Tag: public sociology

2024 Updates & Ellen’s New Book, “Making It”!

Abstract

My oh my, it’s been a while since we last chatted with you all– sorry for the extended “hiatus,” listeners! But, we are BACK! And we are back with some updates on what we’ve been up, as well as to discuss and exciting new development: Ellen’s new book, Making It: Success in the Commercial Kitchen, which’ll be published October 11, 2024 by Rutgers University Press. Take a listen to catch up with us, talk crap, and hear about the book publishing process!

Keywords: academia, publishing, updates, books

Sources

Find Ellen’s book here. You can use code “RUSA30” to get 30% off with Rutgers University Press. You can also purchase the book through Amazon or Target.

Mahalo nui for your support!!

If you’d like her to come and talk to your students/class/department/organization about the culinary industry and her research, just reach out to us at socbreakdown@gmail.com.

  • If you’re curious what to do when attacked by a swarm of bees, you can check out this article from Scientific American.
  • Read about Trump’s false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets here.
  • We mentioned politics as a spectacle, too, which is an idea that comes from Murray Edelman.
  • Penn also talks about “lifies” which is a concept from Neal Gabler’s book “Life: The Movie.”
  • You can check out Ryan Murphy’s new show about NFL athlete Aaron Hernandez, “American Sports Story” here.

SOC401 – “You’re all sociologists!” Part 3: Don’t get senioritis!

Abstract

Welcome to senior year! It’s Fall 2020 and we are off to a great start with part 3 of our “You’re all sociologists!” series. For this premiere episode, we catch up on what the gang has been up to after summer vacation and we discuss how to take sociology to the next level. What does being a sociologist mean during this time of social unrest and political turmoil? How can we use the sociological imagination to help us understand the current social issues? Grab your thinking hat and join us for a new semester of advanced sociology!

Keywords

Sociology, society, sociological imagination, public sociology

Transcript

Big mahalos to Brionna Edwards for helping us transcribe this episode! You can find the full transcription here.

Sources

SOC131: How Do We Do It (Behind The Scenes)

Abstract

For our last show of our first academic year, we’re giving you a behind the scenes look into The Social Breakdown. We talk about the podcast’s origins, our recording and editing set up, how we prepare for each episode, and most importantly, what are our styles and approaches to impression management? Is there a difference between our front stage and back stage “self” when we are hosting!? (Spoiler alert: OF COURSE THERE IS!)

Two quick notes before we go for summer break: 1) THANK YOU for all the amazing support, emails, and listening. We’re touched and honored and happy and… the list goes on. 2) We are on summer break until August, but will be releasing random episodes every now and then. Also, you can always reach us on FB, Twitter, and through our website (www.thesocialbreakdown.com). So, don’t be shy! And have a fantastic summer!

Keywords

summer, public sociology, podcast

Sources

  1. Read Books
  2. Ask Questions
  3. Keep Writing
  4. Keep Thinking
  5. Talk to us
  6. Be free, have fun, be safe

 

SOC108 – Vive La Résistance!

Abstract

Resist! It’s such a buzzword with deep historical roots, but what exactly is resistance? What does it mean to resist and to struggle? How can we resist? What are some strategies or ways to resist? Many social issues are now at the forefront of the global conversation, especially with Trump’s presidency, from racism to sexual harassment, to basic human decency. Resistance is a difficult and long-drawn out process – it’s not for us, it’s for our children. It’s not for today, but for tomorrow. Change can’t happen without resistance, so join us this week to learn more!

Transcript

You can find the transcript for this episode here! Mahalo to Alhaji Sillah for helping us with this one!!

Keywords

Sociology, resistance, social movements, social change, protest

Resources

  1. Maria Hynes (2013) “Reconceptualizing Resistance: Sociology and the Affective Dimension of Resistance” 
  2. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (Angela Davis 2016)
  3. “#MeToo: Social media flooded with personal stories of assault” (CNN) 
  4. “How to Make Fun of Nazis” (New York Times) 
  5. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare) (Chenoweth & Stephan 2012)
  6. Peter Norman, the Australian Olympic athlete. “The third man: The forgotten Black Power hero” (CNN) 
  7. “Colin Kaepernick, Who Began Anthem Kneeling, Files Complaint Against N.F.L.” (New York Times)
  8. Compassion Fatigue (Psychology Today) 
  9. Matt Buck playing the sousaphone alongside a KKK rally. 
  10. Ellen’s Spotify playlist to blast when you’re resisting a protest (a.k.a. counter-protesting).
  11. Electronic Frontier Foundation 
  12. Planned Parenthood 
  13. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 
  14. “In Search Of The Red Cross’ $500 Million In Haiti Relief” (NPR)
  15. Breast Cancer Awareness month is in October (that’s when we recorded the episode, even though the episode was released in November!) 
  16. Check out some of these websites to make sure your charity is legitimate and effective!
  17. Dapper dogs in bow ties – can you resist this?? 

