Archive for January, 2012
“So what’s the deal with that?” – Observational Comedy and Sociology
Yes grasshopper, Sociology is relevant to modern life. Not only does it make you a better person, but it makes you a funnier comedian. It is true! As this author points out, a sociological sophistication and awareness gives jokes a contextualized comical punch that is absent from your run-of-the-mill comedic styling. And while the author downplays the importance of Sociology to comedy, the connection is as significant and important as the connection between comedy and Sociology. There’s nothing like a little contextualized humor to make the arid spaces of the balkanized academe more open, airy, and lush.
Redefining Reality: Seeing is Disbelieving
Epistemology = How do we know the world that we know? Ontology = What is the nature of the world that we know? In this short article Dr. Tim argues not only that the world is a materialist presence that exists independent of our observation (his ontological statement), but that this materialist presence can be known basically through a process of empirical trial and error. The empirical trial and error is necessary because the human is fallible, given to delusion, and open to manipulation and contrivance. That much is true, we are too easy to fool it seems. But is that in our nature, or is it a function of our flawed socialization process? That’s the rub. Personally, I think socialization but then hey, this a Sociology journal and I’m a sociologist, so maybe I’m biased (or maybe, it is the Truth).
And V for Victory it is…
V is for victory and that’s what this was. Thousands of websites, millions of people, billions of voices all around the world spoke out loud and clear against a piece of American legislation that would wipe out the Internet as we know it. Good for the rich Hollywood producers, bad for all the millions of democratic content generators that have sprung up all around the world. After a decade of declining progressive politics, the will of the people is getting a much needed jolt to the fibrillating fibers. And the moment has come none too soon if you ask me.
National Academy of Science
Science, science, science. Has there ever been a thing more wondrous and beautiful, terrible and ugly, than science? From acetylsalicylic acid to atom bombs, Prozac to Pontiac, it is impossible to deny that science is at least partially responsible. So find out more about it, and teach your students well. Make Good Science a textbook in your methods, theory, or even introductory class.
What to know about the nature of money, the value of money, and money's role in our modern economies of exchange, then download The Rocket Scientists' Guide to Money and the Economy and let the truth set you free. [download]
Statistics for the rest of us. Afraid of math? Not sure how you're going to get your social statistics credit without permanent damage to your mental health? Consider Sociology 301: Social Statistics from Athabasca University. This course is designed for you, as a grounded and thorough introduction to social statistics. Learn everything you need to know in a sophisticated, well designed, and gentle package. Credit in Sociology 301 is fully transferable.
