Reading - "Risk" by Dan Gardner

A few of you have been asking about things to do/read/see to support university applications or as extension.

I have been reading the book "Risk" by Dan Gardner today and highly recomment it.  It goes beyond the material covered in the book but is a fascinating account, combining pyschological and sociological research, of how we perceive risk and how this shapes our perception of the world.  There are some links directly to our course - for example, Chapter 6 "The Herd Senses Danger", has some interesting examples relating to science as a belief system.  Did you know that male scientists are less likely to see nuclear power as risky than female scientists?  The sociological and cultural reasons for this are explored and clearly explained.

Well worth reading.

Mr C

gender inequality in film

this doesn't relate directly to any of the topics we're studying but i found a fairly interesting article on gender inequality in the film industry that i thought was worth sharing

http://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film/

How religions change their mind

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22250412 I know its an old article, but i found it interesting how "History shows that any religion that refuses to change dies out", What do you all think to it ?????

Secularisation?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25119158

Science as a belief system and religion vs. science

I just found this article about science being a belief and religion being seen as a science. http://www.science20.com/florilegium/science_belief_religion_science_recent_research I also found this article talking about religion vs. science which has got loads of different ideas and points in it, which could be quite helpful in an essay. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/religion-vs-science-can-the-divide-between-god-and-rationality-be-reconciled-955321.html

Most definitely NOT secularisation!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25032305

Pope Benedict Comes Out As Gay

I have just found this article about Pope Benedict!!!


http://dailycurrant.com/2013/02/28/pope-benedict-gay/

The Atheist Church

Have any of you come across a movement led by Sanderson Jones involving "Sunday Assemblies" for atheists?  He is trying to capture the 'functions' of religion (social bonding, sharing pain and sorrows, celebrating together) without the mystical element.  Over the last few years they have grown hugely and now have branches in 30 cities including America.  (Also they are based on Conway Hall, London.)  Depending upon which definition of religion you adopt would shape whether you think this is a religious movement, but have a look and let me know what you think - linking to sociological concepts in your answer.

Explanations of religion and its relationship to social change.

Please explain here which explanation of religion's relationship to social change you most favour (based on the evidence you have reviewed) and your reasoning.  Thank you.  Mr C

religion as a conservative force - rihanna

this is an interesting example of religion acting as a conservative force

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/21/rihanna-abu-dhabi-grand-mosque-photographs

New edition of Sociology Review...

... is now in H1.

This cannot be taken away, as I've a few out at the minute and I'm waiting for their return.  However you are welcome to read it in the Humanities Area, and I will copy any articles you think are helpful once you've read them.

Find articles on:

Why is sociology so important?
Religiosity and social position
Understanding data
Changing religious beliefs in Britain

Anglican Church Denies New Wedding Vows Are Sexist

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-25/anglican-church-denies-new-wedding-vows-are-sexist/4222654

When we were looking at does religion sujugate women here is the article I found, saying that the anglican church didn't find wedding vows sexist when a woman pledges to submit to her husband.

What are your views? Do you find this is subjugating women?

Should religious education even be taught be in schools because of the diverse society we live in? Good article :)

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/05/church-attacks-gove-religious-education-schools 

Revision Notes

Hiiyya Guys I found this website and it has differnt revision notes and mind maps for religion and crime, which i thought might be usefull :D http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/levels/a2/subjects/sociology?q=religion&go= Hope it helps :D

Muslim School Closes

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/02/muslim-faith-school-closes-on-first-day-of-ofsted-inspection what do you think ?

Richard Dawkins, 'God of the Godless' quite interesting and worth a read..

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/15/richard-dawkins-interview-appetite-wonder

What is the purpose of Education in Society?

This is a topic I have been interested in a long time, and I feel this Video (A poem/rap) explains everything I feel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-eVF_G_p-Y

Please reply with what you think after watching.

Teacher's are being made to wear a hijab even if they are not Muslim

This article was in the Mirror and thought it was interesting..what people opinions on this? should they be made to wear one even if they are not Muslim?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teachers-forced-wear-hijab-al-madinah-2288901

Al-Shabab Attack on Westgate Shopping Centre: Religiously Motivated?

Today, David Cameron has said of the attack on the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi, Kenya "these appalling terrorist attacks that take place, where the perpetrators claim they do it in the name of a religion; they don't. They do it in the name of terror, violence, extremism and their warped view of the world."

