SOC 101, SEC 2017, 6P TO 8:30P: Room Change -- New Room #1443

ATTENTION: STUDENTS IN SOC 101, SEC 2017, 6P TO 8:30P

We are moving to a new room for the semester. Room 1443.

It is in the Horn Theatre building. Follow the signs once you are in the building and you should be able to find it no problem. This is a permanent change for the semester.

Please come early enough on Thursday to find the room.

SOC 101 CLASS CANCELLED THIS EVENING, TUESDAY, NOV 22

SOC 101 -- 2017, ROOM 1060, 6:00P TO 7:20P is cancelled.

Happy Thanksgiving
See you next Tuesday.

Spring 2012 CSN Schedule

I will be teaching the following 16 WEEK classes in the Spring:

CLASS    SECTION  CALL #   ROOM #        DAY & TIME

SOC 102    2001      27762    CY1068    Th 9:30AM-12:20PM

SOC 101    2021      33964    CY1684    T 6:00PM-8:50PM

SOC 101    2017      27713    CY1068    Th 6:00PM-8:50PM

(NOTE: Room #s are subject to change--I will post changes here)

All of Dr. Pattie's Classes Cancelled Tuesday, October 25

I'm sorry to do this again, but something has come up that will prevent me from being at class on Tuesday. I will announce on Angel changes to schedule due to this unexpected absence. Thank you for your patience. Cheers, Dr. Pattie

SOC 101 CANCELLED THURSDAY Sep 29, 6p

SOC 102 AND ANTH/SOC 205 will meet on Sept 29 as usual.

SOC 101 -- 2017, ROOM 1060, 6:00P TO 7:20P is cancelled.
I'm feeling a little better though still under the weather some. I think I can do half day tomorrow, so morning classes will meet as usual, but my evening class is cancelled.

Some deadlines will be pushed out to accommodate the missed class. It will probably be tomorrow or Friday before I put new deadlines up on Angel.

Thank you for your patience.

DR THOMAS CLASSES ARE CANCELLED TUESDAY Sep 27

SOC 102 -- 2001, ROOM 1218, 9:30A TO 10:50A
ANTH/SOC 205 -- 2001, ROOM 1218, 11:00A TO 12:20P
SOC 101 -- 2017, ROOM 1060, 6:00P TO 7:20P

Classes will be cancelled for Tuesday, Sept 27due to illness. I have a nasty case of bronchitis and do not want to spread contagion. I believe I will be better by Thursday, but look for an announcement here if I am not. Assume we are having class on Thursday unless I post an announcement.

Some deadlines will be pushed out to accommodate the missed class. I will put new deadlines up on Angel when I am well enough to do so.

Thank you for your patience.

My Fall 2011 Schedule -- Tell Your Friends!

Fall Class Schedule is out - here's what I'm teaching:

SOC 102 Contemporary Social Issues
Sec 2001 Call # 83296 CHEYENNE Campus Room 1681 1218 T/Th 9:30AM - 10:50AM

SOC 205 Ethnic Groups in Contemporary Society
Sec 2001 Call # 83301 CHEYENNE Campus Room 1218 T/Th 11:00AM - 12:20PM

SOC 101 Principles of Sociology
Sec 2017 Call # 83245 CHEYENNE Campus Room 1060 T/Th 6:00PM - 7:20PM

Tell your friends and neighbors :)

The American Ruling Class: View of the Power Elite

Last week I showed two of my classes a delightful film called The American Ruling Class, which bills itself as a "documentary, drama, musical." It lives up to the billing.

The drama part is the storyline of two recent Yale graduates who are trying to figure out what to do with their lives now that they are ready for the "real world." Other fictional parts include classmates, workers, a Pentagon press corps, and musical entertainers, including some wonderful kids.

The documentary part involves the film's creator, Lewis Lampham, long-time editor of Harper's Magaine and self-identified member of America's Ruling Class. Lampham coaches the fictional Yalees by introducing them to a wide range of real life members of various sectors of media, literary, Hollywood and political elites. There is little indication of how many of these well-known persons are "in" on the fictional aspects. In this way, the film reminds me of Sacha Baron Cohen's work where the lines between fiction and reality are blurred. Highlights include Walter Kronkite, Kurt Vonnegut, Barbara Ehrenreich, James Baker, Hodding Carter, and Bill Bradley.

The musical part involves several times in the film when the point is driven by workers, press corps and kids breaking out in song. Of course, there is also a magical bus ride with Howard Zinn, who conducts a tour of an alternative American history that sought to set up a ruling class and suppress dissent, accompanied by a Phillip Glass composition from Koyaanisqatsi. And rounding out the musical aspects of the film, is a wonderful encounter with Pete Seeger, who is strumming a banjo on a country road and providing sage wisdom about social change.

If you are looking for cut and dry answers to the questions of whether the ruling class controls the rest of us, whether holding power means the opportunity to do great good or whether power corrupts absolutely, you will be dissatisfied with this film. It is highly ambiguous, reflecting, I believe Lampham's own mixed feelings about the privileges that he has enjoyed.

One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the obvious role that two prominent private organizations play in providing a gateway to becoming a part of the class: the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

One of the graduates is introduced to the Council on Foreign Relations as the doorway he must pass through in order to become part of The American Ruling Class. The other graduate, a little more reluctant to become a member, is sent to a wide range of political, military and philanthropic leaders, each of whom is a member of one or both of these organizations.

