Month June 2012

What makes us put up with violence? Why, when we see abuse around us do we pretend it’s not abuse. This is a question that as a sociologist and parent of two school age children I find myself asking a…

Here is a story, not by a sociologist or a sociology student, by a high ranking computer geek. It may not be coming from a Sociologist, but it sure points to how sociology can transform our perceptions of the world.…

Do so-called authorities know more about us than we know about ourselves? “The Big Lie” asserts that authorities, in the form of theologians and academics, seem to think they do. Further, those authorities tend to take a dim view of…

It used to be identity was to be found in the way we thought, the groups we were a part of, and the things we held dear. More and more, however, we exist in a monotonic world where our identity…

Here is an article submitted by CPT Tanya Rosa of the Human Terrain Analysis Team-South, a US Army group tasked with interviewing Iraqi’s and gathering information. According to CPT Rosa, “the team is a mix of education levels, most graduate…

One of the first things the sociology initiate learns is about the “sociological imagination.” This concept is used to illustrate, the power of sociology. Sociology can help you, you are told, if you just use its concepts to understand your…

In an era of constant war and aggression, William T. Hathaway provides a peaceful breathe of air. An awesome book for any social science educator wanting to present a fresh and alternative view to the constant media hype about war,…

Announcing a New Book Series Series Editor: Bonnie Berry, Director of the Social Problems Research Group, USA Solving Social Problems provides a forum for the description and measurement of social problems, with a keen focus on the concrete remedies proposed…

This article was printed in the spring 2007 issue of “Our Schools / Our Selves,” published quarterly by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives www.policyalternatives.ca. David F. Noble (guest blogger) Critical pedagogy has long condemned grading as an impediment to…

Iisms and Schisms and postmodern standpoints. We live in spineless world were we all “go along” just to get along and where “playing the game” (i.e. complying with social conventions, avoiding confrontation, and letting the status quo exist unchallenged) is…