Lisa recently posted about a woman who was denied health insurance due to having a C-section in the past; the health care plan would cover her only if she agreed to be sterilized. Mackenzie I.-T. sent in this clip from Anderson Cooper 360 about a woman who was dropped by her insurance company after she was raped, due to her doctors putting her on antibiotics […]
The Houston Chronicle recenly reported on the efforts of social scientists to understand whether the death penalty deters potential murderers. According to the article, research on the issue has historically produced mixed results: In 1967, sociologist Thorsten Sellin found no significant impact when he studied murder rates in adjacent states with differing […]
Questions about Meb Keflezighi's 'American' identity after winning the New York City Marathon is the latest example of anti-immigrant and anti-minority backlash among many White Americans.
Questions about Meb Keflezighi's 'American' identity after winning the New York City Marathon is the latest example of anti-immigrant and anti-minority backlash among many White Americans.
Peter Hessler, at the New Yorker, discusses the practice of outsourcing art to China. According to Hessler, Chinese people, mostly from the countryside, are trained to paint copies of photographs or paintings en masse and those paintings are sold to tourists elsewhere in the world. Painters pose in their workspace: Paintings to be sold as souvenirs somewhere […]
Welcome back guest blogger, Adina Nack. Adina is an associate professor of Sociology at California Lutheran University specializing in medical sociology, gender inequality and sexual health. You can visit her online here. We are pleased to feature a post she wrote for us reflecting on recent FDA decisions and a video released by the Oral Cancer Foundation. […]
Notes from North of 49ºN Toronto Mayor David Miller recently unveiled the opening of city datasets on the OpenTO website, ushering in the city’s new era of Gov 2.0. In less than an hour, the above map of the city’s wards was generated from the shapefiles. According to Now Magazine:: “Basically, OpenTO amounts to the city offering [...] […]
Cate M. emailed us about the promo for the movie “The Killer Inside Me,” saying, The level of violence is at NSFW levels and quite possibly one of the most ‘trigger warning’ vids I’ve ever seen used to promote a non-horror film. We get a lot of submissions about sexualized violence toward women, so I thought, “well, ok, we […]
The D.C. Council’s Committee on Health released a report after surveying D.C. high school students about sex education (discovered via Feministing). One of their questions was about the source of sexual health information. The pie chart below shows that students name, in order, their parents or guardians, health workers, teachers, friends, and boyfriends o […]
Kay, a student at a University in Munich, sent along an invitation for a Corps Isaria fraternity, or or “Burschenschafts,” party. The cover for the invitation reads “Isarias Gute Kinderstube” which, she explains, “translates literally to good nursery and means something like being well raised, knowing how to behave.” When […]
7. Compare and contrast the rewards and costs of children.
The costs of children may fall under 2 categories: direct financial costs and opportunity costs. Direct financial costs include out-of-pocket expenses, such as food or clothing. Opportunity costs are lost opportunities for income by working less or not at all because of children. Children have many needs, and therefore are very expensive. Some expenses include housing, food, transportation, clothing, healthcare, and schooling. The rewards of children are more difficult to measure, and mostly fall under emotional feelings such as love, joy, and purpose. Another benefit to having a child is having someone to take care of you as you age, whether it be taking care of you by themselves, or placing you in a nursing home. Children also help parents expand their horizons socially.
6. Compare and contrast population growth in developed and developing countries. What is China doing to curb population growth? What have been the consequences of their program?
In developed countries around the world, fewer babies are being born. Developed countries replacement rate is not being fulfilled. On average people are having 1.2-1.7 kids when the number needed to replace the population is 2.1.
In developing countries, populations are continuing to grow. Enough children are being born to replace their parents.
China has adopted a “one-child” policy in order to reduce their population. While this policy has been successful, the number of girls in the country has dropped significantly. Many girls have been abandoned or even killed. This happens because boys are more valued than girls. In order to reduce the problem the value of girls needs to be restored.
6. Compare and contrast population growth in developed and developing countries. What is China doing to curb population growth? What have been the consequences of their program?
In general, developed countries tend to have a much lower fertility rate than developing countries. This is because family planning is less common in developing countries and children can offer their parents some security.
In China, in order to slow the population’s growth, the government has a policy of one child per family, with a few exceptions. One major consequence of this policy is female children are often unwanted and abandoned or even killed in China. Also, if a family has more than one child, the other children aren’t eligible for lots of social benefits. Finally, there is the consequence of a very unbalanced male to female ratio in China.
