Last Weekend Reminder of 2013

Team Soc,

We are in the last weekend going into finals. This means you have no homework. This also, necessarily, means you have much to study.

The final exam study guide is already posted. Be sure you know all the elements thereof. Bring in questions on Monday for our review.

Well done on the Society and Culture Through Victuals! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the connection between your food and your family!

Again, be ready with questions on Monday.

Society Study Guide

Team Soc,

I have placed a study guide in Drive for this unit. It is a tool for you and is not required.

Study up for tomorrow!

Society and Culture Through Victuals

Team Soc,

Friday we will no longer be learning new material. Instead we will begin the process of review for the final exam.

To facilitate this process, let us celebrate society and culture through victuals!

The assignment:

• Bring in food (preferably made by you) to share with the class (bring plates, utensils, and napkins if needed)
• The food should be connected to you and your people (narrow like your family culture or broad like your ethnic heritage).
• Be able to make a brief statement about the connection between the food you brought and your people. Also be able to answer a question such as: Does this food symbolize something significant about your people?

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,

Soc Forum 9 is posted. Be sure to respond by Monday morning before class.

Monday and Tuesday we will talk about two other sociologist's views on society and do some review (Tuesday). Wednesday we will take a test on Society.

Friday of next week will be the all important(!) Sociology cultural and societal food extravaganza. Greater details will be coming but you will need to bring in some food representative of your cultural background to share with the class and talk about how it is indicative of your heritage.

Also, for those of you who are thinking about the final exam, the study guide is posted on Drive. It is not required to be filled out; it is merely a resource for you in prepping for the exam. For those of you who are interested, starting next week, you can set up a time to meet with me to take your final early and orally.

Holiday Questions!

Welcome back!

Out of sheer curiosity, can you please quickly fill out THIS FORM?

Deep in the Alaskan Wilderness

Team Soc,

Thanksgiving Break is upon us and we are deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Hopefully we come back to society and join with family and friends over respite from the rigors of school.

This is what I would like you to do over Thanksgiving:

• Be thankful. Truly. Open your eyes to your many blessings and then thank God. Also thank those who have blessed you immensely (even if imperfectly).

• Observe. In particular have your eyes open to Thanksgiving and the rituals surrounding it. If you celebrate Thanksgiving with family or friends, record three (3) observations in and around your Thanksgiving meal and tradition. If you do not celebrate Thanksgiving, record three (3) observations regarding a meal you have or from a few different meals.

• If you so desire: I have posted on Drive a second reflection piece regarding Into the Wild. My expectations for your response are super high. I want thoughtfulness and insight beautifully interwoven. This will be due on Wednesday, December 4th. If you want to tackle it over Thanksgiving while things are still fresh in your mind, go for it. If you want to wait, that is fine as well.

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,

We have reached the end of the Culture unit. Well, sort of.

As I introduced today, I would like you to demonstrate your knowledge differently than how you did on your test today; this will be actuated through the Cultural Quirks Video Project (found on Drive). Be creative. Have fun. This project will be due Friday, November 22nd. But feel free to submit it before then.

Out next unit is going to address society. There is much to learn about society (and you know already how definitionally culture and society are related). We are going to do this in part and initially through the medium of film. Get ready. Get excited.

Sociology Monday

Team Soc,

I am sorry to say this, but I am not able to be in class today. If you are willing, please pray I get feeling better. I hope to return as soon as possible.

Despite not being able to talk on Friday, I really enjoyed our discussion. I hope you came to a better understanding of multiculturalism, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and a possible tertium quid.

Here are some quick thoughts:
 - Multiculturalism, as a policy, has been rejected in many of the places it had been previously embraced because it cannot address large groups of people who themselves do not accept the basic assumptions of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism presupposes everyone will think like the people who embrace it.

- Cultural relativism looks all rosy on the surface like multiculturalism. However, it too has a glaring weakness (even two). First, it is unable to call evil evil. Instead, it must only wink at evil and declare that we do not understand the culture from the outside. Human sacrifice or genocidal mania must be overlooked. If this was not enough, cultural relativism's second fatal error is as large as the first but more subtle. It looks tolerant on the surface but is really ethnocentrism in fancy clothes. It does not allow a culture (or anything else for that matter) to speak to the abuses of other cultures, thereby disavowing any absolute truth. In saying a culture can only be judged from the inside, it undermines any culture's ability to say what they believe has validity beyond their own borders. Yet cultural relativity claims to have no borders for itself and be universally true. Ah, the hypocrisy! Christians sometimes embrace cultural relativism because they do not want to be caught in ethnocentrism which they know to be incorrect but they do not know of an alternative.

