Grades for Sociology 136

Students in Sociology 136, Effects of Mass Media: your grades are in, and your exams will be available for you to pick up in the sociology department office. And a happy new year to anyone who may be reading!

Grades for Sociology 107

Students in Sociology 107, Classical Theory: the grades for Fall 2005 have been submitted, and your final papers will be available to pick up in the sociology department office.

Book for Classical Sociological Theory, Spring 2006

There is only one book required for Classical Sociological Theory (Sociology 107) for Spring semester 2006. It is available at the Clark University Bookstore, and can of course also be acquired from any other source, and is available at the library reserve desk. It is:

Laura Desfor Edles and Scott Appelrouth (eds.), Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings. Pine Forge Press, 2004.
ISBN: 0761928022

A syllabus will follow in early January.

Books for Organized Crime and Corruption, Spring 2006

The following books have been ordered for Organized Crime and Corruption (Sociology 264, crosslisted under the same number in Law and Society and Ethics and Public Policy) for the coming semester. They are available at the Clark University Bookstore, but can of course also be ordered from any other source, and are also available at the library reserve desk:

Phillipe Bourgois, In Search of Respect : Selling Crack in El Barrio (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, 2002 (ISBN: 0521017114)

H. Richard Friman and Peter Andreas (eds.). The Illicit Global Economy and State Power. Rowman and Littlefield, 1999 (ISBN: 084769304X)

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Harvard University Press, 1996 (ISBN: 0674807421)

Stephen Kotkin and Andras Sajo (eds.), Political Corruption in Transition: A Sceptic's Handbook. Central European University Press, 2002 (ISBN: 9639241474)

Martin Sanchez-Jankowski, Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society. University of California Press, 1992 (ISBN: 0520074343)

Vadim Volkov, Violent Entrepreneurs: The Use of Force in the Making of Russian Capitalism. Cornell University Press, 2002 (ISBN: 0801487781)

A syllabus will follow in early January, which will also include additional articles.

Books for Sociology of Culture, Spring 2006

The following books have been ordered for Sociology of Culture (Sociology 231, Communication and Culture 230) for the coming semester. They are available at the Clark University Bookstore, but can of course also be ordered from any other source, and are also available at the library reserve desk:

Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding Politics : How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life. Cambridge UP, 1998
ISBN: 052158759X

Wendy Griswold, Cultures and Societies in a Changing World (second edition). Pine Forge Press, 1994
ISBN: 0761930485

Peter Manuel, Cassette Culture : Popular Music and Technology in North India. U of Chicago Press, 1993
ISBN: 0226504018

Américo Paredes, Folklore and Culture on theTexas-Mexican Border. U of Texas Press, 1995
ISBN: 0292765649

Anna Szemere, Up from the Underground: The Culture of Rock Music in Postsocialist Hungary. Pennsylvania State U Press, 2001
ISBN: 0271021330

Sarah Thornton, Club Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital. Wesleyan UP, 1996
ISBN: 0819562971

A syllabus will follow in early January.

(Re)introducing this blog

This weblog began as an experiment, to allow me to share materials and discussions with students in my Effects of Mass Media course in Fall 2005. Now it is being revamped as a general tool to allow communication involving me and all of my undergraduate students. Here you will find notes and reminders, reading lists, course syllabi, articles I have run across, assignments, and any other communication related to my courses or university-related issues. One of the best effects of this kind of technology in the last semester was that I was able to almost eliminate the copying and distribution of paper, with all of its waste and risk of loss.

If you are one of my students, bookmark the site and check it regularly. Announcements appear here first. If you are not one of my students, feel free to read and follow. Comments are welcome, but I have turned on the moderation feature, so they come to me for review before they appear on the site.

Anybody who is interested in Balkan societies and cultures is welcome to visit my other site, East Ethnia.

Paid propaganda in Iraqi newspapers

Thanks to Nick for providing this item. The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating a report that the US military has been paying newspapers in Iraq to plant stories in their editions. Apparently "stories written by 'information operation'' troops were secretly placed with media outlets in Iraq through a Washington-based defense contractor, Lincoln Group." Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the US military in Balghdad, defends the operation, claiming, "We do empower our operational commanders with the ability to inform the Iraqi public, but everything we do is based on fact not based on fiction'' Laurie Adler, speaking for the Lincoln Group, claims the company "can't discuss the contract but everything the Lincoln Group put out was truthful and factual.'' Meanwhile, the AP reports that Sen John Warner, chair of the Armed Services Committee, is not satisfied with the explanations he has got from the military, and Pentagon spokespeople are themselves not certain that the operation is legal. Sen Edward Kennedy is more categorical, arguing that the operation ''speaks volumes about the president's credibility gap. If Americans were truly welcomed in Iraq as liberators, we wouldn't have to doctor the news for the Iraqi people.''