RACE- The Power of an Illusion Activities

1. Sorting People
2. Human Diversity Quiz

Gender Wage Gap

Why do we continue to see gender inequality in pay?  Below is a list of several articles focused on the topic of the gender wage gap. Choose 2 articles of interest to you to compare and contrast. Consider the following questions. 

1. What explanations are offered in the articles for the gender wage gap?
2. Do the articles suggest an improvement in the gap? Why/Why Not?
3. What are your reactions to the articles... do you agree or disagree? What points stood out to you most? 
4. What do you think women should do to try to improve the wage gap? 

Synthesize your responses in a brief 1-2 paragraph post due by 8am Tuesday 4/16. Be sure to include the name  and hyperlink to the articles you are responding to in your post. Feel free to include reactions to the CNBC interview as well (linked below). 

• Gender Pay Gap Persists (USA Today)
• Gender Pay Gap by Industry (NYTimes)
• Don't Blame Discrimination for Gender Wage Gap (Bloomberg)
• The Vicious Cycle of the Gender Pay Gap (Time Magazine)
• Among Doctors, Too, Women are Paid Less (NY Times)
• Closing the Gender Wage Gap for Economic Stimulus (Huffington Post)
• Gender Wage Gap May be Smaller than You Think (Wall Street Journal)

Bem Sex-Roles Inventory

Click on the link below and complete the questionnaire. Write down your scores when you are finished. 

Bem Sex Role Inventory 

PlaySpent

After completing the PlaySpent exercise, what are your reactions? Detail your decisions and why you chose to do what you did. For example, what job did you choose?  why? Did you choose health insurance? Why/Why not? What living arrangements did you make? Why?  What other circumstances affected your living expenses for the month? 

What is your reaction to this exercise? What struggles/issues do the American poor face that keep them from moving up in social class? 

http://playspent.org/

Criminal Justice in NJ

Visit the following 3 websites. Respond by 8am on Thursday with at least 3 general questions you have about the criminal justice system, NJ laws and procedures, or local topics and interests. 

• NJ Department of Corrections

• Bergen County Sheriff's Office

• New Jersey Judiciary 

Suggestions: 

• NJDOC: various prison facilities in NJ, escapes, offender search, and careers in corrections
• BC Sheriff's Office: Most wanted, county jail, probation dept, various programs (youth/family)
• NJ Judiciary: jury info, court info (by county)

Post your questions as a comment by 8am Thursday 3/21. 

Taboo Responses

After viewing the episode of Taboo, what are your reactions? In a paragraph, respond to the following questions here by Monday 3/18 at 8am

• Choose 1 deviant behavior depicted in the episode
• Describe the behavior, it's value in that culture, and why it is taboo to us
• Describe the sanctions associated with the behavior (are they positive? negative? How so... How are the sanctions based on culture? In the US how would we sanction this behavior?)
• Overall reaction
• How did your ethnocentrism affect you?

Video Link: Taboo (National Geographic): Signs of Identity

"Signs of Identity | National Geographic Channel: Marks of identity are not always about the art. In Japan, tattoos mark criminal gangs. In Canada, "branding" tests courage."

VIOLATE SOCIAL NORM- Individual HW

After your group has agreed upon your social norm violation, you will interact with 2 different people and break the norm. Write 1 paragraph per interaction, addressing the following points for both interactions.

1. Describe the setting
• Physical- when and where is the norm violation taking place?
• Social- How many and what types of persons are observing?
2. Describe the incident- tell what happened
3. Summary & Interpretation

• How did you feel as you were violating the norm?
• Why did you feel the way you did?
• Did people react the way you expected?  Explain.
• Did you encounter any difficulties in carrying out your assignment?
• What, if anything, did you learn about how norms exercise social control?
• Any other pertinent observations.

Posts due by Monday 3/11 before class

VIOLATE A SOCIAL NORM- Group Post

GROUP POST

As a group, agree on the social norm you will break from one of these 3 categories

1. dress/attire
2. behavior
3. language

1 person from each group should write up the following:

1. Group members names (First name, list initial)
2. Define norm you will violate. Describe how/when you will violate.
3. Why is this norm important/how is it used as a mechanism of social control? 
4. Hypothesis: What possible reactions might you see? What do you predict will be the major reaction? 

Group Post due by end of class Wed 3/6

Gender Biased Commercials

Have you noticed some TV commercials to be gender biased? For example, throughout the 1990s, Jif Peanut Butter commercials included the tagline "Choosy Moms Choose Jif."  Only recently, in the 2000s, was this tagline adjusted to include dads: "Choosy Moms and Dads Choose Jif." 

Between now and Thursday, observe some of the commercials that air during your favorite TV Shows. Comment below in 1 paragraph, answering the following questions.  If possible, try to include a link to the commercial (if it is available on YouTube). 

Comments are due by 8am on Friday 2/8/13

1. What TV Show were you watching? What is the intended audience (age and gender)? 
2. What commercial did you see that was gender biased? For what product/concept? 
3. For whom was the product biased (Males or Females)? How do you see the bias portrayed?
4. What message(s) does this commercial send about gender roles in American society? Should it continue to air? 
5. What is 1 pro and 1 con to networks airing this commercial? Why do you think the network chose to air it during your TV program? 

Disney Characters & Gender Stereotypes

Disney movies are popular among children of all ages and many of us grew up watching these classic films. As we begin our conversation on gender development and socialization, consider how some of your favorite films portray gender stereotypes and other stereotypes for social behavior. 

 Answer the following questions (commenting below)  by Tuesday 2/5 at 8am. 

Choose your favorite Disney movie...
1.  Describe the main character's personality, behavior, and general characteristics (briefly... 3-5 sentences)
2. What gender stereotypes does this character reinforce? 
3. Who is the villain in the film? Do you see any gender stereotypes in this character? 

4. In general, what does this film teach children about gender and other components of socialization? What are the pros and cons of this film? 

Chapter 2: Culture Questions

Please write brief responses to these 2 questions from the end of Ch 2  (p. 59). Please number your responses and reply as 1 comment to this blog post.  Your responses should be about 5-7 sentences each.  You should respond by 8am on Thursday 1/31. Late posts will lose points. 

1. Do you favor ethnocentrism or cultural relativism? Explain your position.

3. Are you a member of any subcultures? Which one(s)? Why do you think that your group is a subculture? What is your group's relationship to the mainstream culture?

Semester 2 Sociology!

Welcome to Sociology! We're going to have a great semester, packed with tons of interesting topics and info. Sociology focuses on the behaviors of groups of people and societies. This blog will serve as our homebase for discussions and explorations. I'm looking forward to reading your first posts.

Feel free to explore each other's blogs (linked on the left). Follow the calendar (see Semester Project) and enjoy your study of your selected topic.