- Few stand boldly stand up for ethnocentrism but almost everyone falls prey to it. Ethnocentrism's faults are glaring; by judging other cultures through the lens of your own you end up using a myopic and faulty standard by which to judge. Christians all too often act ethnocentrically in the name of Christianity thereby giving Christianity a bad name.

- So is there a tertium quid? I would argue there is. And it must necessarily be an absolute, unchanging standard, otherwise it is "no truth" (cultural relativism) or "my truth" (ethnocentrism). This third path is Christocentrism. Only by using Jesus can we properly evaluate a culture. This way we can call evil evil but not do so only because of what we are comfortable or uncomfortable with; we can do so because it is grounded in who God is as our Father, creator, and Lord.

[Hopefully questions have come to mind as you have read this. Please discuss them, email them to me, and/or write them down and let's address them upon my return.]

I would like you to do some quick application. In Drive you will find an article called "Danish Woman is Reunited with Her Baby". Please read this and individually answer the questions on the "Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, and Christocentrism" doc.

Once you have answered the question individually, gather in groups of four or so and talk through your answers. Carefully address the final three to be sure you all can articulate the interpretation for each viewpoint.

Then, in pairs, find an article or story online and interpret it according to the three perspectives.

Be sure all of this material is placed in the shared folder in Drive.

If you have any time at the end of class, you may talk through your Observing Cultures Project.

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,
This weekend you will not have the usual Forum or Soc Observe. Rather you are to between now and Tuesday evening, either individually or with a partner, observe at a restaurant. The instructions for the Observing Culture Project are located on Drive.
Also, keep in mind what we talked (ok, you did the talking) about in class today. How do you evaluate a culture or some practice you read or hear about? Do you do so from your own culture's perspective (ethnocentrism), from the culture from whence it comes (cultural relativism), or from some tertium quid? Can you evaluate a culture from a position fair position?

Multiculturalism, cultural relativism, and ethnocentrism

Team Soc,
Today you are going to pick up where you left off yesterday.

What is multiculturalism? Fill out the definition.
 - How has it been implemented? Have specific examples.
 - Has it been successful (in the US, Europe, elsewhere)?
 - What is your response to multiculturalism? Is it good, bad, both? Why?
 - Does multiculturalism encourage unity (through greater knowledge of one another) or divisiveness?
What is cultural relativism?
 - How does it relate to multiculturalism?
 - What are the ramifications of cultural relativism (i.e. if one embraces cultural relativism, how does it impact how you interact with another culture)?
 - Are all cultural traditions (especially morally) equal? Should they be considered equal?
 - Can a culture be right sometimes and wrong at others? How would we know or decide if this was true?
What is ethnocentrism?
 - Is ethnocentrism superior to or inferior to cultural relativism? Why?
 - Some might say ethnocentrism is equal to cultural imperialism. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Final reflective questions:
 - Are you either cultural relativistic or ethnocentric? Or is there a tertium quid?
 - How can someone argue that cultural relativism is just a form of ethnocentrism?

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,
Great work today in class. You are creative, funny, talented, and insightful!
For this weekend:
- If you so desire, you may do test corrections on the three written questions on the test. This is due Monday. Be sure to submit the original written portion of your test so I can see your improvement.
- Post at least three observations this weekend. This observations should be focused on any combination of broken folkways and observations of shame.

Sociological Investigation Graphic

Here is Miss Peternel's take on Sociological Investigation:

No Soc Forum This Weekend

Team Soc,
I decided, after see the amount of things we all have to do this weekend, to drop the Soc Forum for this weekend. Finish your projects. Do well. And hopefully Mr. Davis will show up with a voice Monday morning.

To be a man or a woman: Which is Better?

The results are in. Well at least 32 of them.
And now you can see them. Go to the shared folder and, if you so desire, you will find what you all said regarding the question: Is it better to be a man or a woman?

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,
For this weekend:
- Record three observations on the same document you have previously recorded observations. Just provide a new date. Push yourself to see the truly strange in the familiar.
- If you did not do so already, place your completed "spinning statistics" assignment into the shared Drive folder by Monday morning.
- In the back of your mind, be thinking of good survey questions...

Spinning Statistics

Team Soc,
We are working on being devious with numbers. Not so we can abuse numbers but so we can recognize those who abuse them.

Here is the assignment:

• Find a graph, chart, statement, etc. and analyze how the data was shaped/spun. Take the same data and reinterpret it in a contradictory or opposing manner.
• Create an example of spin with averages.
• Find an example of statistical spin in the current government shutdown. Describe how it is spin.

