Has US Society changed in the last 10 years?

A compelling read today in the newspaper about US Society and War. Is this author accurate in his assessment of US Society? And if so what would one's sociological imagination find as reasons why the US is becoming like he suggests we might? Check it out.....link to NY Times.

Another day, another classroom!

What a non-traditional way to start a school year....3 days, 3 different classrooms! I wonder what impact this is having on my students?!?! Seems to be nothing bad so far.

Our discussion on Sociological Imagination and the reading "Outliers" today was rather interesting. When confronted with the health statistics that Steven Wolf found in Roseto, PA in the 1950's he and others were dumbfounded and tried everything they could to explain it.....they looked at the natural sciences and some of the other social sciences, but no matter what they investigated; genetics, geology, medical science, etc, nothing was giving them an answer. Finally when all the other sciences were stuck with this anomaly, this 'outlier', they turned to sociology. And by examining everything sociologists could look at, the broader sub-societies people operated in, how individuals lived their lives, etc, they began to recognize patterns that we now know today are very helpful at reducing/managing stress.....strong extended family ties (grandparents, parents, kids, aunts and uncles living together or nearby), many communal associations and connections (including religious activities), a very egalitarian (suppressed demonstrations of wealth differences) society, etc. ONLY By using their sociological imaginations could sociologists begin to see the factors that were creating this medical outlier society.

As you consider some ideas for your first official blog entry you could consider what kinds of outliers you have noticed in the world around you already and how you might explain these outliers!!!

***Another thing that you could focus your sociological imagination on is the 20th anniversary of one of the most highly regarded movies in modern US History, "Do The Right Thing" by Spike Lee. I mentioned reading the linked article about this movie that discussed how most white members of US society responded one way to this movie while most racial minorities responded quite differently. Several different experts discussed the movie in this article from, The Nation online. Do The Right Thing link.

Blogging by an old person!

Pardon my construction, I am still working on creating a more exciting site for you to visit. I hope to pick from many of the ideas and formats my students will use, so thank you for helping me out today! I look forward to reviewing your first blogs and posts.

Welcome to a new type of class...Sociology!

I hope the initial silent treatment during class day one didn't offend anyone into not taking Sociology! The point is, or was, that we are engaging in not just a class about sociology, but a study of sociology and, more important, becoming a sociologist. To become a sociologist you have to examine a lot about yourself and about the world around you in ways you may never have before. This is called a sociological imagination, the ability to ask why you (and others) think or behave the way you do, and to look for answers from how society has impacted you (or others).

For your first blog it would be great to read your thoughts about the first day of class, what you expected, what happened, and how/why you and others reacted the way you did. If you want to go a little bit further, what impact do you think my shaking hands with students has and why?

We also discussed the Stanley Milgram experiment from the 1960's about obedience and authority (also known as electrocuting strangers). I have to say that your honesty about being willing to inflict some pain on others was interesting to me....on one hand some of you were very realistic and honest about the fact that you would do so, on the other hand it scares me that the idea of electrocuting strangers was not seen as a very bad thing to do!?!? This experiment was recently reviewed and re-done by ABC news....you can see it here:


You could also post your thoughts on how the USA society creates people that are so obedient to authority? Are we doing that here at Stevenson in any ways?