Congratulations all Grads!

You did it! You're ready for the next step! Congratulations!

Really good video

This is a really great video and just had the time to post, something you should all watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SkdyRcK9KM

The Paper

THE PAPER IS OPTIONAL, RIGHT?
And the test is actually a test with a scantron and everything, or was the paper the exam?

The Final is 7:30PM Mon. - today!

Letter to President Obama

You know how the thinkers thought about the human relationship to the group. Take two thinkers and use them to speak to President Obama. Take one issue, e.g., Supreme Court, Domestic economy, GM, Foreign relations, Gay Marriage, Abortion, Race & Gender, etc. What do you say to him with the help of these two thinkers? He only has time to read one page. Extra take home final, 412 - not required. Optional.

Final Exam extra credit question

Comment here with possible questions. The final question will be posted by Friday night so that you have Sat - Sun - or Mon to complete a one page answer. For now, try your hand at composing the question or "prompt" for the extra credit final.

The question of social theory

• Fiddle with the sliders for speed of ether v. speed of light to understand the brilliance of the Michelson-Morley experiments. Is there an "ether" in your sociology? Is is greed? Need? Fitting in? Love? Can you measure it?
• Why do geese fly in a "V"? 1. conservation of energy (aerodynamics) 2. keep an eye on everything and everybody. Fighter pilots do it. 3. avoid getting something in the eye because the V "lifts" 4. rotate leadership for sustainability more on geese.
• What is our question in Sociology? what is our "V"?

Me I

• Can you describe the imagined "me" and "I" moments of a famous person - say, Barack Obama or Judge Sotomayer or some other hero? Once you describe some of the person's "me" and "I" moments of note as imagined from the "inside" of these persons, describe, also the implicit Marxian or Durkheimian or perhaps Weberian forces that structured that me-I self.
• The self according to Mead is a dance of the me-I and the individual according to Marx or Durkheim or Weber is an entity made of of social and intellectual organization that exists "outside" the individual.
• Spice: Would Dubois or Simmel have anything to add to your sketch of the famous person you pick?
• Your essay will not be judged on its politics, so be careful that you are not slavishly "pro" or "anti" the person you select and simply repeat the mantras of the left or the right. It will be judged, instead, on its attention to detail, subtlety, selection of significant character-defining moments and incorporation of both popular culture "left" and "right" summaries.

Lifestyle Laws

The California Supreme Court upheld discrimination by not "legalizing" gay marriage. I'm really frustrated with the laws that we have in the U.S. that govern lifestyle choices. It is reasonable to say that people are uncomfortable with homosexual men getting married because of the type of sex they perform with each other? If marriage is good or society, why does the gender of the people getting married matter? They are being discriminated against because of their lifestyle.
It's legal for me to use a recreation drug (alcohol) that requires chemical processing and can kill me if I overdose. It's illegal for me to use a recreational drug (marijuana) that grows naturally and will only put me to sleep if I overdose.
Prostitution is another target of lifestyle regulation. If a women goes on a date, and the man pays for everything, and the women decides to have sex with the man that paid for everything, isn't she a prostitute? In popular culture, a women is viewed as a whore if she sleeps with a man who hasn't spent money on them.
Neighborhoods that regulate what color your house can be improves society how?
What and/or who are these laws suppose to protect society from? Society should have laws to protect life, not laws that attack how you live your own life.

So does this mean our summary paper is not due this wed the 27

Topic for Summary Paper

Dr. T when will you be posting up the topic for our Summary Paper? I was unable to attend class on Monday so ...

my I or my me?

if someone calls you up and asks if you want to go out and you sort of do and you sort of do not, which is your I and which is your me? Your decision creates your path. Your self is your perpetual mix and re-mix of I and me.
Simmel says everything starts with the pattern and form of our associations. The me and the I of Mead are part of our associations. Can these terms and distinctions assist us today in creating our lives?

The Hap Holladay Scholarship

Write a 1000 word essay to try for a $500 against tuition. See this link.

Marraige and Society

I've started to wonder why theorists have not addressed marriage and it's impact on society. Our societies are made up of one type of animal, with two distinct behaviors. I general, couldn't we say that in order for both sexes to be truly happy, society would have to be designed and adapted to meet the specific needs of each sex. Marriage is a societal institution created by men, for men. Today's culture has made marriage into something that probably hinders more men than it helps. If there was super computer that could simulate the future of a society given certain factors, I wonder if the overall success of a society would be better without marriage. Given the emotional and financial strains marriage causes, I would bet society would be better without marriage. Marriage is an institution that goes against our very human nature. Societies should be built with institutions that allow individuals to flourish, not ones that suffocate them. Why do we worship marriage?

Student Achievement

See this link if you have a candidate for an award and recognition for a deserving CSULA graduating senior or MA candidate

see me if you have a candidate - or comment here. I'll ask you to complete all the steps of admission for my review. Congratulations to all upcoming grads!

