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/03/22/gender-in-pixar-films/

Violating Social Norms

Social Norms are the rules that a group uses to define appropriate attitudes and behaviors for a member of that group. We respect and adhere to social norms to make sure we are accepted, and even popular, among our fellow group members. Some social norms are formal laws, but many are simply agreed to by group members. We learn these norms from interacting with other member of our society; we come to know when and where it is appropriate to say certain things, to use certain words, to discuss certain topics or wear certain clothes (and when not to!). One of the sources of humor on "The Office" derive from the fact that Michael and Dwight are continually violating the implicit and explicit norms of behavior for their situation. If you are a fan of the show, can you think of other instances where the source of the humor is in the violation of social norms?

social construction of reality

There is no difference between spit and saliva except how we think about each. Our reality is how we experience the world. For example, we can experience this substance in many different ways. When a mom uses it to wipe a baby's face, it's perfectly acceptable to us. (How the baby experiences it is a different story!) A baseball player spits and we don't think anything of it. When two people kiss, the exchange of substance is accepted as normal. But you can think of any number of ways that this substance would be considered incredibly gross; If someone spits on your desk in class, for example, or your mom tries to use it to clean your face now that you are no longer a baby. Baby drool is ok. Adult drool is disgusting. The object or action has not changed, but our interpretation of it has. This is what we mean by the 'social construction of reality.

New Views on Cohabitation Before Marriage

As we begin to explore the subject of sociology, We have been looking at how sociology is more than just 'common sense', or a social science that simply validates what 'everyone already knows'. I asked you about whether living together before marriage increases a couple's chances of avoiding divorce. The 'common sense' answer is, "Yes. If a couple learns about what it's like to live together before they get married they will have less unexpected, unpleasant surprises;" or, "Yes. A couple can find out a lot more about each other when they live together first, and then decide if they want to get married." I then explained to you that sociological research did not support this conclusion. Studies found that there was actually a negative correlation between cohabitation before marriage and staying married; That is, people who lived together before marriage actually had a higher incidence of divorce. The hypothesis was that those who live together before marriage have a weaker sense of commitment than those who wait until they are married to live together.

Turn out that new research finding have recently been published that suggest that this question is far from resolved. Read the story here:

Contexts Crawler » new views on cohabitation

So, other than, "Don't believe everything your soc teacher tells you", what else can we learn from these new research findings? What social factors are at work that influence the lives of young couples? How do sociologists help us to understand the important events and decisions of our lives? How is this an example of using our 'sociological imaginations'?