2. How has/is the institution of marriage changing?
Marriage has changed greatly over the past centuries from colonial times up until now. In colonial times marriage was mainly for economic purposes and personal survival. The husband and wife were seen as “one” though the husband made all the decisions of the household. Wives did not have much say in anything. Nowadays marriage is more a sign of prestige rather than conformity. Oftentimes it now comes after a job, career, savings, children. This means that people are now marrying later in life at ages of 25 for women compared to 21 in 1970 and 27 for men compared to 23 in 1970.
Many households are now dual career households and the growth of suburbs have disconnected couples from community.
There is also more racial and ethnic marriages and now marriage is debated for gay and lesbian couples. This shows that marriage is always changing.
1. Compare and contrast two different patterns of courtship and mate selection from among those presented in Seccombe’s textbook. Be specific about the similarities and differences in the two patterns.
Two patterns of courtship and mate selection that were presented in our textbook are arranged marriages and relatively free mate selection. Both processes have good and bad points, but they also have many similarities and differences.
Arranged marriage is the prominent form of mate selection in India. Families focus on finding a mate that can financially support their spouse, who has close family ties, and who have compatible zodiac signs. Many Indian girls know at a very young age the person their parents have picked for them to marry. Indian mate selection is not focused on love, it focuses on the ties the families can make.
Free mate selection occurs in many countries but none more than in the US. Courtship is focused on having fun, and connecting with someone with the same likes and dislikes or with someone you have a “spark” with. Family may have some influence on who you choose, like suggesting to marry inside your religion. Marriages in the US are mostly based on love.
To study the process of family formation: how people meet and come together
To consider differences across culture or subculture, including across time
To apply the criteria of scientific observation
To link the concepts (theories) and findings (facts) from the textbook with observed data
Assignment P3 has two components: observation and analysis
Observation phase gathers data about couples coming together to form a family from one of several sources
Watching the movie “Arranged” about two women in modern America whose tradition involves arranged marriage
Interviewing one or both members of each of two couples who either got married or started a family at least 25 years apart, or
are two generations in the same family. This could be you or a sibling (if you have started a family) + your parents, or your parents
and grandparents, or a couple you know in their 20s and another couple you know (unrelated) in their 50s or older. The greater the difference in ages, the more likely you are to see differences. The couples should be of the same race/ethnic background.
Interviewing one or both members of each of two couples of similar age but different ethnic or racial backgrounds. Here it is important that the couples be very similar in age so that you only see the effect of race/ethnicity not time.
Interviewing one or both members of each of two couples with children about the impact of having children on their relationship to each other, on their work patterns and aspirations, and about the process of raising children
Interviewing one or both members of a gay/lesbian couple in a committed relationship or who are raising children together and of a heterosexual couple who are in a committed relationship or who are raising together.
Take notes during your interview or the movie, which are the data that you analyze for your paper. The notes are not your paper.
Analysis phase: Making comparisons, observing patterns or theme
The things that people said are their perspectives – but they are not the sociological perspective. For instance, if a couple from a culture different from yours says, “Culture makes no difference” but your data show that, as the book described, they had married at a later age and placed more emphasis on individualism than the other couple you interviewed, your analysis would show that differences exist, but members of various cultures may be unaware of those differences.
Look for information in the Seccombe text about the features that distinguish the couples from each other: the time frame when the marriage/family was started, race/ethnicity, social class, gender orientation of couple – and see whether the stated fact is observed in your data.
Writing phase: Present the results of your study in a 2 page paper
Briefly (2-3 sentences, 1/2 page or less) describe the structure of the families whose members you interviewed, and the trait that distinguishes them (e.g., which social class, which ethnicity). (15 points)
Describe two patterns or comparisons between the couples that are linked to information from the Seccombe text. Each comparison should take at least one paragraphs, and should have at least two citations to the Seccombe text book. (30 points each)
Conclude with a paragraph in which you describe how you used the methods of social science in your interviewing and in your analysis. Your paragraph should include at least two citations of the earlier portion of the Seccombe text on methods and theory. (15 points)
Your paper should be well-written, without spelling or grammatical errors, double-spaced, with a title page, and stapled. Papers that are not stapled will not be accepted. (10 points)
“Too many U.S. babies are born too soon each year and don’t live to celebrate their first birthday. This finding underscores the importance of supporting research to help us learn what causes preterm birth and how we can help give all babies a healthy start in life,” said Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes.
“If the United States had Sweden’s distribution of births by gestational age, nearly 8,000 infant deaths would be averted each year and the U.S. infant mortality rate would be one-third lower.”
Here are Extra Credit opportunities that I know about:
Tues 27 Oct: Crossing the Line Video (about protests at the School of the Americas) featuring Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen and several CSS students at 7:00 in Tower 3150.