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,
For this weekend:
- Post to SF6. Be sure to answer the prompt and then reply to two of your peers. Get it done on time.
- Observe. Observe. Observe. No formal observations necessary, but observe nevertheless.
- As you have a moment, please respond to the two questions I posted below this post. Thanks!
- Be aware of your presuppositions and the presuppositions of others as people mention things they know.

A Question

I am reading a really fascinating book right now.
Based on my reading, I am really curious to know how you would respond to THIS QUESTION.
Please respond to the forum and we can talk about it on Monday.
Thanks.

How do you know when you are in love?

Weekend reminder

Team Soc,
For this weekend:
- Study for the unit test on Monday!
- Because we have a test on Monday you will not have any official homework - either a forum or sociological observations. Nevertheless, don't just look, rather observe!

Block Day, 27 Sept.

[This post is geared mostly to first period because I will be gone most of the period]

Team Soc,

You are on your own today while I am away.

Start by breaking yourselves into groups of four groups of five. Do this. Fast.

Then open Drive (Soc shared folder) and read through the "Gold Watch Scenario" with your group. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the doc. Do what you can to arrive at group consensus.

After about fifteen minutes come back together as a class.

Miss G-- and Mr. Z--, would you be willing to lead discussion?

As a class talk about the following:
     What did you observe about this process of ordering the characters' morality?
     Did you notice anything strange in the familiar?
     What did everyone agree on?

PLEASE DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE THE ABOVE

Morality is one of those inescapable concepts in society. And inevitably sociology imports moral categories. When we observe society (macro or micro) we find that is is not whether we will evaluate society or individuals in society but from which framework will we do so. Again, morality is an inescapable concept. Thinking back on how you spoke of the "Gold Watch Scenario", can you see it? Yes, I asked you to evaluate, but you all... ah, I will not give it away; you observed it.

Next, get back together with your groups.

Look up the word "presupposition". Define it. Try your best to understand it.

Presuppositions are another inescapable concept. Individuals and groups share presuppositions about everything. Is is not whether we/they have presuppositions, but rather which presuppositions we have. Consequently, we need to become adept at seeing presuppositions. And this is a learned skill.

When you have defined and understood the basics of presuppositions, open up the Sociological Perspective Unit Exam Study Guide. Work together with your group members to be sure you understand all of the terms on the study guide.

You have the remainder of the class period to prepare for Monday's test.

If you have questions, please drop me an email.

Sociological Perspective Unit Test

Team Soc,
It was enjoyable looking at our stereotypes today. It is good to learn to laugh at ourselves and fight against our weeknesses.
Because we have been having so much fun... so I would like to push the test back to Monday. There is still good info we have yet to cover.
So look over the study guide but do not fret about the test for Friday. Bring questions to class and we will do some review in class.
You will also get your quizzes back and we will have a chance to address any weaknesses.

Sociological Perspective Unit Study Guide

Team Soc,
The study guide for our first unit assessment is posted on the shared Drive folder. Though you do not need to fill it out, it would be advisable to know the terms/people prior to the assessment.
Also, remember how I let you take the assessment: solo or duo. Solo with 3"x5" card (handwritten on one side) or duo with synergistic sociological activity.

Weekend Reminder

Team Soc,
For this weekend:
- Record three Homecoming observations in Drive (just add to what you have but add the new date)
- Post to the forum (1+2)

Guest Observation - R. Mina

Team Soc,
Mr. Mina strikes again.
HERE is his latest observation on impatience.

Weekend Reminder

For this weekend:
 - Respond to Soc Forum 4
 - Vote on the Active Sociology proposals

We will finish up the sociological paradigms project on Monday!

Completed Active Sociology Proposals - and Vote!

HERE are the Active Sociology Proposals

HERE you can place your vote on what we should do this year

This is going to be exciting!

Guest Observation - R. Mina

Team Soc,

As we talked about, some times we will have guest posts (sometimes it will be you!). Radiylon Mina, who graduated last year from MV, has volunteered to share some of his thoughts and observations now that he is in college. Not only is Mr. Mina observant, but we can learn from his experiences as here shares with us.

HERE is his first observation.

Google Docs Shared Folder

After pondering the most efficient work flow, I have settled on Google Docs. For this to be effective, I need you to share a folder with me (askmrdavis@gmail.com). This folder will be the place where you will drop and store your course documents. I can then comment on them without the need for you to email or upload your work. Please pay close attention to the following:

Naming - I would like you to name this folder in a particular way:
Last name, first name Soc # (period)

Organization - Within this shared folder, you should create and name sub folders based on each unit. All of your work should find its way into a sub folder.

Sharing - Share the general folder with me and provide me with editing privileges. Everything in that folder (including sub folders) will then be shared with me.

