Classroom Controversy | The Socjournal

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So, in an interview Bette Midler said that she was disappointment with the risque way young Hollywood tartlets were parading their bodies around. She specifically targeted little elf Ariana Grande when she said, and I quote, It’s always surprising to …

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Yesterday while I was at the tire shop waiting to get the tires of my car changed, I came across an article in Science Daily about children’s innate mathematical sense. As odd a place to gain profound insight into human …

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  The beheading of American freelance photojournalist James Foley by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shocked the world. He was taken prisoner in northwest Syria in November 2012 while on assignment for the Global Post. ISIS …

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Sociology has a lot to say about the education system. In this article Dr. Waters talks about status and education. He draws our attention to the mysterious world of hierarchy and how people learn to deal with that. This is a peek into the hidden world of the meritocracy that we all suffer within.

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Humanity used to believe in God, but now they believe in Darwin. This is a bit of an extreme statement, since most people still believe in God, but the sentiment is accurate. Darwin’s theories of the MECHANISMS of evolution has had a major impact on the social, emotional, and even spiritual fabric of this planet. There is a problem though. In a lot of ways Darwin’s theories seem more like canon, or ideology, than good science. This article explores early awareness of the ideological nature of Darwinian theory, and provides some suggestions on how scientists can break free of dogma that has more to do with religion than with good science.

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Recent discussions of cutback to our universities in Alberta, the neo-liberal led assault on post-secondary education, led one colleague of mine to decry the new instrumental rationality that pervades the social fabric. These days all things great and small come …

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Love love love. All you need is love. Love is like oxygen. Love lifts you up. Love is everything, or is it. Romantic love wasn’t always the Walt Disney deal it is today. It got started at a certain historical period (long before the 20th century) and has blossomed to iconic status, and a multi-billion dollar cultural industry. But what is it really? Perhaps it is just a distraction designed to keep the worker bees focused on something other than their oppression. Perhaps it is, like the author says, the last kick at the cat of passion as the inexorable march of rationalization strips our world of humanity, feeling, and meaning. Whatever it is it is certainly a topic worthy of Sociological investigation!

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Here’s something you maybe didn’t know went on in our world, female infanticide or killing girl babies just because they do not make economic or social sense. It is a problem in certain countries of the world and the fallout is getting worse by the year. A growing gender imbalance will have serious political, economic, and social consequences if people don’t smarten up and see beyond the socially constructed categories of gender. In the 21st century is this really something that should still be happening?

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What does Psychology, Sociology, Behaviourism, and emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual abuse have to do with each other? A concern with uplifting the human being, transcending pain and suffering, and moving towards holistic health and wellbeing. Or not. Sometimes it is just about command, control, and fitting people into the System. But not here, and not from now on. The winds of change are blowing, a hurricane is coming, and no amount of self delusion, self deception, or social propaganda are going to turn those winds away.

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Here is an assignment/essay by a student in my Sociology 460 Technology course. I’m including it here because of the great way this student highlights the ambivalent impact of technology on our lives. As he clearly identifies, it is not all wine and roses. Many people are impacted negatively. In fact, when you consider it carefully, the overall impact may be decidedly negative. As evidenced by the growing gap between rich and poor, and as Warren Buffet has recently admitted, technology has allowed the rich and powerful to win the class war.

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