SOC106 – “You’re all sociologists!” Pt. 2 (AKA Don’t be a Dumbass)

Abstract

Part 2 of our series on how to be a sociologist! (Listen to part 1 here). Did you know that sociology makes you a better person? Even if you’ve never taken a sociology class, you can still use the sociological perspective to understand the social world. Regardless of where you are in the world and what position you have in society, you do not live in a vacuum. We are all interrelated somehow. Join us this week to learn about how to employ the sociological imagination to see the connections between your personal problems and public issues. Think, don’t accept! Question your assumptions! See the world critically! And don’t be a dumbass.

Transcript

Big mahalos to Heather Darden for transcribing this episode! You can find it here.

Keywords

Sociology, sociological imagination, sociological perspective

Resources

  1. Read the first chapter of C. Wright Mills’ Sociological Imagination 
  2. Watch a video on C. Wright Mills’ concept of the Sociological Imagination

DEBUT episode! SOC100 – “You’re all sociologists!”

Our podcast begins TODAY! Our debut episode is live!! You can listen below. Today’s episode is SOC100 – “You’re all sociologists!”

A note on how our podcast is structured. We’re going to be operating on a semester schedule, just as any class at any university. Essentially, the semesters will be our ‘seasons’. Our first season that we’re doing is the Fall 2017 semester, and we will continue into Spring 2018 and so forth. This means that we’ll be following the college schedule and taking the same holidays, etc. since we are students and teachers ourselves.

For each episode, we will be providing an abstract (a short summary), a list of keywords, and resources (readings, scholars, websites, etc. that we discuss in the episode). This is is similar to what an academic journal article provides the reader for additional information. Now, onto the debut episode!

Abstract

We are all part of the social world, but what does that mean and, wait, what is sociology? This week’s episode includes personal perspectives from Dr. Penn Pantumsinchai and 2 Dr’s in training, Ellen Meiser and Omar Bird defining sociology – what it is and what it isn’t, as well as explaining the goals of public sociology. If you’re concerned with the human condition and examining the social world, this is the podcast for you! We’re all sociologist one way or another – want to know how? Tune in by streaming or downloading the episode below!

Transcript

You can find the transcript for this episode here! Mahalo nui loa to Melinda Lloyd for helping us– we truly appreciate.

Keywords

Sociological imagination, public sociology, the sociological perspective, sociology, society

Resources:

    1. Murray Edelman’s Constructing the Political Spectacle (1988): “Meaning springs from interactions with others, not from inside an isolated individual’s head” (p. 107) 
    2. Herbert Gans (2015) “Public Sociology and its Publics”(PDF file):
        1. “Any sociological writing or other product created by sociologists that obtains the attention of some of the publics that make up the general public. The writing can be a book, or an article, or even a few paragraphs reporting a new idea or finding. The other products may be created in any of the ever increasing number of communication outlets, from radio and television to the latest websites, search engines and social media. A podcast lecture, and even a summary of a lecture may already reach more of the public than anything we write.”
    3. Dr. Karen Kelsky’s website TheProfessorIsIn.com 
    4. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s tweet about sociology and physics
    5. A quick bio on Auguste Comte, the creator of the word, “sociology”
    6. Examples of Public Sociology:

Comment down below what you thought of the episode! What would you like to hear about in the future? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates!

Listen to the podcast teaser!

The teaser to our podcast is now live! 

Introducing a brand new podcast – The Social Breakdown! The sociology podcast that nobody wants, but everybody needs! Our goal for this podcast is to breakdown the complex world one topic at a time using our sociological imagination. Check out our short teaser today and tune in for our grand debut on September 20th! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates!

Leave a comment down below and let us know what you think! Are there any topics you’d like us to discuss? What about the world or society has puzzled you? We’re here to help!