Tag: 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.

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

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!

Breakaway Episode 11: the Symbolic Meanings of 2022

Abstract

We’re baaaaacck! Welcome to the start of our 5th school year together. (Yep, you read that right: *fifth* year!) We’re getting things going with a quick talk story session between Omar and Ellen about the symbolic meanings of life in 2022. Vaccines, Manti Te’o, masks, Liz Cheney, Britney Spears, Joe Biden– each of these things and people hold a plethora of meanings to each of us, and shape how we interact with them. Tune in to catch up with us, and see if you share the same meanings as us!

Keywords

Symbols, symbolic interactionism, COVID-19, masking, politics, pop culture

Sources

  • Vaccines are now available for young children.
  • Watch the fantastic documentary, “The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,” about catfished footballer, Manti Te’o here.
  • And you can read the OG article about Manti here.
  • Read about Liz Cheney’s loss in the 2022 primary elections here.
  • Ellen feels bad for Britney Spears. But rather than link to some awful article, here’s one to her newest song with Elton John!
  • Omar feels bad for Joe Biden. But rather than link to another awful article, here’s one to cute puppies.

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?

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

Breakaway Episode 10 – Inequality at Bon Appétit

Abstract

Penn and Ellen are avid fans of Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel. ‘Gourmet Makes,’ ‘Back to Back Chef,’ ‘It’s Alive with Brad’, and that one where Chris recreates dishes blind-folded– WE LOVE THEM ALL. But at the start of June, it was revealed that there is shocking inequality in Bon Appetit: white chefs appearing in videos were being paid for their time, while chefs of color were not, and leadership was engaging in other racist practices. So, we had to get together for a breakaway and talk about this drama, and how the culinary industry is rife with inequality. Tune in here!

Keywords

Bon Appetit, chefs, cooking, culinary, food, food media, inequality, media, racism, YouTube

Sources

SOC314 – Family Demography and Intergenerational Solidarity Theory (Guest Edition)

Abstract

Sociology is obviously concerned about connecting private troubles to public issues, as C. Wright Mills once said. Sociologists are also deeply interested in the relationships between people, and the intimate relationships we have with family members. This week, we have a fantastic guest, Dr. Sarah Patterson, who is helping us make sense of these connections. Sarah will be talking with us about families, family demography, and Intergenerational Solidarity Theory. What makes families work or struggle through their interactions? And do families promote positive social solidarity among all its members? Come join us for the conversation!

Sources