Tag: culture

SOC606 – Culture and Systems: An Intro to Food Studies

Abstract

If you’re like us, you’re probably snacking on something right now trying to get through your day. It goes without saying how important food is to our survival, but beyond the biological needs, there is a whole system surrounding food. This episode is an introduction to food studies from a sociological perspective. We look at the intermingling of culture and food, the stories and legends we pass down about food, as well as the system of food, including production, processing, and distribution. We hope you’re hungry to learn!

Keywords: Food, culture, food systems, production, distribution

Transcript

Looking for a transcript of this episode? Well, look no further! Click here. And bit thanks to Jody Sauer for transcribing this episode!

Sources

SOC605 – Comedy, Humor, and ‘The Souls of White Jokes’ (Guest Edition)

Abstract

What is “humor” and what is “comedy”? Do these terms mean the same thing? Today we answer these questions with the help of Dr. Raul Perez, author of ‘The Souls of White Jokes’ and scholar of what exactly “funny” is and “funny” does. Tune in to learn about the purposes that humor serves in society, stretching back to feudal times to the current Cancel Culture era. And don’t forget to grab a copy of his book!

Keywords

Humor, comedy, race, racism, discrimination, historical

Sources

SOC604 – The Functions of Workplace Violence

Abstract

It’s strange to say that workplace violence has any place in society. It doesn’t. But workplace violence does exist, and so today we are going to take a functionalist approach to talk about the functions of workplace violence, particularly in academia. Workplace violence can serve as a tool for those in power to reinforce hierarchies in the workplace, advance their own careers, increase work productivity, and more. Don’t listen to this episode if it will be triggering or uncomfortable for you!

Keywords

Workplace violence, academia, functionalism, bullying, abuse

Sources

Relevant episodes:

  1. How bullying becomes a career tool, by Susanne Tauber and Morteza Mahmoudi (2022)
  2. Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL. The concept of bullying and harassment at work: the European tradition. In: Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL, editors. Bullying and harassment in the workplace developments in theory, research, and practice. 2. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2011.
  3. Disparate mortality rates among black mothers
  4. Deadly Indonesia football stampede caused by tear gas
  5. The We Society Podcast
  6. America’s most violent jobs, in 5 charts
  7. A Pocket Guide to Academic Ranks
  8. 38 Hawaiian and Pidgin Phrases Every Visitor Needs to Know
  9. College Dining Workers Seize the Moment
  10. Elon Musk Fires Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, An Executive “Escorted Out”
  11. Twitter sued in class action lawsuit over mass layoffs without proper legal notice
  12. Hundreds of employees say no to being part of Elon Musk’s ‘extremely hardcore’ Twitter

SOC602 – The War on Drugs (Guest Edition)

Abstract

Drugs. Alotta us do them and alotta us are scared of them! There are a ton of topics to cover within the world of sociology, and we have yet to talk about how the discipline discusses drugs, as well as the pivotal event, the War on Drugs. So, tune in to listen to our conversation with Dr. Kevin Revier, where we chat about his research on the social impact of the War on Drugs, perceptions of drugs, drug addiction, and more!

Keywords

Cannabis, crack, drugs, illegal, marijuana, narcotics, nixon, opioid, sociological, sociology

Resources

  1. Check out Dr. Kevin Revier’s webpage at Arcadia University.
  2. “Without Drug Court, You’ll End Up in Prison or Dead” a qualitative/participant observation study by Kevin.
  3. The ‘worst of the worst‘: punitive justice frames in criminal sentencing clips on YouTube.
  4. Another one by Kevin is… Figuring Things Out: Contemplating Drug Addiction and Disclosure In and Out of the Field.
  5. White jail incarceration rates are on the rise, and fast, according to the Vera Institute.
  6. Here is information about current drug policy and today’s fentanyl crisis.
  7. Here’s Ingrid Walker’s High, which discusses drugs and desire, as drugs make people feel good, too.
  8. Another classic book to check out that Kevin mentioned is Howard Becker’s Outsiders.
  9. Omar mentioned a Netflix documentary on the science of psychedelics by Michael Pollan, but here’s the book instead!
  10. Professor Carl Hart is a heroin-using Professor changing the way we think about drugs.
  11. The New Jim Crow and one of it’s most famous critiques.
  12. Ellen also recommends this book by Bruce Jacobs, Dealing Crack, if you’re interested in the processes of drug dealing.
  13. Would you eat a 3D food printed steak???

SOC600 – Agents of Socialization

Abstract

What is socialization? And why do we sociologists *love* using the term? This week we’re diving into both of these questions, and then exploring how families, educational institutions, peers, and the media act as key agents of socialization. We’re guilty of taking this term for granted, so join us as we give socialization the attention it deserves!

Keywords

Socialization, families, institutions, peers

Sources

  • Learn about Dr. Craig Calhoun here.
  • You can also follow him on Twitter!

