Brian the Sociologist

Video from my 2012 study abroad trip to China

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Here is a bit of a video clip montage from my 2012 study abroad trip to China. We visited Beijing and Chengdu over a two week period. Thanks to Ann and all the students for a great trip!

Voting is not enough for democracy to work

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:18:00 +0000

It has been an eventful week in Michigan for labor and, to be frank, I am rather shocked to see that the birth state of the AFL-CIO will soon become a Right-to-Work state. Despite the catchy name, "Right-to-Work" refers to legislation that seriously undermines the ability of unions to engage in collective bargaining by opening the door for freeloaders who benefit from a contract, but are unwilling to pay for the maintenance and negotiation of that contract. Labor contracts, after all, are not gifts of a benevolent management, but rather the hard won product of a negotiation between two parties. When the power of one of these parties is undermined by legislation, such as Right-to-Work, the process of collective bargaining shifts from being that of democratic negotiation to that of codification of power inequality.

I'm going to set all that aside for this post, although I would encourage you to read up on the issue as even non-union jobs are impacted by legislation such as this. Really, I want to talk about this idea that democracy is about voting. This semester I taught an introduction to sociology class where the majority of the students were voting for the first time. When we discussed the issue of voting, they reflected a mainstream idea that voting is a fundamental obligation of citizens in the United States. For the most part they voiced enthusiasm at being able to participate in the process, although that was often mixed with some amount of confusion and a thread of guilt around "not being more informed" about all the issues. Once they worked their way though the process on voting day they were mostly satisfied and they felt their civic obligation was done.

In addition to my obvious political stance regarding the current political issues, this is one of the reasons that I am headed to Lansing tomorrow for this rally. I think it is important that we battle this idea that citizen involvement starts and stops at the voting booth. Sure, voting is important and you should go vote. However, I would support someone who organizes like-minded people, meets with and contacts his/her legislators, runs for office, encourages civil public debate, and engages in the distribution of meaningful information on public issues over someone who simply shows up at the voting booth any day. Vote, but don't stop there. I would make similar comments to digital activists who always post the latest meme on their profile--spread the word (and sign this petition!), but make sure that you are backing up your digital activism with real action.

This is important because apathy is concession. Without your active participation, dollars can easily influence public policy (check out the Mackinac Center budget at http://www.thenation.com/blog/171663/pro-right-work-groups-michigan-outspend-union-counterparts#.) Without your active participation, politicians will not be accountable for their actions. Without your active participation, more legislation will be sent through without true public support. Political malaise in the United States is driven, in part, by the feeling among many people (disenfranchised populations in particular) that their votes don't matter. The problem isn't that votes don't matter--the problem is that voting isn't enough to make democracy work.

Help during finals!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Remember students, if you are struggling and need some extra help, please consider stopping in at the Center for Academic Achievement on the 2nd floor of the library. There are people there that care and can help you with your studying. http://www.svsu.edu/tutor/

My endorsement of Holli Wallace for Freeland School Board

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:42:00 +0000

Okay, perhaps it goes without saying that I should endorse my wife who is running for the Freeland Community School District School Board. I'm also not sure what weight my endorsement carries, although I will note that I am a sociology professor who has done at least some research into K-12 to higher education transitions of students in mid-Michigan. Nonetheless, spousal bias aside, I thought it was worth voicing why I think she is a excellent candidate for the position. I've come up with three characteristics that should make her your choice (or really one of your three choices) for the position:

Integrity. It is a running joke in our house. Holli is a rule follower and she expects those around her to be rule followers also. This is not just a personal ideology. As an attorney she has the professional background and knowledge to understand both the legal and ethical implications of crossing certain lines. Integrity is important for the school district and community to have a productive relationship.
Reflexive. That's my way of saying that she thinks about stuff. Nurturing the children in a community such as Freeland is a weighty responsibility to take on. The decisions made on their behalf need to be evidence-based and involve consideration for their long-term and secondary impacts. School of choice, test scores, and other issues are important factors to consider. However, they should not be decided as individual issues, but rather considered in the context of economic, social, and political changes in Freeland and throughout Michigan. Holli does not rush to conclusions, but rather listens to all voices in the community and weighs them against the best interests of Freeland's children.
Child-focused. Holli is an excellent mother. Importantly, she understands that being an excellent mother is about more than caring for her two children. It is also about creating a learning environment for their peers, a working environment for their teachers, and a space for the community which will enhance their personal growth in a changing world. I think this is fundamentally what drives her to run for School Board--she knows that our success as a community is very much linked together. I am confident that she will work to collaborate with all necessary parties to ensure that Freeland's children are well prepared for success in the future.

I would encourage other people to post either here or on Holli's Facebook page (www.holliwallace.com) why they think she is an excellent candidate. The fact is that the School Board has an awesome responsibility to help Freeland's children grow into happy, productive, and success adults. Holli is more than up for the task and I hope that you will not only vote for her, but also do what you can over the next three weeks to let others know about what a great candidate she is.

Recycling is overrated

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:39:00 +0000

First, I admit that I wrote that title to get your attention. It's really only partially true. Recycling, for the most part, is good for the environment. There are some very legitimate concerns that I have about low-wage, low-quality jobs (see David Pellows book Garbage Wars) and there are numerous examples of greenwashing, when the environmental benefits are blown way out of proportion. That being said, to recycle is better than to just throw stuff away. The problem is it is an individual action that gives people validation to continue to consume without consideration for the consequences. It is sort of like those "lite" snacks that just give people license to eat more. Really, out of the slogan "reduce, reuse, recycle" recycling is meant to be the last option. Furthermore, environmental problems require collective action and organizing groups of people around shared interests. It requires political and community engagement. It requires definitively more than sticking some aluminum in a recycling bin. So let go of the excuse that "at least I recycle" and give some thought to not buying the stuff in the first place and spend your time joining an environmental advocacy group instead.

Introducing the Brian the Sociologist logo!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:54:00 +0000

So, this is what happens when I don't teach during the summer. Actually, I've thinking for awhile about designing a logo to act as a visual link among my various projects, classes, social media identities, etc. I started playing around www.fiverr.com and someone designed this for me for $5. I initially thought about something more complicated addressing issues of globalization, food, and the environment. However, as I gave it more thought, I decided I wanted something really simple that focuses only on groups of people. What do you think? It will make its first appearance on my syllabi next week.

Getting geared up for the school year

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:51:00 +0000

Well, the new school year is nearly upon us. While this is my 8th year teaching, thanks to some time off through a sabbatical, I'm planning to revisit everything I do in the classroom (no ruts here.) My primary goal is to do some writing about public sociology and service learning. However, I'm hoping to also spend some time formalizing assessment for all these various service learning projects I have running and getting the student clothing and food bank running. I've also decided to make a more concerted effort to implement research based teaching best practices. Step one will be to take a shot at learning student names (no more just throwing out that generic "I'm bad with names excuse.") Thanks to www.fiverr.com I will also soon be releasing the official Brian the Sociologist logo. Yes, a smartphone app will likely follow.

Off to China!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Well, I'm taking off for China with 10 students on June 2. We will be gone until June 17. It should be a really great trip with lots of exciting activities planned from an internship at a panda research center in Chengdu to camping by the Great Wall of China. I'm experimenting with some new forms of social media (e.g. www.tout.com/brianthesoc) so hopefully there will be some interesting video being generated. I'm also going to have a smart phone with me so I hope to be able to provide very regular updates. If you are interested in following us on our trip, go to www.facebook.com/brianinchina.

SVSU Clothes Closet and Food Pantry now accepting donations!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:48:00 +0000

In 2011, college students, with only a few exceptions, lost access to public assistance for food. Roughly 30,000 students were impacted by this throughout the state. Due to this, Delta College's food pantry saw a jump to 70-80 students seeking free food per week (notably student access is limited to 4 times per month). These are your students and classmates too.