The Learning Objectives for Chapter 8 of the textbook
Define a social institution and give several examples.
Explain why the family is a social institution and what purposes it serves for society.
Define the term “cultural universal” and explain why marriage is one.
Describe the current practice of marriage, and how it has changed over time. Relate the practice of marriage in earlier times to other aspects of that time period.
Describe how marriage is lived and experienced in cultures other than the U.S.
List and explain the benefits of marriage. For each benefit, how is it affected by gender? by race/ethnicity? by social class?
Explain the difference between marital stability and marital quality.
Describe the factors that contribute to marital stability. How are they affected by social class, by race/ethnicity, by gender.
Describe the factors that contribute to marital quality. How are they affected by social class, by race/ethnicity, by gender.
This is the first time I have used this type of PowerPoint assignment in this class.
Please VOTE on the 4 poll-questions to help me decide whether to continue to use this assignment.
The poll questions are entirely anonymous. You can see how others have voted (percentages).
If there were things you particularly liked about this assignment, suggestions for improving it, or ideas for similar assignments in the future, please write a comment in the comments section below. (Click on the word “Comment”) Comments are not anonymous, but they don’t affect your grade.
Exam 2 Study Session will take place this Thursday, October 22 at 6:00pm in room Tower 3410. It will last for about an hour or a little bit more. Please bring any questions about the objectives and we’ll try to get through them all. Hope to see everyone there!!
Kaitlyn asked what the phrase “risk factors” for poverty means in the study guide – does it mean the causes or the consequences of poverty? It’s a good question, so I thought I would post an answer.
Risk factors refers to a status or social location in which the risk of being poor is higher.
We know that people are likely to have the same social class as their parents, so being the son or daughter of a poor person is risk factor for poverty
Poverty is more common in some regions of the country (which ones???) so living in those regions might make poverty more likely
Certain types of jobs either lack benefits or wages large enough to prevent poverty, so working in those jobs (which ones???) would be a risk factor for poverty
The culture of poverty approach combines individual factors with structural ones to say that a person may grow up withvalues and patterns of behavior which increase the chance of a falling into poverty.
“Risk factor” means you might become poor. “Consequence” means what sorts of other problems occur as a result of being poor.
To those who have not cheated: First, I apologize to the majority of students in the class who have not cheated. I commend you for your honest behavior: it is a credit to you. That is what we expect of students at a college like St. Scholastica.
I am grateful to the students who reported the cheating to me. If others are aware of cheating, but did not know what to do about it – I would be happy to hear from you.
Cheating Reports: I received multiple reliable reports of cheating on the quizzes. Some reports indicate those who cheated with sufficient accuracy that I may be able to identify them.
Faculty are expected to apply penalties for cheating, and to report all instances of academic dishonesty to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Penalties: The CSS Academic Honesty Policy, which is found in the Student Handbook states the consequences for cheating:
The minimum penalty by the faculty member is failure of the quiz, test, or assignment.
The maximum penalty by the faculty member is failure in the course.
Departments have the right to deny admission to a major or to dismissany student who has engaged in academic dishonesty.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs may exclude students from extracurricular activities because of academic dishonesty.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs may expel a student for academic dishonesty.
These penalties can be applied even on the first offense.
These are serious consequences. It is just not worth it for a few points on a quiz!
Violators: If you have engaged in cheating, your best course of action is to come to see me, admit the action, and work out a plan with me so that I can be sure of your honesty moving forward. I will not pursue penalties for past cheating for anyone who comes to see me about the problem.
Class Quizzes: I am consulting with other faculty members to consider appropriate courses of action to take with regard to future quizzes and Friday’s exam in this class. I will keep you informed about new policies.
Monday, Oct 19 – “What Do Protestants Think About …Marriage?” Pastor Kathy Nelson, United Church of Christ, with response by Fr. Dale Nau. 7:00 PM, Somers Main Lounge
Tuesday, Oct. 20 - “We’re Better Off Than We Think We Are” - Michael Cox. 7:30 PM, Mitchell Auditorium. (Peace and Justice lecture series)
Wednesday, Oct. 21 - Undergraduate Student Research Poster Session - Somers Main Lounge, 4-6 PM. Choose ONE student’s research, speak with that student about how he or she chose their topic and carried it out. Ask them to explain why participating in research is important to their college career.
The Laramie Project - if you see this presentation, you can use it as an Extra Credit opportunity
If you become aware of a talk or documentary film or play that has sociological comment, be sure to ask if this could be used for Extra Credit.
What are the requirements to get Extra Credit?Click on the “Extra Credit Info” tab up above and you’ll find all the information you need.
