ACTION ITEMS: Please read the two readings below for our next class. Both of them are about culture.   Action Item:  Kohl's Values Americans Live By First, the Kohl reading is about American culture.  It was written to help emigrants arriving in America adjust to cultural values that they may not be familiar with.  For Americans, the reading provides interesting insight into the culture that surrounds us.  Like fish who have never questioned water, we are engrossed in our cultural values so ubiquitously that we don't realize it.  This reading will help ..read more

As we saw during our last lesson, culture is made up of different components that shape how we think and act and what we assume is normal.  Another aspect of culture is language. Symbolic culture is shared meaning that involves communication such as gestures and language.   Gestures What are examples of the importance of gestures? Gestures are important to understanding and communicating within a culture.  Understanding a culture's gestures can also help us avoid ethnocentrism and culture shock.  Here is a guide for international business travelers  ..read more

Please review:  Levine, Robert and Wolff, Ellen.  Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culture.  Psychology Today. 1985.           Action Item: Kohl's Values Americans Live By Today's Lesson:   Culture How to examine it?  culture shock   ethnocentrism   cultural relativity What is it made up of?  material  nonmaterial  norms   folkways  mores  taboos language  As we learned in our last lesson ..read more

  HW:  Levine, Robert and Wolff, Ellen.  Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culture.  Psychology Today. 1985.           Google Form for this lesson 1.  What are some of the unseen ways that the tree below has been shaped? There are two general categories of influences on the tree: Nature and Nurture. The Nature and Nurture Dynamic The tree begins with a seed that houses the tree's genetic material, an algorithm for how the tree should grow.  But the rules of the algorithm interact with the environment that the seed lands in ..read more

As students enter, please look over the reading by Joel Best, "The Truth about Damned Lies and Statistics."  Be ready to answer questions about the reading. Here is the Google Form for students who are absent. Small group discussion of reading. 1. What's the problem with the statistic about children killed by guns?  2.  According to Best, what are the 2 harmful ways that people view statistics?  3.  How does Best say people should view statistics?  4.  Rather than viewing a statistic's flaws, how does Best say that people should be thoughtful ..read more

 While waiting, please review Joel Charon's "Should We Generalize About People?" Action Item for next class: Joel Best, "The Truth about Damned Lies and Statistics."  Please sit in your designated areas.   In and out is not just for burgers, it is also for groups! Sociologists use the terms ingroup and outgroup to refer to groups that you are either a member of (ingroup) or not a member of (outgroup). To illustrate this, today I separate the class into two different groups.   To put it another way, I create an ingroup and an outgroup ..read more

As we wait for class to start, be sure you have an original research article ready to dissect.  If you are not sure of your article, feel free to call me over to look at it.  Try to label the different sections of your article: Abstract Introduction Literature Review Methods Data/Stats Conclusion Discussion/moving forward Also - please look over the reading, Gang Leader for a Day Introduction and be ready to discuss it. HW: Read Joel Charon's Should We Generalize? Today's lesson focus: What are the different types of sociological research? How do ..read more

Sociology can help us understand why JD Vance (and Trump) continue to push lies about Springfield, OH.  If you have been following the spiraling story about people in Springfield OH eating pets, sociology can help make sense of what's going on.   During the debate with Kamala Harris, Trump said, "they are eating our dogs..."  https://youtu.be/lHycpIhnFcU?si=NPKnqlpzaQqkYgkV Since then, the Trump campaign, especially JD Vance, have doubled down on those claims.  But, yesterday on CNN, Vance seemed to inch closer to the truth https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/15/politics/vance-i ..read more

Sensitive Subject Warning for today's lesson: Sociology examines all aspects of society - including those that can be emotional.  Today's lesson briefly involves the topic of suicide. Students will find just about any topic that interests them has sociological research about it.  However, some topics of everyday life can be emotional.  Just watching the evening news reveals many topics in everyday life that might create a visceral response: murder, environmental pollution, racism, sexual assault and sexism are just to name a few.  All of these are an emotional part o ..read more

If you are absent, Google Form. Today's Lesson: Let's go on vacation! For this simulation, we are going on an around-the-world cruise!  How fun, right? That is, until the boat hits a mine leftover from WWII and the cruise ship sinks really fast.   Luckily, you survive!  There was one life raft that was saved.   You and 15 others climb aboard or cling to the outside of it.   (Here is a printable copy of this activity.)   Here are the people aboard the boat: _______________  1.  Sailor Jones:  It is somewha ..read more