Curve - Scantron

grades posted by CIN. See website.

TESTING....

I DONT KNOW IF YOU GUYS AGREE BUT TEST ALWAYS MAKE ME SOOO NERVOUS. I BELIEVE WHAT MAKES ME NERVOUS IS TRYING TO MEMORIZE SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE.. TEST TAKING FOR ME IS NEVER GOOD. MY HANDS TEND TO SHAKE AND MY STOMACH HURTS.. I HAVE TRIED MANY WAYS IN WHICH TO CONTROL IT. I TRIED LISTENING TO MUSIC RIGHT BEFORE, I TAKE DEEP BREATHS AND GO OVER MY NOTES BUT NOTHING WORKS. CAN ANY ONE "HELP" ESPECIALLY WITH FINALS COMING UP.

Post Midterm Exam

So for those of you who came back to class after the exam, did staying and discussing the midterm helped to clarify questions that were "muddy" on the exam? Or did they further confuse you? I personally, when taking the exam, felt as if I was taking a test on something that I felt unprepared for. I think the first question threw me off for a number of reasons. One being that the whole subject of Manny Ramirez and steroids was subject to interpretation. While in class we did come to a final conclusion to the answer, I felt that that was what we had to do for most of the questions. While I feel fine and content after our exhaustive discussion of the questions on the exam, for the most part, and I don't think I'm alone on this, the questions asked on the exam were subject to interpretation and perhaps needed some refining. However, for the most part, when discussing these questions and explaining the possible answers to these questions, I feel more than confident that I have taken away important and central ideas/arguments that our three theorists brought forth in their work.

Hey everyone

Just wanted to ask you guys: how  are you guys preparing for the quiz? ive been trying to study the material but it just seems like too much info....any good advice on how to study the material?

Fetishism

Does anyone remember the section of Fetishism?

Males & Females: Typical Sterotypes of Gender Roles

I was watching this video and I couldn't help to laugh at the animation. It is funny, but unfortunately at times we do shape our mentality around such sterotypes! Take a look for yourself and comment what you think were your thoughts on this video! ENJOY!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIwWS2atEmc

Agree

I also agree with over population but we cannot control people with government intervention. People can go on birth control but that would be the person's own choice. We cannot force them to do so. Maybe if sex was more open in discussion between young people in school then it may help. Sex has grown so much in our days and old fashioned people still think that this subject should be kept hush hush. We need to get over the ignorance and realize that our little ones our seening this in our media and from others and that they will more likely join in the trend. WE need to step up the conversation of safe sex and i think we will see change not only in population but also in health and awarness!!

nice class today

Too Many People

Do you ever feel like there are just too many people in the world? We've been fortunate enough to out smart a lot of nature's population controls. I suppose a natural disaster here are there help to reduce human numbers if it's in a densely populated area. Could it be that excessive population hinders the ability of governments to balance the distribution of wealth? The excess waste that millions of unnecessary people produce is slowly choking the planet to death.
I'm not suggesting that people be killed, but I think it's time to regulate new births. Sterilization would work well. There is no doubt that the natural instincts to reproduce will always be there so birth control is the only solution. The family is the basic building block of any society. When a family core is not solid because too many children drain resources (time, money, attention) this will eventually cause the society to crumble because the substructure is flawed.
Life would be some much more productive with fewer people. Students would receive more instruction in class. People could get to work faster because there would be less traffic. There would be more jobs available, less pollution, and our nonrenewable resources would last longer. I can't think of social issues that could not be reduced or eliminated completely if there were fewer people.
We're all fighting for a piece of the pie, but we'd all get a bigger slice if there were fewer people reaching for one. We need a license to own certain animals, why not require one to own a human pup. Would it be wrong to deny birth licences to those who have genetic defects?

I found this on youtube.. and I thought.. why not sharing this video with the class.. Enjoy!!!

Simmel people...

Is it just me or is anyone else having trouble understanding "The Metropolis and Mental Health"? I read it over and over but I'm not sure I am grasping the concept. I'm confused....

Nice comments from you

this was once the "I'm sick" post - but that's now history. Saved because some comments merit saving. = ) Also: some of you haven't figured out how to edit a post, so this might remind one of you to ask in class so all can learn.

THE NBA FINALS ARE UPON US!!

LETS GO LAKERS!!

Last Re-Marx

After reading the Communist Manifesto and last nights lecture I agree with Marx about capitalism and how it creates alienation, class conflict, and is extremely detrimental as a social order. Capitalism has lead to exploitation and limits humans from reaching their “species–being”. Marx’s accurately points out how in our capitalist economic system, through labor, the ruling class exploits workers to stay in control and maximize their profit. However the communist revolution as Marx called for or communism as a realistic way of life was a bit radical. Communism fails not because of its thoughts and beliefs, but because of the nature of social relationships. Communism as an ideology as a way of thinking/being is wonderful and utopian in nature; however it is in practice that we, as humans, mess it up. It’s the nature of humans and free will that create the problems we have seen in countries like the Soviet Union, and Cuba. In order for communism to be successful their needs to be equality, a shared consciousness, and as Professor Tabor pointed out some one to distribute and determine what people “need”. However this centralization of power leads to greed in communist nations. Here is where I feel one of the major contradictions of the Communist Manifesto occurs. The paradox in Marx theory is that in order for communism to exist it requires equal social relations however all social relations are hierarchal, always creating a system of domination and subordination. Communism is doom to fail from the start under the laws of humankind, and human’s being.

Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto is rant about the evils of capitalism while highlighting how great communism is. I personally think that both capitalism and communism has its up and down sides. Capitalism has created more personal wealth for individuals than any other system; however, it also creates a large economic division between the haves and the have nots. Capitalism can work if it is truly allowed to flourish with the good and bad. The current U.S. economic problems can not be fixed with government bail outs. If the U.S. truly believed in capitalism, they would not have bailed out AIG, Bank of America, etc. In the capitalist system you either thrive or you fail. If a company is too big to fail, then it should be too big to exist. These bailouts are a good example of socialism, which also has its up and down sides. Communism was the main system that helped Russia become a super power after WWII; however, in order for communism to be successful, much of the needed resources were taken from the people. It also seems that a large part of the arguments in the manifesto are very similar to the current arguments between the Democrats and the Republicans. One party believes in "big" government while the other party believes in "less" government. One party believes that government can successfully run programs while the other believes that the private sector is more efficient. I believe that both arguments need to be made, this will help all parties involved come up with the best solution. in the private sector.

Marx Maniifesto

I wasn't able to find the first 5 blogs so I'm starting a new one. I found this quote interesting. "The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie."
I use to think since the President of the U.S. was elected by the people, that the President would represent the voice of the people as a whole. When the second president Bush was elected, it started to make me feel as if I was in a monarchy. How could it be the son a former president is the best choice to also become President in a country with such a large population? Learning about how lobbyist operate lead me to believe that political leaders are only concerned with the interests of a few.
The quote is similar to a realization I made myself after contemplating these observations. It seems as if the common man is given an opportunity to vote in order to make them feel as if they are a relevant part of how the government controls them, even though the common man is powerless.

Random Question

Hey guys! Does anyone know what font size we use for our thinker paper?

Hey guys

Did any of the Marx People write on the section Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844? Im not sure if im correct but what i got from the section is that society divides itself into two sections the property owners and the property less workers. Pretty much the property owners advance in life while the less fortunate feel very alienated in society. am i somewhat right or just wrong

documentary

what I love about this documentary is the raw emotion. There is no censorship, you almost feel what the person being interviewed is feeling. You can fell the anger, frustration, fear, and a sense of hopelesness. The sad reality is that this is their real life, their everyday struggle....

Material and Immaterial

Society consists of the material (ways and means) and the immaterial (beliefs and values). Marx focuses on the material world as the source of movement, energy--the principle of change. Hegel, his mentor, was an idealist in that he thought "Reason" was working its own independent, evolutionary way towards spiritual awareness for humanity. It is often said that Marx "turned Hegel on his head."
A gang has a material level and an immaterial level - the material being the ways and means of a gang and the immaterial being the beliefs and values of a gang. Marx writers: feel free to use data and ideas in the film for your papers. ALL: let's help out the Marx writers since they are first. What surprised you while reading "The Manifesto"?

Bloods and Crips

This film is very intense. I thought about it the whole way home. I thought about how most individuals were never brought up seeing this type of violence and corruption. On the other hand, individuals like myself grew up with this enviroment still don't know how to react to these situations and problems. When these gangs are stating quotes such as "killed or be killed," or even considering themselves as soliders is very distrubing considering most Amercians would think as a solider as a hero. These individuals main goal in life is to "be respected" which what they consider to be feared. Us individuals blind ourselves to the reality of corruption we are now living in first hand. Very scary.

test - We'll delete this together on Mon. U will learn how to "X" a post.

Welcome Spring Thinkers

You have been invited! In Farganis intro, p. 1-11, you'll read of the social conditions that gave rise to Sociology. When Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, he was excited that they'd translate and get his document out to several countries within a few months.

Thank You

I would just like to say that I am so lucky to have been in this class. I learned so many new things and meet so many new people. It was intriguing to be able to share deep thoughts, conversations and ideas with such intelligent people who respect and relate to me as an individual in society. Good luck every one in your life's endeavors.

Sociology and Family Structure

Check out this video by a Sociology professor that discusses how family structures that changed and evolved into what they are seen as today. It was intersting to see and to hear a person's point of view regarding this subject. It's a little long, but in my opinion worth watching. HOPE YOU LIKE IT :)

bigger image click that one - >
What does it all mean?
We are spirits.
Here we are.
Words describe us. Do they bring us together or separate us? What do we want? What are we doing to get what we want? Click to Song

CA Supreme Court decision discussion 9AM

on Prop 8 up in 1 hour 15 min from now. LATimes background watch live now - scroll down and you'll see the Vid http://www.queerty.com/live-from-the-california-supreme-court-hearing-with-handy-viewing-guide-20090305/ Also, there is a live blog under that - we can chat.

