Thanks, Karen.
You're right about Merchants. It gets under their skin...
Andi
--------------
Every object, every being,
Is a jar of delight.
Be a connoisseur.
~Rumi~
Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into
something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.
~Cathy Better~
Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which
matter least.
~Johann von Goethe~
Dr. Andi Stepnick
Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology
300-C Wheeler Humanities Building
Belmont University
Nashville TN 37212-3757
Direct Line: (615) 460-6249
Office Manager: (615) 460-5505
Sociology Fax: (615) 460-6997
----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Loeb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 9:53 am
Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: That time of the year again ...
> Sure, Andi, no problem; I'm attaching the PPT for the different
> scenarios.By the way, I was thinking about the class discussion on
> obesity (in
> contrast to the anorexic girl) and I remember letting the students
> make the
> connection between obesity and social issues. They came up with
> them all,
> including, the proliferation of fast food restaurants and children
> spendingmore inactive time on computers and watching t.v. I'm the
> one who presented
> the social class component. And yes, I saw the Tommy Lee reality
> show and
> thought about showing it to my students for the same reasons you
> mentioned.What worked well in this regard, as well, was the PBS
> documentary, Merchants
> of Cool (which you can get on their website). It worked so well in
> convincing students of all the subtle ways they are pressured by the
> advertising industry to buy merchandise. I showed the first half
> hour of it
> in the beginning of the semester, but students kept bringing it up
> in their
> essays and responses to other articles and concepts.
>
> Karen
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andi Stepnick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:54 AM
> Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: That time of the year again ...
>
>
>
> Great idea. Any chance you'd share that PPT with us? (No pressure.)
>
> Brian - We start on the 24th. Oy! I am totally revising my
> courses...and still at it.
>
> I greet students at the door with a handshake, introduction, and
> welcome. Later, after going over the syllabus, they write about
> how it
> made them feel. They also reflect on their goals, what they expect
> from me/themselves/others.
>
> Then, I have them share all of the above.
>
> I amazed at how many say they felt humanized, excited, cared for, etc
> by the handshake!
>
> It's good for students to hear that others have expectations for them.
>
> Normally, I go over the syllabus, but have groups of students
> share "the bottom line" about different sections. So, it's not
> just me
> saying things. Then, we go to the lab and spend half the class in
> WebCT…doing posts and whatnot.
>
> However, I've been thinking of scrapping all that--although it works
> well. Last night I taped Tommy Lee goes to College. (Yes, good lord,
> but maybe he can make it cool?) I thought about showing part of it
> and talking about college…where our ideas come from about what college
> is like, what feelings he has that they can relate to.
>
> For those who didn't see it, Tommy tries out for the band and although
> he's a "great rock drummer" can't keep up…he's lost in Chem, Hort,
> etc. He feels like a loser, needs help, has to work and prioritize.
> He seems to want to do well and learn but doesn't know how. He
> gets a
> tutor, but struggles. She has faith in him. But then he throws a
> partyinstead of studying. But, he does get up, on time, for band
> practice.
> Those "lessons" (e.g., balance work/fun, faith in self, getting help,
> staying focused) resonated with me as something useful. We have a lot
> of music students so it's applicable, too!
>
> Did anyone see it? Maybe you all can help me maximize using this
> show? Ideas? Maybe I'd do a combo of Karen's PPT (maybe 2 cases)
> mixed with Tommy Lee. Hmmm…
>
> Another option is analyzing music…something that's always worked for
> me. In small groups, then together. Pick anything with a
> sociologicaltheme.
>
> I would add that student's have homework due the next class that
> involves going over the syllabus and WebCT page and respond in writing
> with questions. They also tell me about goals, interests, etc. It's
> useful for getting questions out early and giving me a chance to give
> quick, personalized feedback by week 2.
>
> Good luck, All!
>
>
> Andi
> --------------
> Every object, every being,
> Is a jar of delight.
> Be a connoisseur.
> ~Rumi~
>
> Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence
> intosomething beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our
> hands. ~Cathy Better~
>
> Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which
> matter least.
> ~Johann von Goethe~
>
>
> Dr. Andi Stepnick
> Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology
> 300-C Wheeler Humanities Building
> Belmont University
> Nashville TN 37212-3757
>
> Direct Line: (615) 460-6249
> Office Manager: (615) 460-5505
> Sociology Fax: (615) 460-6997
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Karen Loeb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:35 am
> Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: That time of the year again ...
>
> > Hi Brian,
> >
> > On the first day of class, I distribute the syllabus but I don't
> > go over it until the second time the class meets. Instead, I tell
> > students, since they probably don't have a good idea of what
> > sociology is by way of introduction, I present (on a powerpoint)
> > four individuals experiencing "personal troubles," i.e., a high
> > school student starving herself in order to be thin and
> > attractive; a person who loses their job and eventually becomes
> > homeless; a man who commits suicide after losing a job and then I
> > make the connection between these individuals' problems and
> > "public issues." Last year one of my students brought up the
> > phenomena of obesity being a problem in America (in contrast to
> > the anorexic girl) and we had a wonderful discussion about how
> > obesity is often a function of social class (NPR did a wonderful
> > series on this last year). This introduction has worked really
> > well for me.
> >
> > Karen
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Brian Webb
> > To: [email protected]
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:06 AM
> > Subject: TEACHSOC: That time of the year again ...
> >
> >
> > Good Morning -
> >
> > Believe it or not, our term opens next Tuesday, August 23rd.
> > And as usual, I am giving some thought to things I might do or say
> > in those first couple of classes that will grab the students'
> > attention and open their eyes to the facination of this "special
> > kind of passion" known as sociology. One thing I have learned is
> > that those first few classes are crucial and can and often do 'set
> > the tone' for the rest of the semester. A word about my
> audience -
> > I teach in a private Québec CEGEP with 1700 students. This is a
> > level of education after the end of High School, but before
> > university. All students go through the CEGEPs en route to
> > university. Our students are 16 - 18 years old, highly motivated,
> > middle to upper class, urban, well travelled, multilingual and
> > multicultural. Any suggestions for things that you have found
> > particularly effective for 'opening day'? And one more thing -
> > are there any other folks out there who are starting before Labour
> > Day? Misery likes company ...
> >
> > Brian Webb
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