Someone wrote to ask about the language of scripts. This summarizes the discussion in class.
Sexual scripts guide sexual behavior; gender scripts tend to guide gender relationships.
A traditional or complementary script prescribes that there is some work that is appropriate for men, usually paid work outside the home (if any) or the heavier, riskier, or more distant work on a farm. Other work is prescribed for women, often work inside the home, childcare, cooking, making clothing and other necessities for the home.
A parallel script – which is rarely found in any society – prescribes identical roles for men and women. Both of them do paid work. Both of them do the same kinds of work in the home – child care, cooking, cleaning. Their lives are parallel.
A modified parallel script – common in some developed nations – prescribes primary responsibility for earning an income to men, with some work in the home, and primary responsibility for the home to the woman, who also contributes to the income. If the woman works full time and has much of the responsibility for the home, you see the second shift phenomenon that the textboook describes.
A modified complementary script is more likely to occur in developing countries that used to have very traditional roles – a woman may do most of her work in the home, but have do some income-producing activity. For instance, she might make tortillas that she sells in the market one a week, or raise sell some of the eggs from the chickens on the family farm, while the man in the household may grow the primary cash crop or work for a wage.
From 1963: for those who want to understand “You can’t marry Jethro without getting the Clampetts” from Friday’s class. This is a 5-minute section from an episode in which the Clampetts were trying to learn the cultured ways of the rest of Beverly Hills.
Someone asked about citing the sources of the photos. I’ve included some screenshots that show how to use the Library citation resources. If you are not having any problems with citations, there’s no need to look at it. If you want to know what’s available, click to Read the rest of this entry »
Your syllabus tells you that there is a handout to read for Friday’s class. But there is NO reading: we will do it all in class.
Here’s what I do want you to do in preparation:
Look back through the textbook, especially the last 3 chapters, where we have learned about some of the ways that families differ from each other. People carry their family of origin with them when they come into a relationship – they are not a blank slate.
Bring to class two specific things that, if you found someone romantically attractive, it might be important to know about that person’s family background (i.e., not the person’s own likes and dislikes, but characteristics that might come from his or her family). Write them down on a piece of paper, along with a page number from the text showing where they came from.
Following are Learning Objectives for Chapter 6 on Race and Ethnicity
In what ways is the United States becoming increasingly diverse?
What are current trends in immigration to the United States?
What is the difference in the terms race, ethnicity, and minority group?
Be able to discuss the social construction of race and ethnicity
Be able to explain the difference between racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and racism?
About what proportion of the U.S. population is Hispanic? African-American? Asian? Native American? Is the proportion of each group growing or shrinking?
What are some of the salient characteristics of each of these groups, according to recent data and research?
How does race and ethnicity influence family relationships?
Be able to explain the “doll research” seen in the video “A Girl Like Me”
A student wrote, in the comments to the assignment:
I am trying to decide on which assignment I want to do. I think that the race and ethnicity one seems interesting but im not really sure on the information that was given to us what you are really looking for in this assignment. Could you give me any ideas?Thanks!
Multicultural Crayons
Image by nathangibbs via Flickr
My response:
I can’t tell from your question exactly what information will help you best, but I’ll share some things that have helped students who stopped by during office hours.
They seemed to be struggling with the fact that, whether it’s social class or race/ethnicity, the topics are big. How could you choose just 5 photos to illustrate the concepts? How could you do a good job of linking them to the textbook? Using some structure can be helpful.
For each of the social classes, the source of income is mentioned. You could pick five of those sources of income and locate a photo of a person engaged in that activity. (The textbook mentioned at least these sources of income: inherited, business ownership, salaried professional work, mid-level manager or highly skilled blue-collar work, less skilled blue-collar or “pink collar” work, low-paid service jobs, welfare. )
Alternatively, you could pick one social class and use 5 photos to illustrate different dimensions of that social class. For instance, the upper-middle class section lists professions in which people work, mentions that the line between work and leisure are blurred, the great likelihood of a two-career family (ie, two high-paying jobs), marriage at a later age than average and delaying having children (what would the parents look like with their first baby?), to be involved in leisure pursuits, to be involved in political and civic affairs, to value education for their children.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=798d9498-2a56-436d-b678-58b2b34a7b9b)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=af5d6af2-b0c3-42ee-90f4-2d79586214be)
Here are Extra Credit opportunities that I know about:
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=34bd45d1-aa5b-43fd-8b3d-5c3fe200d9d5)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=f7614c41-6cac-4d98-87fb-3108465e600d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=ef6f9b4f-3ebb-4c53-9151-5aa6d8bfdac2)