Taxes

I was looking for the information on the plan for taxes and I came across a couple of things.
-Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of healthcare and to reward investments in innovation.
-Middle class families will see their taxes cut -- and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase. The typical middle class family will receive well over $1,000 in tax relief under the Obama-Biden plan, and will pay tax rates that are 20 percent lower than they faced under President Reagan.
-Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s. Obama will ask the wealthiest two percent of families to give back a portion of the tax cuts they have received over the past eight years to ensure we are restoring fairness and returning to fiscal responsibility. But no family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/taxes/

want your chapter paper posted?

Here's Nikkole's chapter paper on Goffman. Send yours for (possible) posting to both dreamwalker936@gmail.com & mtabor@calstatela.edu bring hard copy to class.

I've been having a problem with the terminology of Bergers sacred Canopy or its just I don't understand it enough to find it interesting. So I have been looking for a dumb down explanation of it but have yet been able to find one. I was wondering if by chance anybody could give me tips on the theory. thank you

Let's have CHAPTER discussions pertinent to TODAY

• CREDIT CARTOON: the credit crisis in 10 min CLICK to Part I . . CLICK to Part II Is this data for "conflict theory" or for "consensus theory" - symbolic interactionism? "rational choice!?" or exchange theory?
• Here's the guy who went wild on TV at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ... Now watch another guy trying to stay calm about "all that" and the yelling watch the White House response ... Bottom line: contract law should be sacred Is that exchange theory? Conflict or "interest" theory? SI? What would Erving Goffman say about that? Did Santelli puncture a "sacred canopy?" Did he do a Garfinkelian "breaching"?
• Me-I-We-Change box - does your thinker fit in? Remember AGIL - AIGL
• Did Pres Obama's speech support symbolic interactionism? Did he do some? Was it about exchange? Rational choice? Intersectionality?
• all jump in with insights, questions, observations, video, music, diagrams-even judgements and assessments - of the value, distraction, or essence of this style of thought. Those w chapter "responsibility" view YouTubes on S.I. , Exchange Theory, Rational Choice Theory - bring the BEST.

intersectionality

Good on DreamWalker to post on intersectionality, below. Watch this MLK video. On our intersectionality discussions: they must be constant, they will make some uncomfortable as did MLKs peaceful resistance events, but--to follow Dr. King--we can discuss with the great power of love. ... more video resources on sex, race, class.

More on Genderization of Race... and then some.

I wanted to further explain the genderization of race from what I've learned from my Sociology of Marriage and Relationships and Sociology of Asian Americans courses.

[I decided I needed to learn about my heritage since I knew absolutely nothing about Asians other than what my family had, nearly all my friends are Mexican, Black, White or some mix of these three; my "black" friend is actually half white and sternly states that she is white].

Let's start off with a few bases:
-There was were historical contexts that were brought up to make the point. For example slave owners would make African female slaves do all the hard manual labor but would never allow white females to do any hard labor in order to "show" that they were better. Since both men and women labored in the fields, there was not separation in gender like the white slave owners, thus in comparison culturally, there was a masculinization of the female gender in the context of Black Americans. There were other factors mentioned like the stereotype of single mothers and "strong, loud, women" in the Black community. This stereotype was probably formed from this historical context.
-Another historical account from the Asian perspective, other than the more widely known railroad working men, Asian women were being bought and transported from China with promises of a great life only to find that they've been sold into sexual slavery because they were in "high demand" due to the idea they were the "ultimate" in femininity. Again, there are echoes of this past in today's society with the stereotype that Asians are quiet and subservient. Here, instead of a masculinization of females there's a hyper-feminization of females.

With these historical contexts set, I bring up the case mentioned in class about the Asian woman shooting the Black girl. There is a huge play of gender roles here but hidden in color. If it were between a man and a woman, who would have the more severe punishment?

As for the issue of gay men in the context of race, the issues of feminization of race or masculinization I should rephrase the question, "Is it more ok to be gay if you're Asian, Black, Caucasian, or Latino?" through the eyes of stereotypes, of course. [Keep in mind you may not see it the same way because of your background in higher education]
Here, the feminization of Asians, males are faced with the stereotypes of nerds, being super smart, quiet, and unable to lead... All these "submissive" female qualities are linked to being gay, but at the same time there is "no such thing as a lesbian Asian" and thus this invisibility to a subgroup.
Whereas, it's the other way around when it comes to Blacks, my professor posed the question in a stereotypical context, "Have you ever heard of a gay black man?" another inivisble subgroup.

Along with this there is the stereotyping of penis size? The larger the penis the more masculine one is, right?

Anyone notice how all of these stereotypes of masculinity and femininity fall along the color lines as well?