When I teach about C. Wright Mills's Power Elite, I point out that one of the features of an elite is that they are simply acting within their social circles, no evil cartel needed. Because these powerful persons share social spaces, they often make decisions like most of us, thinking of their own interests and those of their social circles, acting along the norms that they have been taught and viewing the world in ways they have been socialized. The difference is that when these elites act, other people's lives outside their circles are affected. The effects can be unintentional, but they are real, nonetheless.

Only after watching this film did I learn more about the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. I was amazed. These organizations are the centers of power on both sides of the political spectrum. These are where the elite meet and do business. These are where power is brokered, expanded and solidified.

When I teach about Mills's point that no evil cartel is necessary, I also point out that doesn't rule out conspiracies. Conspiracies are not necessary, but they certainly are more efficient. After learning more about these two organizations, I am now worried that I was more right about this than I want to be.

Add to this, another aspect of world elitism of which I've only recently become aware, the annual Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum. While the news media loves to show G-fill-in-the-number-this-year summits of political leaders and financial advisors supposedly setting trade policy, little media coverage is given to Davos outside of business news. Yet this is where elites from around the world meet to set policy not only for governments, but for developing countries, social agendas, multi-national corporations, academic grants and media production.


If you are concerned about the fact that 1% of the world's population now owns over 40% of the world's wealth, then these three organizations should be on your radar. If you are concerned about the growing poverty the world is experiencing the wake of the events of 2008 and the so-called financial meltdown, these three organizations should be on your radar. If you want to understand why political power is much more complex than the news channels want you to believe (like much more complex that what the current president is doing today and how are the two-sides of one coin political parties are dividing their time), then these three organizations should be on your radar.

This is the power elite and as predicted they are getting more powerful in many ways.

I have a lot more to say about power and I do not believe the power elite is the only power game. But I do think it is important to know about this if you want to give the correct context to media. Because, currently in the United States, the media are acting as smoke and mirrors.

Toto is looking behind the curtain. We should probably follow suit if we want to find our way to our brains, our hearts, our courage and our homes.

BOTH SOC 101 CLASSES CANCELLED TODAY, THURSDAY DEC 2

THE NELLIS (SEC N21) AND LATE NIGHT (SEC 829) CLASSES ARE CANCELLED TODAY, DEC 2


I have lost my voice and not feeling well. Please go to Angel and read more extensive information.

See you next week. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

CSN SCHEDULE SPRING 2011--TELL YOUR FRIENDS :)

I just confirmed my teaching schedule for Spring 2011:

SOC 205 001 30438 6:00PM-8:50PM R CY1684 CY 24-Jan 22-May

SOC 101 817 30400 12:30PM-1:50PM TR WCHI302 WC 24-Jan 22-May

SOC 101 824 30414 9:30AM-12:20PM T WCHC222 WC 24-Jan 22-May


Former 101 students -- note I'm teaching an upper level class, SOC 205, Ethnic Groups in Contemporary Societies (which is also an Anthropology class). So I hope to see you again.

Cheers,
Dr Pattie

Finals Week at Nellis -- Lots of Grading

This is a beautiful description of my own experiences with grading, which is the thing I hate most about teaching.




Five Stages of Grading: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Resignation

CLASS CANCELLED AT NELLIS TODAY!!! (TUES 9/28)

ATTENTION NELLIS CLASS -- NO CLASS TODAY!!

There has been a flood in the building and the building will be closed until 8a Wednesday morning according to the Main Visitor's Center. So classes should resume regular schedule on Thursday.

Summer Schedule at CSN

Here's my Summer 2010 teaching schedule:

SOC 101
Section 403 (61732)
6:00pm-8:30pm MTWR
Cheyene room CY1060
7-Jun to 2-Jul

Tell your friends.

CSN FALL 2009

Just found out what I'm going to be teaching in the Fall at College of Southern Nevada:

SOC 101 108 48123 9:30 AM 10:50 AM TR HN B117 HN P. Thomas3 31-Aug 18-Dec
SOC 101 109 48125 8:00 AM 9:20 AM TR HN B117 HN P. Thomas3 31-Aug 18-Dec
SOC 102 101 48191 12:30 PM 3:20 PM W HN B204 HN P. Thomas3 31-Aug 18-Dec

Hope to see some of my former 101 (Introduction) students in the 102 (Contemporary Social Issues) course.

Wow, 1 month away. Thankfully Summer is going fast.

FINAL DEADLINE IS JULY 3, 11P

All the course materials are up on Angel and all the slides can be viewed in the sidebar here.

Assignments should be completed by Friday, July 3 at 11p.

If you cannot make this deadline, please contact me as soon as possible so we can make alternative arrangements.

COME BACK TO CLASS ON THURSDAY, JUNE 25

We will have class. I am not sure if I will be there or not but the movie Sicko will be shown and attendance will be taken in either case.

Pattie

Military Industrial Complex Speech

As promised, click on title for whole text.

This is the part we discussed in class:

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.

Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientifictechnological elite.

It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system -- ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.

This Week's Slides & Study Guide

The slides for June 15 & 16 are up and so is this week's Quiz Study Guide. Homework & Guided Journal are on Angel as well.

Cheers,
Pattie

June 11 Slides are up...

here & online.

Don't forget, you can use the online forums for your group communication if you want to get a head start on getting your project approved.

Have a great weekend.

See you Monday!

Quiz #1 is available

I was a little late in getting Quiz #1 up online, but it is now available.