SOC514 – The Senses of Stuffs: Introduction to Material Culture

Abstract

Stuffs! We’ve all got ‘em, and we all like to accumulate them– unless you’re Ellen. This week, we’re exploring how sociology makes sense of our material culture. What is the relationship people hold with the tangible objects we collect? What meaning do we attach to these items? And why is it that Penn cares so much about her Washi Tape collection and Omar licks his shoes?! Tune in here to learn more about stuffs and where the state of stuffs is going as the world becomes digitalized and we begin to interact with virtual objects more and more.

Keywords

Material Culture, Collections, Senses, Symbolic Interactionism

Transcription

Big mahalos to Kaiya Hamilton for helping us transcribe this episode! You can find it here.

Sources

Can you decode Stephen Hawking’s blackboard doodles?

SOC508 – Changing the Narrative for Native Hawaiian Wellbeing (Guest Edition)

Abstract

Aloha mai kākou, we take a local perspective today with special guests, Brandon from Kamehameha Schools and Lisa from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, who walk us through a new radical study aiming to change the traditionally deficits-based narrative about the Native Hawaiian people to one of strength and resiliency. Drawing from the Kūkulu Kumuhana dimensions of Native Hawaiian wellbeing, we discuss the ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey 2021, from which a number of local organizations have analyzed and published numerous briefs, including ones on COVID-19 impacts in Hawaiʻi and more. Be sure to check out our website for great links that support indigenous research as well as a vocabulary list of all the Hawaiian words used in the episode!

Keywords

Native Hawaiian Wellbeing, Kūkulu Kumuhana, Indigenous Frameworks, Culture, Data

Sources

Hawaiian words in the episode (in order of use):

Hawaiian online dictionary 

  • Aloha mai kākou – greetings to all of you
  • Mahalo – thank you; gratitude
  • E kala mai – forgive me; sorry; apologies
  • Moʻokūʻauhau – ancestry; genealogy
  • ʻImi pono – to seek out fullness/completeness/balance 
  • ʻOhana – family
  • Kaiaulu – community
  • Honua – world, environment
  • Ea – self-determination
  • ʻŌiwi – cultural identity and native intelligence
  • ʻĀina Momona – healthy and productive lands and people
  • Pilina – mutually sustaining relationships
  • Waiwai – ancestral abundance and collective wealth
  • Kupuna – elders
  • Ke Akua Mana – spirituality
  • Mōʻi – King; chief; ruler
  • He Ali’i Ka ‘Āina; He Kauwā ke Kanaka – The Land is Chief; Man is its Servant
  • Kai – ocean; salt water
  • Wai – fresh water
  • Kūkulu – to build; pile up; a pillar
  • Kumu – the source (e.g., teacher); basis; main stalk or root of plant
  • Haumāna – students
  • Hana – the work; activity
  • Kūkulu Kumuhana – “the pooling of strengths, emotional, psychological, and spiritual for a shared purpose. A unified, unifying purpose.” (Source).
  • Naʻau – intuition; feelings; gut instinct
  • Kākoʻo – agree; support
  • Moʻolelo – story; tale; myth
  • Mana – divine power, among other things. (Read the book!).
  • Hoʻoponopono – to correct; the name of a traditional healing process (conflict resolution) to resolve issues within ʻohana 
  • Heluhelu i ka puke – read a book!

SOC507 – Princess Performers (Guest Edition)

Abstract

Are you a Disney fan? Have you ever seen a princess in the flesh? Well, this week we are joined by Kristen Newvine of the Social Science Princess Project, who talks with us about this world of character performance. We use Goffman to understand how adopting the identities of Disney princesses can actually influence performers’ everyday non-princess lives– from how they talk to how they greet children at grocery stores to how they sing when they’re encountering setbacks. Tune in and have a magical day! 

Keywords

Princess, performers, Goffman, Disney, Identity theory, Identity

Transcript

You can find the transcript for this episode here. Big mahalo to the princess herself, Kristin Newvine, for transcribing this episode!!

Resources

SOC413 – Firearms in America (Guest episode)

Abstract

Guns are a hot button topic. They are imbued with politics, religion, masculinity, danger, safety, emotions, and more. Ellen was lucky enough to sit down with Dr. Benjamin Dowd-Arrow, Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Health at Florida State University, and talk about the role firearms play in American society today. A trained medical sociologist, Dr. Dowd-Arrow helps us break down why guns are seen as a public health concern, and explains how the values we attach to firearms have evolved over the past 50 years. Tune in here to learn more!

Keywords

Firearms, guns, culture, America, public health

Sources

(Don’t) Ask a Sociologist Episode 1: What is Society?

Abstract

We’ve got a new series for you where we answer listener questions about sociology, theory, grad school, and more! So, in our inaugural episode we’re answering a HUGE question: How do you define “society”? Sounds easy, but trust us (and the ~20 min length of this episode), it ain’t! Tune in here to learn how we define society and its close connection with culture! And if you have your own question to ask, don’t be shy and send it to us. We’d love to try to answer it!

Keywords

Society, culture, politics, nation state, identity

Sources