She also mentioned white privilege as well and how she uses it not only to get away with speeding on the freeway, but to try and break stereotypes and advance other people of color, sexual orientations, etc.

My thoughts were a bit mixed up when I was asking, "Is it more ok to be White and Gay or Asian and Gay?" What I really wanted to point out there [having maybe 5 thoughts linked to that statement] was with White privilege, being gay in the White community is more "accepted" than it would be in any others. With white privilege, my professor was stating, comes the ideology that if you're White you can do or be anything you want without stereotypes that limit like, "I'm Asian so I'm a bad driver." This is what is termed internalized racism, where any particular race will incorporate the stereotypical characteristics of that race and use it to justify their own actions.

Anywho, with the issue of white privilege, the prevelance of this paradigm makes for another invisible group, the low-income and under priveleged white. Which also brings to mind also, low income Asians ["because Asians are rich too"] also an invisible group, both of these at least in the context of stereotypes. What didn't conclude in class tonight, or with the realization, that this is more of an issue of class rather than issues of race. We have the upper class, which is predominantly rich, white, heterosexual men controlling us all like puppets by making us fight amongst ourselves so that we would never turn our attention towards them. Again, if you walk the walk, talk the talk, look the look, and act rich then you must be rich. We can't say it's just race and white privilege, we have to look at things from a multidimensional perspective to see what else is going on.

One lens isn't good enough for me, give me all the glasses and lenses of the world for me to look through, including my own! I get bored with just one way of looking at things. :-p

For those with an interest in Spirituality

Seems like most of the class is interested in some aspects of spirituality. You may enjoy this..

Latent functions - the twist of social paradox

• The manifest function of the law is to prevent transgression; the latent function of the law is to create transgressors.
• The manifest function of marriage is to form lasting unions of mid-level* support among adults and children; the latent function of marriage is to break those unions. The break comes from the insistence upon fidelity and mutual support, two ideals which are not always honored.
• The manifest function of social stratification is to parcel people into jobs that need to be done to maintain a group; the latent function of social stratification is to maintain class differences in distribution of social capital and thereby weaken the supply of the right individuals for jobs. Opportunity structures are family-filtered and strangle supply routes for individuals to positions.
• The manifest function of religion is to stop and calm people and unite them in peace with the force that is bigger than all of us and keeps the cosmic ecology intact; the latent function of religion is to divide people in groups that "think" they are better or that the other is worse. To be a group - to unite with some - is to divide from others. Think gangs.
• The manifest function of a democracy is to concentrate the will of the people into a small number of vessels (legislators) so that they can publically exchange ideas and make decisions; the latent function of a democracy is to control the masses of people through control of the legislators by the few so that their will rather than that of the people is done. When representatives become targets, some will fall.
• The manifest function of a formal organization with a reporting structure is to pursue its goal (e.g., manufacture something, make profit); the latent function of an organization with a reporting structure, particularly a large organization with a heavily bureaucratized authority structure, is to create entropy and to permit or disguise waste and corruption.
• The latent function of rationality is irrationality. think Pi.
• The latent function of overpopulation (population density) is population reduction through chaos and breakdown. (natural disasters, mass layoffs, divorce)
• The latent function of "the news" is to create fiction.
• The manifest function of distinguishing between manifest and latent functions is to clarify; the latent function of the distinction is to blur and blend social institutions into the complex and magical fabric of social life.

*mid-level: the "family" unit exists between the individual and the collective.

Lyotard

I found these two quotes by Leotard to be very interesting:
"Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be consumed in order to be vaporised in a new production: in both cases, the goal is exchange."
"One can decide that the principal role of knowledge is as an indispensable element in the functioning of society, and act in accordance with that decision, only if one has already decided that society is a giant machine."

Talk about doing gender...

I also heard that the Bisu do not necessarily have to be homosexual in order to be Bisu, they just have male and female qualities in balance. I'm assuming Bisu can be either male or female, just embodying male and female traits.

Movie choices

Check out this list compiled by the Writing Class. http://writingsoc.blogspot.com/2009/01/combined-movie-list.html Our class could have a lively discussion around the sociology in a movie.
2-12: I moved this up, by date - let's find a movie to view next week.
Only 17 people out of 47 voted, so I am using my executive priviledge to pick the movie. I had to time them to see what fit into our time slot. I, too, voted for Strangelove, so you could say it only got 3 student votes. It might leave some high and dry ... and I really like the descriptions of the Spike Lee movie ... Ghandi is far too long ... Debaters is great, but all in Writing just saw it and wrote about it ... so ... Spike Lee it is. We should all be able to relate. ~ Edited 2/18 8:30 am

Freedom

Have you ever sat down and thought about having freedom? whether it is at home, at work, at school, on the street or even just the illusion of what it means to be free? It did not occur to me that i have so much freedom in this country than what my parents had in their country when they were growing up until we had the discussion in class on Thursday. i can honestly say that i take allot of the things that America offers its people for granted. i have freedom of speech, religion, thought, sexual preference, education, so on so forth. I'm sure other countries have their own "freedom" rights, but America seems to cover all the ones that directly matter to a citizen. sure there are flaws in our constitution and some of the things do not make sense to us, because it was written so long ago, but it touches on allot of things other countries do not even consider to be a right for a citizen. the bill of rights amends all the rights i listed above plus many others. I'm lucky to live in this country and be able to express all the things that matter to me freely.