Since last year I've been working with Cara Cole, a social work student, to organize a food pantry at SVSU. We are making progress in this direction; however, we have decided to work out the logistics by first starting with clothing donations. As a result we are now looking for clothing donations to provide SVSU students with free professional clothing that they can use on job interviews, during internships, at conferences, and in other professional settings. Thanks to the generous support of Housing, we have storage facilities in Living Center North and are now accepting donations. Our plan is to distribute the clothing for free to students in the fall.

***We are still setting up drop off locations throughout campus, but, as for now, you can drop off donations in my office (Education Building North 269) or email me and I will arrange to have the donations picked up. We are taking clean and gently used dress pants, dresses and skirts, professional shirts and jackets, business suits, belts, ties, and dress shoes.***

***Donations are also being accepted at the The Office of Adjunct Faculty Support in SE201.***

Thank you for your support! Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested in making a donation. If you are interested in working with us on this project, please drop me an email and/or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/189569454494566/

Delta College Peace Club Hunger Banquet

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:26:00 +0000

This was a great event put on by a group of Delta College students. I had the chance to do a short presentation after the banquet itself. I also joined the masses in eating rice on the floor. :)

New website

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:23:00 +0000

I think that I have decided to migrate my website from Blogger to Tumblr. Very soon, I will redirect my domain name over there. Tumblr has a more simple interface and I've been finding that I am leaning more toward short frequent posts. It's still a bit under construction, but you can check out the new website here:

http://brianthesociologist.tumblr.com/

Chinese government versus consumer culture

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:20:00 +0000

I don't typically approve of governments controlling the media and I am, in fact, a fan of bad reality TV. Nonetheless, I am sympathetic to concerns that modernization is a mixed bag in terms of changing culture. The globalization of consumer culture is problematic to say the least. Still, if people want to watch cheesey dating shows, is there really anything wrong with that? Cultural purges, whether targeting traditional or modern cultural elements, are just scary.

China Targets Entertainment TV In Cultural Purge

Hong Qiao Pearl Market

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:51:00 +0000

While this place is more rationalized than it was a decade ago, it is still a wild and chaotic immersion into the emerging consumer culture in China. In my experience, Americans are both fascinated and frightened by the need to haggle for every product. It is quite different than the predictability of the typical American department store or shopping mall. Tourists in Beijing frequent this market, although it is also common to see locals there also. Make sure to check out the toy market located directly behind this building.

You can find out more about the Pearl Market here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294212-d321012-Reviews-Pearl_Market_Hongqiao_Market-Beijing.html

Fast food in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Sure, McDonald's is now putting apples in all Happy Meals and most fast food joints have salads of one type or another. However I've always thought this was largely just window dressing and hardly indicative of true change in the industry. Check out this list of some of the most unhealthy fast food of 2011.

The Daily Meal Mobile

Climate change inaction

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:32:00 +0000

There are some interesting points in this article including the comment that only in the US is the existence of climate change still debated. This debate makes political action difficult. I think this highlights how control over science and knowledge is powerful political tool.

Ahead Of Climate Talks, U.S. Leadership In Question

Buy Nothing Day

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:29:00 +0000

As fascinating as I find consumer culture, it is hard to ignore the negative elements. I show the Story of Stuff to most of my sociology classes and really like how it describes both the cultural and environmental impacts of our consumer culture. Consumption is a necessary part of being a living organism, but the United States in particular has moved well beyond necessary consumption despite the fact that hunger and poverty remain issues throughout the world. Even environmental issues have been reduced from collective political action to the individualistic consumption of shiny metal water bottles and fashionable reusable shopping bags. We cannot escape this consumer culture entirely, but I think it is worth considering how deeply we participate in it and considering how to affect change in it. So, consider celebrating Buy Nothing Day after Thanksgiving. Hey, all you really need to do is nothing. For more info go to Buy Nothing Day 2011.