Here is a link to the story so far, with an interesting paragraph towards the end which states that Al-Shabab, the organisation claiming responsibility for the attack, freed Muslims as the attack was only aimed those of a  non-muslim faith. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24193059

The BBC news website also provides a good summary of who Al-Shabab are:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15336689

I'm just wondering who agrees with David Cameron? If we go by the social constructionist definition of religion, then surely Al-Shabab themselves fit the description? If Al-Shabab are carrying the attack out in the name of their religion, because that's what they feel they need to do as it is a meaning they have given to their religion themselves, then a social constructionist definition would say we cannot argue with that. Can we also justify it from a Functionalist's point of view? It could be argued to carry out all the functions of a religion identified by Durkheim, Malinowski and Parsons. Even before we take in to consideration any of this, Al-Shabab originate from the Union of Islamic Courts and imposes a strict version of Sharia law in areas under its control. Does this make it a religion, or could it be classified as an arm of a religion (Islam)?

Mummified Baby

Amanda Hutton 'starved four-year-old son to death'

The Mummified body of a four-year old boy was found in a cot in his mother's bedroom almost two years after he starved to death. Hamzah Khan was still dressed in baby clothes when police discovered the corpse as even though Hamzah was four years old at the time of death the malnutrition that caused his death meant that he still fitted into clothes aged 6-9 months.

The court case against the mother, Ms Hutton, is manslaughter by two accounts of gross negligence after having failed to feed her son and failing to seek medical advice.

The most shocking aspect of this case comes with the death of the child, Ms Hutton claims when she returned from the supermarket one day Hamzah was near to death, she said she sought to revive him but to no effect, she then placed the child in his cot, but then instead of calling for assistance e.g calling 999 she made calls to a pizza delivery and placed an order. After the death of Hamzah she then continued to claim benefits for him up until the discovery.

If you are shocked by this story here's two more facts:
Ms Hutton was an abuser of alcohol and cannabis and the father of the child was separated from Ms Hutton and now lived elsewhere.

It begs the questions about drug and alcohol abuse in the UK, and the rising cases of separation between parents; how can a father not have contact with his child in all that time; do we require tighter restrictions on drug and alcohol laws? Was the factor in her not disclosing the death connected with the increase rise in fraudulent claims, and was this money funding her addiction or was she living on the poverty line?

Is religion giving way to spirituality? YOUR OPINIONS

I read this article from a sociology review;

Heelas and Woodhead say that secularisation is undermining religion. Spirituality is based on personal experiences of the sacred and it growing in the place of religion.

Heelas and Woodhead use the term 'holistic milieu' for activities that that are spirtitual but not religious. They conducted research in a town called Kendal, they aimed to compare 'New Age' practices with traditional church going. When measuring holistic milieu they counted participation in activities they considered to have a spiritual dimension, these activities involve yoga, dancing, massage, homeopathy, councelling and spiritual healing. It could be argued that these activities are what people participate in during their leaisure time. Therefore it raises a question of how spiritual is spirituality? Using their sample, they found that fewer than half of people said that their involvement actually had anything to do with spiritual growth.


What are you opinions on this, do you think religion is giving way to spirituality?

WHYYY???!!!!!

I found this article and i thought it was very interesting, i personally think that the uk is losing its religion because there is much less importance placed on it, whereas many years ago religion was of great importance and was the key source of shared values, however nowadays there are other things that help to keep the shared values like tight-knit communities and clubs etc. http://planetivy.com/uknews/56411/atheism-why-the-uk-is-losing-its-religion/

Christian B&B owners Hazelmary and Peter Bull 'forced to sell up'

A Christian couple who became embroiled in controversy after refusing to let a gay couple stay in a double room at their guesthouse say they have been forced to sell up What do you think ?????????? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10320111/Christian-BandB-owners-Hazelmary-and-Peter-Bull-forced-to-sell-up.html

Does religion deserve special protection under the law?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-23551019

What examples can you find of religions enjoying special privileges or protections under British law?  Do you agree that religion should have a special status in 2013?

Is scientology a religion? Is science? Is football?

Should veils be banned?

Please read the following articles:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24112067

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24109186

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24112904

Do you agree with the decisions and points raised in these articles?  What is your view on the role of religious symbols in public life and modern society?

Welcome A2 sociologists

The blog is a tool for continuing your discussions of sociology outside of the classroom.  It helps you build debating and analysis skills and it is expected that you will spend a minimum of 30 minutes of your 6 hours a week reading and posting on the blog.

You can use the blog to:

*Participate in debates and discussions about issues relevant to our course
*Post news articles that you have found in your reading that you wish to share with the class
*Post information, data, studies etc. that you have come across that would be of benefit to the rest of the group
*Instigate debate and discussion about issues relevant to our course

Please ensure that your comments are suitably framed as "professional" debate - as in class, some issues are sensitive and a wide range of opinions are welcomed, but an awareness of how others may perceive your comments is vital.  This is particularly important in a written forum.

The blog is not a tool to communicate with staff - the blog will be reviewed by teachers and they will join in discussions.  However if you have questions you need directly answered, or issues arising relating to your learning, you should use direct email contact for an efficient and private reply.