Archive for October, 2010

HIV/AIDS: Silent Victims or Silenced Victims: The Media Constructs the Message

This student essay was submitted for Sociology 435 (The Sociology of Social Change) at Athabasca University. It is a critical examination of  the “heinous” way the media treated the aids epidemic, and their absolute disregard for social responsibility or the deleterious impact media messages were having on the public’s understanding of the disease.  The media [...]

Are you a publisher?

As a publisher or writer or publisher of Sociology and Social sciences, you’ve probably never thought of a mass market for your goods. The critical study of sociology remains conveniently obscured behind a global media blackout on social research, and a wall of disciplinary verbiage. But it is time to break down that wall and [...]

Book Release – Feminism is Queer

Feminism is Queer is an introduction to the intimately related disciplines of gender and queer theory. Whilst guiding the reader through complex theory, the author develops the original position of queer feminism, which presents queer theory as continuous with feminist theory. Whilst there have been significant conceptual tensions between second wave feminism and traditional lesbian and gay studies, queer theory offers a paradigm for understanding gender, sex and sexuality that avoids the conflict in order to develop solidarity among those interested in feminist theory and those interested in lesbian and gay rights.

The Performance of Adolescent Stigma

We live in a violent world, but it is not just physical violence we endure. We also endure psychological violence and nowhere is that more obvious then when we consider the very real suffering that many adolescents endure. As the authors of this article suggest, we force our children into social moulds regardless of any other consideration, and this has profound psychological and physical costs ranging anywhere from depression through to disordered eating and even suicide. We can see this clearly, say the authors, when we consider that some adolescents have all the marks of the stigmatized, non conforming, out-group. So what do we do? Ideally we would stop violently imposing conformity and normalcy on people. However, until we get to the point we are willing to do that, the authors have some suggestions on how to mitigate the negative impact and nurture our adolescents better. A little kindness and attention goes a long way!

Sociology of Science and Sociology as Science by Craig Calhoun

[amazonify]0231151128:right[/amazonify]Columbia University Press is pleased to announce the publication of Robert K. Merton: Sociology of Science and Sociology as Science, edited by Craig Calhoun. Robert K. Merton (1910-2003) was one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century, producing clear theories and innovative research that continue to shape multiple disciplines. Merton’s reach can be [...]

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Corporations, Governments and Consumers – The Unholy Trinity of Inequality

According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, some 36 million people (mostly women and children) die every year from preventable hunger. Who is to blame for this situation? According to Anna, we all are. Corporations and governments manipulate the global economies for the benefit of wealthy corporations and individuals and we, the masses, plug into the television, get our daily dose of indoctrination, and feed our bodies with a consumer intravenous, bloating up and dying of obesity as a result. It’s time to quit playing the game of separation and start working on the problem together else Gaia may fail and or our days of wine and roses may be over.

** World Hunger **

Got what it takes?

Do you have what it takes to use your sociological imagination? Do you have what it takes to step outside the staid box of intellectual insentience? Can you string words together in meaningful and entertaining ways (or is this something you might want to learn how to do)? Do you want more than a handful [...]

Comrades in Arms – Rape and Abuse in the U.S. Army

Ever wonder what happens to people who don’t go along in the army? They don’t get along. In this heart wrenching first person account one female soldier recounts the brutal rape and callous disregard she experienced at the hands of U.S. Army soldiers and officers just for expressing an opinion not within the boundaries of official army discourse. Warning, some imagery may not be suitable for younger audiences, the faint of heart, or those easily disturbed by violence and human disregard.