Shift Happens video

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:23:00 +0000

I saw this at a teaching workshop I attended last weekend. Interesting stuff and, to the best of my knowledge, credible statistics. It highlights the importance of general education (i.e. critical thinking and problem solving) as well as studying abroad (particularly in China or India!). I think various versions of this video have circulated around. Take a look as it is interesting and eye opening.

Panda Breeding

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Wow, apparently it is extremely difficult to get pandas to breed in captivity. Mothers are only in heat 72 hours a year. They also have a tendency to give birth to twins, but to only take care of one. Despite these obstacles, the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center is hoping to release some pandas into the wild soon. Note that this is where students on my 2012 trip to China will have a 3 day international internship. Read more in this BBC article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9225000/9225918.stm

Fall 2011 Garbology Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Thanks to my environmental sociology students for their great work last week analyzing SVSU's recycling and trash habits. It was messy, but will help us develop campaigns to make this a greener campus! Some photos from the event are below.

The Two Minute Sociologist: Traveling Abroad

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:21:00 +0000

Escape the American bubble

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:41:00 +0000

While I am not typically a fan of Fox news, this is an interesting article about the efforts that some faculty are making to create study abroad trips that push students outside their comfort zone. In particular for American students, I think it is easy to create an American cultural space while traveling abroad by interacting only with other students, spending time at American restaurants, and sticking to tour buses and locations heavy with tourists. I want my trips to pop that American bubble. Anyway, here is a link to the article.

Study, Travel Abroad Pushes Students Out Of Their 'American Bubbles' | Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/09/25/overseas-studies-gets-students-out-their-american-bubbles/

2012 Faculty Led Study Abroad Trip Details

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:56:00 +0000

We just finalized some of the details of the trip. The trip will go from June 2 to 17 with some classes at SVSU prior to that. The cost of the trip will be $4,999 which will include international airfare, housing, most meals, and most ticket costs and fees (I'm applying for a grant so hopefully this amount will drop.) There is one required class, SOC490 Development in Modern China, that is required for the trip. If you are interested in additional credits, I'd be happy to talk with you about independent study credit.

Okay, that is the nuts and bolts stuff. Here are the interesting things. This trip will be unlike other study-abroad trips because my goal is to help students become comfortable with international travel so that, whether they return to China or not, they have the skills to travel the world. To do this, we will spend about a week in Beijing working in small student groups with task-based activities rather than a tour bus. In short, we'll have breakfast together and I'll hand out the assignment for the day, which will basically be a place that you need to go with two other students and a task you must accomplish (e.g. go to the Pearl Market and bargain for something). After that, we will fly from Beijing to Chengdu (famous home of Sichuan food) where students will participate in a 3 day internship at a panda research station. After that we will fly back to Beijing, where the group will spend the night sleeping on the Great Wall before flying home.

The deadline to apply is December 15, 2012 and I am capping the trip at 11 people. In order to get a spot, you must submit a $250 deposit along with an application form to the OIP office in Wickes 250. There are scholarships available so I recommend applying and contacting Becky Griffin (rmgriffi@svsu.edu) at the OIP office ASAP to make sure you have a chance at one of those scholarships.

The Two Minute Sociologist: The toughest miles

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:45:00 +0000

The Two Minute Sociologist is back with some brief reflections on running and the journey that is a college education.

9/11 Saginaw News Article

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:11:00 +0000

I was interviewed last week about 9/11. It always makes me a little nervous talking about such a culturally charged topic and it was a "cold" interview (i.e. I didn't prepare ahead of time). Still I think it turned out pretty well.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/09/fallout_911_2001_attacks_defin.html#comments

I want to go to China with Brian in 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Thomas) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:33:00 +0000

If you want to go to China with me in 2012 (or are even considering it), you should contact the SVSU Office of International Programs and let them know. You can call, email, or stop in their office. Their contact information is below.

oip@svsu.edu
(989) 964-4473
Office: Wickes 250