SAGE Journal Articles

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SAGE Journal User Guide

Article 1: Nefes, T.M. (June 2014 ). Teaching sociology seminars through The Simpsons: Homer under C. Wright Mills’ Eye. Journal of Sociology. 50: 115-131.

Nefes (2014) provides interesting insight to get students thinking and to provoke the sociological imagination through use of the popular TV series, The Simpsons.

Questions to Consider:

  1. What are the five important points drawn from the literature on using films to understand sociology? Can we therefore use films and popular culture to understand the sociology of deviance?
  2. Have you watched The Simpsons before? If so, can you recall instances that relate to the sociological understanding of deviance found in the episodes you have watched?
  3.  What is the main hypothesis of this article? Do the findings from the seminar discussions and student evaluations support or refute the main hypothesis on using the show to understand sociological imagination?

Article 2: Bryant, M. & Higgins, V. (February 2010 ). Self-confessed troublemakers: An interactionist view of deviance during organizational change. Human Relations 63: 249-277.

Bryant and Higgins (2010) furthers empirical research on organizational deviance, particularly the role of managers as “rule enforcers”. It contributes to a broader sociological understanding of deviance within organizations.

Questions to Consider:

  1. What is organizational deviance? According to terms used in Chapter 1, is this considered deviance of the street or deviance of the suit? Explain.
  2.  Which conception of deviance does Bryant and Higgins most align with: Positivist/normative, relative/social constructionist, or critical? Explain.