ON KNOWING YOUR MARX…AND TAYLOR! My inspiration for this project was in the works for some time, but hit a creative inspiration in light of the most recent Superbowl and consequent discussions about the game. For the first time in my life, discussions around the singular moment in football every year was no longer centered around the quality of the quarterback, and one team’s defensive line versus the other’s passing game. This year, no matter how much we tried to avoid it, the discussion always lay under one all-encompassing shadow–the curvy silhouette of Taylor Swift. I’ve not conducted any ..read more

DEFENDING BOOKS AND TEACHERS IS DEFENDING DEMOCRACY Defense of Democracy Go to the Podcast I had a great conversation with Karen Svoboda on her podcast, Defense of Democracy. Defense of Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to educating the public on the importance of public schools and public libraries to preserving our democratic way of life. Please check out their website and offer any support you can. This is a worthwhile endeavor. I’m glad I could be a small part of it. Here is the podcast featuring Karen Svoboda and me! You can subscribe to the Defense of ..read more

Chapter 3: Methods of Research Section 3: Ethical Considerations Introduction In the last couple of chapters, we’ve learned about the many methods of research in sociology. We learned about quantitative methods that use statistical and numerical data, usually through a deductive process to elaborate major trends in society. We also learned about qualitative research, focused on understanding the stories and lived experiences of individuals in research settings, usually using inductive methods, to get a more detailed understanding of society. The bottom line is that research is absolutely centr ..read more

My Essay in Perspectives on History I did not know how to take the news. My internal dialogue was struck dumb as I checked my district-approved “classroom library” app for an updated list of vetted and approved books. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed novel written as a rebuke of McCarthyism and censorship, was approved. I could allow my students to read it. I have been teaching in Florida for the last 30 years. For almost a quarter of a century, I have been dedicated to teaching social studies and history at the secondary and college levels. My classroom library is vast, having be ..read more

WE CAN’T TEACH OUR STUDENTS THAT THIS IS NORMAL Early this morning I walked to my classroom feeling refreshed from enjoying a three-day weekend with my family. I was looking forward to taking on the day with my new batch of students for this semester. I unlocked the door, turned on the light, and that refreshed feeling vanished. Here’s what I walked into. Six hundred books were removed from my classroom by my admin. The books were carted off to a “secure location” in the office. After school I was allowed to get my books, but I had to be escorted to my truck so the Assistant Principal could w ..read more

ON ENDING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN THE REAL WORLD Thirty years ago, I started my career as a counselor for delinquent and otherwise troubled teenage boys. Many were gang affiliated. One thing that they were not was conscientious of or attendant to the potential consequences of their behavior. Consequently, I spent a great deal of my early career dealing with conflict cycles. Over time, I learned how to recognize conflict cycles before they started and to intervene in constructive ways. Counseling is what brought me into sociology as a field. Consequently, much of my approach to sociology is in ..read more

ON STANDING UP AGAINST THE VIOLENCE CYCLE Fear, Hatred and Violence after 9/11 I was not a popular person in 2001. In the face of the horrors wrought by the attack on our country and the deaths of thousands of our fellow citizens on 9/11 the cry for war was overwhelming. We were attacked by a foreign power on American soil. They showed our vulnerability, humiliated us, shattered the delusions that come with power. We needed to show them, show the world, and affirm for ourselves, that we are strong, that a trespass against us will be answered by devastating violence. The enemy was identified. O ..read more

WHEN THOSE IN POWER DON’T WANT YOU TO LEARN A TOPIC That’s Exactly the Topic You Should Be Studying! I taught Principles of Sociology as an adjunct at a Florida state university and a state college for fifteen years. I loved it. My classes consisted of future police officers and EMTs, nurses, psychologists, counselors, and social workers, and in the opening years, future teachers. Principles of Sociology was required or was at the very least one of the social science options for most of these majors. I surveyed my students in the beginning and the end of every semester to gage where they were ..read more

A RESPONSE TO GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SEN. TIM SCOTT AND HIS CONSERVATIVE COLLEAGUES It should come as no surprise that the Republican Party is solidly on the side of the ownership class at the expense of working people. The only folks who don’t know this is working-class Republicans who seem to think that protecting their churches and fetuses from treacherous liberals is of greater value to them than is their economic well-being.1 So, Sen. Tim Scott’s response to the UAW strike is right in line with American Conservative philosophy. Asking the so-called “job creators” to pay their workers ..read more

Chapter 3: Methods of Research Section 2: Qualitative Methods Introduction In the last chapter we learned about the importance of data and theory in conducting sociological research and we were introduced to two sociological traditions in research, the Positivist Tradition, and the Interpretivist Tradition.  Lecture 10 Review Lecture 10 focused on the Positivist Tradition which emphasizes using deductive scientific methods for understanding social life. To do so, sociologists use what are called quantitative methods of research, or methods of research using numerical data and measurable v ..read more