Wolf's Sociology 204

Excellent example of paper 2 by Devin Rentz

It is the sound pounding in peoples' heads that is so loud, most people have become accustomed or even deaf to it. Culture is the essence of mainstream. It is the dominant system of language, norms, folkways, mores, beliefs and values of a given society. It is imbued in children from the time they are able to be instructed. Its presence is overlooked simply because it is everywhere one looks. It is not necessarily a sinister bunch of ideas lurking in the shadows, but to realize the effects, both positive and negative, it has on the thoughts and actions of people, it deserves a closer examination. Mother Culture, which will be explored more after an understanding of culture is established, is a term used in Daniel Quinn's novel, Ishmael, to describe a peoples' early culture, their perception of this culture, and its relevance to the offspring culture they are presently a part of.

Continue reading "Culture" »

Posted by Rowan at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Excellent example of paper 2 by Kristy Reddick.

While various systems of trade and currency exchanges have spanned the globe for thousands of years, the late 20th century and early 21st century has been witness to the advent of a bona fide global economy. Rapid advancements in industry, technology and the birth of the "information age" have had dramatic effects upon business's ability to produce and market goods and services the world over. The West, most notably the United States, has been at the forefront of the commercialized global economy, exerting an incredible influence upon fellow industrialized states and developing nations. The fashion icons, franchise logos, foods, and film industry of the United States have radically impacted the material cultures of other parts of the world. Yet the affects of the globalized commercial economy and world wide information network extend beyond the absorption of US products and services. The nonmaterial aspects of world cultures are being vastly influenced by globalization. This phenomena is being embraced and celebrated by many people the world over but is met with opposition by others who view our cultural influence to be detrimental and dangerous to their societies. My intent is to briefly explore how nonmaterial aspects of culture in nations such as those in the Middle East have been influenced by the inclusion of material culture from the West.

Continue reading "Reshaping Nonmaterial Culture: The Global Affect of the Material Culture of the West" »

Posted by Rowan at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each of my Sociology 204 classes will be attending a presentation of the Illumination Project. While this is listed in the Syllabus, I have included the schedule below. All presentations are in the Performing Arts Center unless otherwise noted.

Monday/Wednesday 9:00-10:50 - Wednesday 5/21/08
Tuesday/Thursday 9:00-10:50 - Thursday, 5/22/08

If you miss the performance which the class attends, or wish to see an additional performance, the full schedule is in the extended entry.

Continue reading "Notice: Illumination Project " »

Posted by Rowan at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An excellent example of paper 1 by Ngan Nguyen.

Hong Nuong was born and grew up in a poor farmer family in Southern Dong Thap in the Mekong Delta Region. When Nuong was a high school junior, she left school to help her mother with the farming and take care of her sick father and younger siblings. Although Nuong and her mother worked hard in the field from sunrise to sunset, they couldn't earn enough money to support the family. Gradually, Nuong's family was in heavy debt. Nuong moved to Cao Lanh and worked at a restaurant in town to earn more money. After a few months, the restaurant's owner gave Nuong the phone number of a matchmaker in Saigon who promised to find girls rich husbands from Taiwan. Nuong thought so much about it. Nuong knew it would be difficult to live with a strange husband, who didn't speak the same language, in a strange country, but it was Nuong's only way to escape from poverty. Through a matchmaker in Saigon, Nuong married Wang Liang, the thirty-seven year old Taiwanese man, and received $5,000 from him. For Nuong, the dollars from her Taiwanese husband was significantly important to her family in paying off family's debts and going to support her four younger siblings in school. But was it really better when she put her happiness in the hands of fortune and marriage decided by dollars?

Continue reading "Troubles and Issues" »

Posted by Rowan at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grade scale A 45-50; B 40-44; C 35-39; D 30-34

Rewrites if you received below an A (44 points or below)
Rewrites have the possibility of improving up to full points for the paper.
Due on Monday 04/28 for M/W and Tuesday 04/29 for T/R classes. You may also drop the rewrite off in my office in SS217.
You must attach the paper I graded to the rewrite.

Paper 1 is a "test" of your understanding of concepts and paradigms from Weeks 1 & 2 of the course. Regardless what topic or question you wrote on, the paper should significantly feature, and clearly use those concepts as they apply to your paper.

Posted by Rowan at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stereograms are 3D images hidden within another picture. In order to view the 3-D images. They are a picture within a picture. Gazing at the picture we see an image or picture. However, if we look just right, we see a totally different picture emerge. These types of images are also sometimes called "magic eye."

Here are a couple of links to examples:

Magic Eye image of the week

3d Stereogram examples

Continue reading "Stereograms - Seeing beyond the image" »

Posted by Rowan at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to Spring term and to Rowan Wolf's Sociology 204 Website!

I am looking forward to meeting you all and to having an exceptional start to the new school year. Please feel free to explore the site and resources available. You may access the syllabus and look it over. It indicates the required texts, course requirements and our schedule.

Posted by Rowan at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)