Midterm quiz instructions

You have 3 pages (~ 1.5 pages each question). It is due, typed, Thursday class time.
Scantron part the following week.
Do a good job being a Sociologist. There are no "correct" answers - but there will be more or less creative, insightful, helpful, organized, and responsible papers. Use the thinkers and thoughts that we have discussed to illuminate your thinking and to create your "case". Each question has options for answers: You pick the letter (A B C, etc.) you choose to defend as the best answer - and also rank the others. Explain your ranking, too. It's up to you as to how you divide up the 1.5 pages you get per question - whether more space to the top choice answer or more space to the lesser ranked answers. All the answers are correct. Your job is to make your answers come to life as young Sociologists.

Mid term: Qs & instructions

questions http://theory414.blogspot.com/2009/01/quiz.html
how-to http://theory414.blogspot.com/2009/02/midterm-quiz-instructions.html
Mon 3:30 - 4:10 in KH Lecture Hall 1: to launch the Sociology on-line journal - a place for you to publish your writing.

Questions: pick 2 out of 6

1. What is the central question of Sociology?
A. What is society? If so, what is it?
B. What holds society together: conflict or consensus?
C. Sociology asks: How can we classify and divide people up for understanding? What does classificatory division do? What is the latent function of rationality?
D. Sociology is an assortment of intersectional questions such as: all the categories that people tell you that you are in: black, white, brown, man, woman, rich, poor, immigrant, gay, straight - all these identities you have been given and you accept. Patricia Collins chapter might help you on "intersections." C.Wright Mills first used the word 'intersection' in The Sociological Imagination
E. How do we fix things? I.e., what goes wrong and/or what do we want?

2. A century - a time, an era, an administration - has a mission (Goal) and a manner (Latent Pattern Maintenance). What is ours? What is our mission, our way of carrying out that mission?
A. It is a time of change - and we don't know what is happening.
B. A moment in history when we will re-establish the meaning of being human, which is what America is.
C. Our time is about the growth and perpetuation of consumer society and our failure to understand our place in history: we buy in to our own oppression. What we do supports our oppressors. Education is the route out.
D. People just come together and work it all out.
E. Technology and rationality vie with magic: ways of thinking, ways of being are constrained because they exist "against" some other way. Culture and cultural awareness is heightened. Anything goes.

3. The power elite
A. Assumes a power outside me
B. Is correct - but so what
C. Was coined by C. Wright Mills, a popular Sociologist of the mid 20th Century
D. Consists of Military, Economic, and Politically blurred puppets, personalities, and veiled powerful phenomena
E. Are forces far greater than Sociologists see, such as population growth, number, energy systems, gender transformations, free will, creativity, order, desire, and God.

4. What thinkers go best with what quotes on www.sorenkerk.com home page (like a "match 'em" type question)
A.
B.
C.

5. Married to the soul of Gaia, Saved by the symmetry of heaven. Re-read the piece on "Romanticism" here: http://www.stuartwildeblog.com/perceptions/2009/1/30/romanticism.html
A. This line "Married to the soul of Gaia, Saved by the symmetry of heaven" is an example of Romanticism - Marx might call it an opiate for us, the masses - plus Classicism, which all the early Sociologists were inadvertantly expressing with their desire to find a unified theory
B. This 'poem' helps to express the distinction between macro and micro sociology
C. The difference between Macro and Micro Sociology rests in large part on Mead's understanding of the "I" and "Me" in the emergent self. (option provided by "eve")
D. You may make up your own option, as "eve" did in C above.

6. As Sociologists, is it our goal to learn for the sake of enlightenment and provoking thoughts in the minds of those who will change the world or are we changing the world simply by understanding and embracing it?
A. Understading is the mirror of change-Mead would argue it's both understanding and change, because as reflexive beings by changing ourselves we are slowly changing society-the world, melding new me-Is, balancing play and game.
B. This is the argument of the Marco versus the Micro Sociological theorists.
C. Marx would say it is foolish to understand and embrace a world that does not fufill our needs, therefore the only objective is change! And change will be quick, bold, and possibly violent, for controllers naturally go towards more control, not less.
D. Sociologists' goals of enlightenment or change can never be fufilled because sociologists' theories are tainted by our own glasses. (this excellent question #6 provided by "eve")

Reflecting on todays class..........

