I may have been misquoted.....but so be it.
As a fiction writer, painter, and photographer I take exception. While
artists were among the first scientists.... painters doing light
experiments
and working with structure........ musicians ....are into the
application of theory and testing....... They are not fiction........
they have their
own place.....the studio.....sociologists can learn from that as an
alternative to the lecture ......
The topic is homosexuality and the film BMt. I have used Laud
Humphreys, Tearoom Trade and Evelyn Hooker studies of homosexuality
She as you recall found that psychological testing TAT could not find
gay subjects.... I also ask students to determine based on the number
of
gay episodes if a person should be considered gay....... then the
matter of preference..... vs. behavior compared to
religion....preference and behavior.
There are always those students who claim they can't define but is
wrong/evil. The question remains what is the best science.
I have to admit I do not care what people do in their bed rooms..... I
know one gay couple who are happy....their kids from a marriage
enjoy each other...... like most of our friends what they are as
people is more important than their race/gender. While in grad school
I spent many hours at a Homophile action league residence perhaps
that's why.
Showing the movie..... several of our colleagues have suggested that
clips rather than full films be showed..... regardless of the movie.
Bain in the same vain suggests lectures should last no longer than 20
minutes.
This movie was made to give the appearance of adventure....... it is a
chick flick +. The plus is that guys will take their dates to show
that they
are liberated..... a very good marketing plan..... as for what students
learn....... the data from church groups suggest that it is not science
based.
There are those among us who would chose fiction over science.....
Del
Anne Eisenberg wrote:
Hi, everyone -
I agree with Sarah that fiction
certainly has a place in our classrooms.
AFter all - whether you are a
sociologist, physicist, fiction writer, or painter - we are all trying
to make sense of the world in which we live!
I often use fiction in my classes to
illustrate key ideas.
Anne
Anne F. Eisenberg
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
SUNY-Geneseo
123D Sturges Hall
Geneseo, NY 14454
585.245.5447
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Original Message -----
Sent:
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:04 AM
Subject:
TEACHSOC: Fw: TEACHSOC: Re: Crash/ Brokeback Mountiain
-----
Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: TEACHSOC: Re: Crash/ Brokeback Mountiain
Del...
You say fiction is not the friend
of social science, yet I have found the tales told in great works of
literature to mirror society beautifully and to relay sociological
messages very well. I used the lyrics to songs from Les Miz
to illustrate the myopic vision and inner dialogue of some members of
law enforcement, and certainly Charles Dickens' work is rich with
sociological messages about the treatment of the poor. I believe
strongly in crossing over disciplines to illustrate a sociological
perspective, and film based on literature (in the case of Brokeback
Mountain, a Pulitzer-prize wining short story) draws students into
classics (old and new) that they may, unfortunately, never have been
exposed to before.
I'll respond to the other parts of
your message when I think things through.
Sarah
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:36 AM
Subject:
TEACHSOC: Re: Crash/ Brokeback Mountiain
The use of fiction in the classroom is not the friend of science.
Sarah Murray wrote:
Del...
I have absolutely no idea how
to test or prove any of this! But I will ask my students if they
believe the characters in the film were the targets of violence (or
thought they could be) because they were homosexual, or because of
rural homophobia, and the students can give me their ideas. A
couple are religious, and from cultures not open to homosexuality, so
I'm sure I'll get a variety of responses.
If we have no idea how to test a proposition that should raise a red
flag.
When you ask your students to believe you become a
teacher/preacher..... not the way to expose the student to the best
science.... you are asking them
to adopt your opinion........ and you are grading them..... you are
in a position of power...... They may agree with you but have learned
what? This may be
why the church has been more successful
Rural homophobia? Don't sociologists find that the locus of the
behavior is the situation and not feelings?
"Consequently, every time that a social phenomenon is directly
explained by psychological phenomenon, we may
be sure that the explanation is false "(Durkheim, Rules of the
Sociological Method 1964 p.104) Why not use a social explanation?
When black people were
lynched, was the cause race or racism? How could you ever test or
prove the answer to that?
President TR.... an ardent sociologist claimed that blacks were lynched
because they so often raped white women. We are we are
often told...... a nation of laws..... race is the law........ see
Goffman civil inattention....... what happened to Emmett Till was the
removal of civil inattention, as a visitor he did not know the
rules. As I stated in an earlier post..... the race definition that
dominates
in this nation and in the sociology texts was designed to support Va
Slave law.....
Maybe it is time for a change
Del
Sarah
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 9:32 PM
Subject:
TEACHSOC: Re: Crash?
Sarah,
I expect that a basic goal for/of learning is a sociology class would
be testable and the best available science. Church Consequently, every
time that a social phenomenon is directly explained by psychological
phenomenon, we may be sure that the explanation is false (Durkheim,
1964 p.104)
groups are faith based and
use a different standard.... that is why I used the terms convince and
leads to...... Can you provide a reliable measure of homophobia and
evidence that
homophobia causes infidelity or violence...... How do you explain
domestic violence in heterosexual households?
Del
Sarah Murray wrote:
What I'm hoping my
students will learn from the film is that homophobia causes infidelity
and violence -- not that homosexuality does.
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Saturday, September 16, 2006 10:19 PM
Subject:
TEACHSOC: Re: Crash?
Locally, church groups have used Brokeback Mountain to convince teens
that the gay lifestyle is evil.... leads to violence and
infidelity....they solve the so what issue by having teens work for
candidates promoting anti gay legislation.... They report
the film is quite effective... They are not concerned by the science
or the fact that these are commercial works of fiction. As you know
B Mountain was designed as a chick flick ....... but it may have had
other more powerful messages that producers will not admit to.
Del
Melanie E. L. Bush wrote:
The issue I am referring to is not that the film
is inflammatory but that it reinforces racism by levelling out the
impact of white supremacy on whites and peoples of color.
For example.. where's the film that shows the
differential approach to incarceration that is being discussed on this
listserve?
To address racism as solely prejudice or
stereotype as the film primarily does provides some relief to some who
believe that "everybody's a little bit racist" - it's just world we
live in - and if they are "nice" and don't engage overtly racist
language or ideas they need not be overly concerned ... though it is
highly offensive to many who face constant reminder of the structural
and ideological consequences.
ahhhh this is precisely the subject of Breaking
the Code of Good Intentions: Everyday Forms of Whiteness...
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