tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post4607362713555372548..comments2024-03-08T03:31:52.260-05:00Comments on Creative Sociology: A Song For Thinking About Robert Merton's "Strain Theory"Todd Schoepflinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882159329367202964noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-44294755181307384842018-02-15T16:43:58.513-05:002018-02-15T16:43:58.513-05:00Hi Beth, thanks for taking the time to write. Soun...Hi Beth, thanks for taking the time to write. Sounds like it was a good class session. I just took a break from grading to watch the What Would You Do video by City High. Good song choice to examine the theory! The song also reminds me of Sutherland's Differential Association Theory...as a way of contemplating the point in the theory as to whether our peers endorse law-breaking behavior. Thanks again for writing and for sharing the song you used. The question of "what would you do?" in reaction to different scenarios is very interesting to consider when thinking about sociological theories. Cheers!Todd Schoepflinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882159329367202964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-39945940867793828412018-02-15T16:32:30.443-05:002018-02-15T16:32:30.443-05:00When teaching strain theory this week, I used this...When teaching strain theory this week, I used this approach - thank you so much- but with the song "What Would You Do" by City High- more current, and most of them knew the song when I played it. Same concepts in there, and important gender dimensions. I also like that the rap segments include meritocratic thinking around the American Dream- my students were all over pulling those parts out as well as the strains I listed on the board. Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06296635989078653319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-8468950476309946532014-09-18T11:51:32.775-04:002014-09-18T11:51:32.775-04:00Great to hear. Sounds like a solid discussion. Sen...Great to hear. Sounds like a solid discussion. Send me an e-mail sometime, wonder who this is! (tas@niagara.edu)Todd Schoepflinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882159329367202964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-23408468460326215902014-09-18T09:32:53.838-04:002014-09-18T09:32:53.838-04:00I just used in class this as well. It went really ...I just used in class this as well. It went really well. Thanks so much for the great idea, Todd. <br /><br />I had them reflect on the two questions you suggested and then added a third: "There is no right or wrong way to earn money, only hard or easy ways. Agree or disagree? Why?" This question generated a lot of partial defenses of 'innovation', which sparked some great discussion and some natural inroads for me to get Merton's ideas across. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-89630347753008312012014-09-05T18:29:43.281-04:002014-09-05T18:29:43.281-04:00Thanks so much for following up. Glad to hear your...Thanks so much for following up. Glad to hear your class went well!Todd Schoepflinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882159329367202964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-3101403660820727472014-09-05T16:04:39.721-04:002014-09-05T16:04:39.721-04:00It went well, thanks! I played the song right at ...It went well, thanks! I played the song right at the outset of class with the lyrics on screen. Without saying why, I asked the class to turn to the page with Merton's typologies of deviance (the one in the Punnett square format). I asked, "what do you think is the reason I played this song," and the first student to answer made the clear connection to cultural goals. Other students said that they first thought the lyrics were about a person finding their lost watch, but then reconsidered after thinking about strain theory. Starting with a discussion of cultural goals was such a great suggestion, especially because we had just been covering Parsons and social integration into the cultural system. Nice work! Asdimdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06996841314847820169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-54457272166466689042014-09-05T15:37:44.719-04:002014-09-05T15:37:44.719-04:00Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you had a ...Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you had a good class today! Todd Schoepflinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882159329367202964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5348743873226142501.post-55829038748088749402014-09-05T13:57:55.971-04:002014-09-05T13:57:55.971-04:00Thanks! I'll use this in my Social Theory cou...Thanks! I'll use this in my Social Theory course today, and I'll be back to report what happened.Asdimdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06996841314847820169noreply@blogger.com