I've been able to travel to a couple third world countries in my life, I wasn't able to fullyappreciate the experience due to personal reasons and I would like to someday go back so I can really appreciate it, but was able to realize that we are verrrrry blessed to live in America. I think the ideals our country was built on are beautiful, we've done pretty shitty at times in our history in reaching these ideals, but all the same the ideals are beautiful. What makes the way this country is built, great is that we have the right to speak our minds, instigate change, rebel, revolt, protest, which in a lot of countries they don't have. I also think as Americans we are spoiled. We are whining about not being able to pay our credit card bills (which does suck) while there are children in other countries who are starving, living in war, and according to Ty in class, getting their heads bashed in by rocks. We have it pretty lucky!!! I know I'm kind of an idealist, but I like to think everything in life happens for a reason even if we don't know the what the reason is at the time. I think maybe our country is going through this economic crisis (I say going through because I believe our country will get through this) because as a country we need a change in conciousness, so we realize what's reallllly important.

Database: Track Bailout $$$$

I found this thing on LA Times that's tracking the bailout money: http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-tarp-database,0,6602720.htmlstory

Midterm quiz type

no one commented on the idea of having a creative take-home mid term rather than a Scantron type midterm. http://theory414.blogspot.com/2009/01/quiz.html These would be answered creatively with written responses.

The Future of Communication

I found this video on Youtube and found some Marxian attributes within it, plus it's kind of comical in a way. Would anyone else want to analyze through the context of our other theorists?

Stimulus Plan: Food for Thought...

I actually heard a really good commentary on the opposition to the stimulus plan and the almost unanimous contention to it in the house and senate by Republican representatives (which was something we discussed in class). It was theorized that the Republican Party has quietly agreed to immediately oppose big issue bills that cross the senate and house floors for the simple reason of limiting the power of the Democrats early on and diminishing the momentum generated by BOs race to the White House. If they were to instantaneously concur with the Democratic platform it would not only solidify the perception of complete negligence in the previous administration by the American public, but effectively demolish their future bid for not only seats in the house and senate, but also for the successor to BO.

Seems probable with the way our 2 party system functions. Not even the threat of economic meltdown is enough to put aside petty differences... what do you think?

Change & Choice

These past few days I have been thinking about our discussions in class regarding change and choice (free will) and I couldn't help but look up some of my favorite quotes to look share with the class.

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.- Maya Angelou

The shape of our lives is defined by our insertion into institutions and systems whose interlocking power generates the "virtual reality" we experience. Such 'knowledge' is so thoroughly a part of our worldview that it simply would not occur to most people to question it. Yet underneath this reality is another, subinstitutional reality in which very different responses are simply acted out. This is the reality in which everyone, until very recently, lived.
- David Schwartz

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. -Thomas Alva Edison

Our Emotions!

Do you ever find yourself full of reasons to breakdown and cry? Between all of your day-to-day stresses (getting to work or school, keeping your body looking fit and healthy, paying the bills, and lets not mention your lovelife) it just is simply too much. Everyday you will find that there is something out there that will attempt to hender you from your ultimate goal- Happiness. You can't allow these things to get the best of you. Life is hard, not just for you but for everyone who is living in this overwhelming society. Instead of looking at the world like there are no ways out, begin to think about these situations as tools to improve your life, while making you a better person. For instance; a person who is given everything without hard work does not know what it feels like to struggle, and work hard to make something work for them. It is possible that this person may never know how to handle extreme challenges when presented with them in the future. I strongly believe that everything that a person goes through is simply a developmental process which allows that person to build a stronger resistance to the bad, while mentally preparing them for the good. There is nothing wrong with crying. Sometimes you'll find that releasing your emotions with tears will allow space for newer and better emotions to surface.

Era of Change or Just a Slip?

President Obama represents physical and structural change in the Unites States. But is it because America is ready to see and treat all ethnicities equally? I don’t think so. Bush’s greatest legacy is to be the "one" who f_ _ked up so bad, it made the American people willing to try anything. In this case, the people elected a black man to be the Commander and Chief of the United States. Don’t get me wrong, President Obama is an awesome man who has charisma and intelligence. I believe he is the one to prove to America you don’t have to be white to lead the United States. I also believe that he is the one to unify the people regardless of ethnicity. However, I can’t help but wonder if this new face of America symbolizes a beginning to opening doors that have been closed for centuries, or will it be a standing pillar of tokenism?

Freewill or Fantasy?