Sociological Theoretical Paradigms Project

Sociological Theoretical Paradigms Project

Because the three sociological paradigms are so crucial to your understanding of sociology for the entirety of this school year, I want you to create a product that will help you to remember these paradigms and could be helpful in others learning what these paradigms are.

HERE is the project explanation.

Respond to Soc Forum (on Focus) and Make 3 Brilliant Observations (Google Doc)

For Tuesday, 3 September, be sure to:

• Post to the Soc Forum on Focus
• Then respond to two of your peers
• All of your responses need to be substantive and thoughtful
• While you enjoy your long weekend, practice the Sociological Perspective and log three observations on your Google Doc (that you previously shared with me)

Active Sociology Proposals

I would really like to see us engage in not only the theoretical exploration of sociology but actively engage with sociological thinking throughout the year. To this end, your task with your group is to come up with at least one proposal of how you can tangibly do sociology - by serving others. In some ways your proposal should be bold and aggressively address a societal problem (big or small, local or global) via a practical and tangible outworking.

Therefore, you need to come up with the general plan and incorporate the following components:

• A title
• A mission statement (including your goal)
• An action plan
• Specific initial steps
• Goal(s) for the future
• A sales pitch - why should others get involved

These elements, upon completion should then be uploaded to a Google Doc and shared with me.

The Challenge of Jesus's Words

Team Soc,
I was thinking about the Global Reading assignment and was also listening to your responses (So fun! So thoughtful!) and it drove me to the Gospels. How does Jesus respond to this? Is everything equitable when Jesus walked the earth? How does he respond to the inequity?
Luke 12 came to mind right away. Read it. Sometimes we think of Jesus's words being so soft and squishy, but they are far from that here. In fact, they are hard and difficult.
Based on this Gospel reading, what do you think Jesus would say to us in relationship to the Global Village?

Observations Galoure!

Team Soc,

As I was thinking about our sociological observations, I hit upon an idea:
 - What if all of your observations were kept in one place?
 - What if you could just add to the same list each week?
 - What if you could share with me your observations without needing to email them, upload them, or pass them in?
The answer to these questions comes in the form of Google Docs.

What I would like you to do is create a Google Doc and share it with me so I can read your brilliant insights. Very importantly, I want you to name it in such a way to make it easier for me to organize it. This is the format I would like you to use: Last name, First name, SOC OBSERVE, Per [1 or 3].

We will go through this in class together.

Test Run for Soc Forum

Team MVSOC,
I am going to try something new and see if it works. Historically, I have had my soc students respond to a question I post via an online forum in order to stimulate conversation. This is still the case. However, I want to try doing this in a video format instead of just the traditional written format. Try this out with me.
Here is the link: http://flipgrid.com/#317fd0ed
You will need a password that I will give you in class. Once you enter the password, you will be able to respond to the forum question. Since this is password protected, this is meant for only the students in my soc classes.
I am excited for you to try this and for us to see if this will be beneficial.
Please respond to the forum by Monday's class (26 August).

*UPDATE* If you struggle for some reason to post to flipgrid, please respond to the forum on Focus (found at the top of the course page).

The Global Village

Fascinating read:
 - The Global Village: A Social Snapshot of Our World

Observations!

Be sure to have your eyes open this weekend. Not merely to see but to truly observe what is going on around you.
Notice at least three things (patterns, strange in the familiar) you have not seen before. Be ready to share those in class on Monday.

Welcome

Welcome to Sociology!

I am excited to have you in my class this year and look forward to the interactions we will have and for the opportunity to learn together.
Though this is an elective and we will not have much homework, my expectations for you this year are extremely high. However, I am confident you will be able to meet them. If you have any questions along this exciting journey God has placed us on, do not hesitate to ask.
Again, welcome!
-Mr. Davis

Sociology Syllabus and Confirmation Form

Sociology Syllabus
Please read carefully and ask questions if any any arise.
Next, very importantly, please go to the following FORM and confirm you have read and understand the syllabus. 

To do:

By the third day of class (Monday) you need:

• your school email up and running; know your password; have your email set up on your iPad
• access to Focus; know your password and understand your way around

Apps you need to have on your iPad:

• Keynote
• Notability (or a similar word processing app)
• Chrome
• Google Drive

Also, be sure you pick up a stylus.

Introductions

In order for me to get to know you a little better, please thoughtfully fill out this form.
Have this completed by Monday, August 19th.

Submitting to Focus/Moodle via Google Drive

HERE is a document explaining how to submit assignments to Focus/Moodle via Google Drive.

Submitting from Dropbox to Focus/Moodle

HERE is a document explaining how to submit to Focus/Moodle via Dropbox.

Setting up Google Drive with a MV Student Email

HERE are the instructions for setting up Google Drive with your student email.