I WAS VERY INTRIGUED BY OUR CLASS DISCUSSION ON FREEWILL AND WEATHER OR NOT IT IN FACT EXISTS OR IT IS JUST AN ILLUSION. WHAT I FOUND TO BE INTERESTING WAS THE VARIOUS OPINIONS OF MY CLASSMATES, SOME BELIEVED THAT THE UNIVERSE IS DETERMINISTIC AND THEREFOR FREEWILL CANNOT EXIST, AND OTHERS (LIKE OUR PROFESSOR) BELIEVED THAT FREEWILL IS SIMPLY THE CHOICES WE MAKE, WEATHER THEY ARE INFLUENCED OR NOT BY OUTSIDE FORCES, THEY ARE NEVER THE LESS A CHOICE THAT WE ALONE DECIDE IN OUR MINDS TO MAKE. I BELIVE THAT BOTH CAN BE TRUE. ALTHOUGH IT IN INEVITABLE FOR US TO BE INFLUINECED IN OUR ACTIONS BY MANY FACTORS SUCH AS FAMILY, SOCIETY ETC. WE ARE ALSO FREE TO THINK, DECIDE AND MAKE CHOICES THAT SOMETIMES MIGHT BE CONTRARY TO WHAT IS EXPECTED OF US. ANY DECISION CAN BE SCRUTINIEZED AND GIVEN SCIENTIFIC CONNECTIONS BUT I DONT BELIEVE THAT DIMINISHES THAT FACT THAT IT IS STILL OUR WILL THAT DECIDED THE ACTION. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

My E-mail

Hello everyone,
There is a possibility that my e-mail client has been sorting your letters and putting them in the spam folder. I've created filter that will make sure that I know I've received an e-mail from you, just make sure you have the word theory414 in the subject line of your letter. If you don't get a response from me within that day, try e-mailing me at pluu001@gmail.com.

Peter

Song

Peter dreamwalker936@gmail.com sent this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTaIsS6ZZPY
Peter is now Administrator of the Blog and is ready to help with technical or other issues - so write Peter if you need help or direction - or post and ask here for all.

A Proud American

I am so proud to be an American today.. It has finally come... an end of an era- or should i say an Error... it is now Obama's turn to lead our country into some what of an order that we can all follow.. I am so emotional, that a country like the US has to go through so much... We as a nation have failed to secure one another in this tragic time of need. WE steal, lie, hate, and cause other chaos just to survive, i can not wait until some peacefulness arises after the storm has settled. i do not know how Obama is gonna do it... but i hope he has the patience and power to figure out how the super power of the world is going to get back on its feet. He has made very big promises and i hope he will be able to at least accomplish some of them. this nation does not need another failure, but a president that is preaching about hope, change, wisdom... as Obama has been doing! i wish him much luck and success in his 4 years in office!

detect the tone of an era

by how President frames it at the inagural. <-- Click to Writer Post
Theory 414 people also check: http://sorenkerk.com/2009/1%20theory.htm
There will be a sign up sheet for your choice of topics/writers on which to focus. We'll get that all straight next week.

Choices Really?

As systematically put by Weber, "There is no Objectivity". As simple as it gets, one gets to wonder how Weber came up with that, and then using the phrase to understand life, and choices. It really begins to sink in; how free is the the idea of freewill if we live in a society that is molded by traditions and from that environment we develop what we like to think of as freewill, and claim to make choices. Further thinking of Weber's approach only makes me begin to think that, perhaps having no objectivity is Change. I say that because given the fact that every one else is so ritually trying to squeeze change out of the ritualistic perspective of objective, of freewill and choice that has become to monotonous that the harder they try to emphasize change, the more stuck they actually are to the ritualistic perspective that they sort to change in the first place.

Multiple Traits

After giving it some thought, I would say that Durkheim is aligned with the control/formal concept due to his functionalist perspective making him more like a lion. Yet Marx a conflict theorist would be a peacock because he definitely does not go with the flow/formal model. Unlike Weber, who appears to go with the flow/informal hypothesis because he does not believe science should be a directive but should bring about consciousness, in return can provoke change. This would portray a dolphin type individual. Simmel, on the other hand is more aligned with the opposite of the control/formal theory, making the theorist more like an owl because he theorizes on the patterns and forms of groups that bring conflict rather it be good or bad. I would be considered a lion but I possess some characteristics that fall under all four types of individuals. Needless to say, I believe some of the theorist especially Simmel would not be as easily categorized as one or another.

A Little Bit of Everything

In class yesterday I was catagorized as a dolphin, which I think is mostly true, however, in certain situations I believe I am more of a lion, or a peackock, or an owl. This seems to be true of our sociologists as well. I had difficulty in finding the sociologist who is mostly a dolphin. It could be Marx, because of his passion, however, he seems to mostly have lion attributes. It could be Durkheim because Durkheim theorizes about suicide according to interpersonal relationships or lack of interpersonal relationships, however, Durkheim also theorizes about social facts and rules which aren't dolphin characteristics at all. Weber is convincing because he theorizes about ideas, believing that, "Ideas can change the world." He also is saddening by leaving the age of enchantment, (an emotional era) and entering the age of rationality. He also believes the three major characteristics we use to make a decision are tradition, charisma, and rationality, all interpersonal characteristics. You know what....as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that perhaps this catagorization isn't so hard after all, I think Weber is defenitley the dolphin of these four clasical sociologists. An intersting dolphin/Weber question for the test could be to give some of the negative outcomes of leaving the age of enchantment and entering the age of rationalization.