A number of people have asked about our experiences with “lifers” at the prison–what it’s like? can you visit? who are these people? With that in mind Laurie asked one of them to write something that we could put on the blog and have you step inside the mind of someone in prison, take a [...]

Posted in Getting Life | 377 Responses

Tent Cities in Haiti

By Sam Richards on April 20, 2010

posted by Sam Richards This is a great video to show the complexity of economic life. When you think “economics,” consider consumption and production. People accumulate resources, manipulate them in some way, and then repackage or resell them at a higher price to someone else–produce and consume. Or they offer some service to fulfill some [...]

Posted in Global Relations | 67 Responses

How am I not a racist?

By Sam Richards on April 19, 2010

posted by Sam Richards

Posted in SOC 119 - Voices from the Classroom | 100 Responses

Christian Invaders – the full lecture

By Sam Richards on April 19, 2010

posted by Sam Richards In the event that you’d like to revisit the lecture (I can’t imagine) or that you know someone who would like to see it (a bit more likely), here it is. This particular version of the lecture took place during the Fall 2009 semester.

Posted in Global Relations, SOC 119 - Voices from the Classroom | 10 Responses

"We’re Being Educated for Stupidity and Conformity" — Really?

By Sam Richards on April 18, 2010

posted by Sam Richards Noam Chomsky is a well-known critic of power. Most people see him as a “leftist,” but that is because he openly critiques the United States, especially our military, political, and economic policies. In fact, the left has openly embraced him for his hard hitting analysis and willingness to say unpopular things [...]

Posted in SOC 119 - Voices from the Classroom | 43 Responses

Christian Invaders – the turnaround

By Sam Richards on April 15, 2010

posted by Sam Richards So what do you think about the lecture? What did you walk away contemplating? IF YOU DID NOT COME TO CLASS, DON’T EVEN BOTHER TO COMMENT ON THIS VIDEO BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE POINT OF THE LECTURE. ALSO, I WAS NOT SAYING THAT IT IS A “CHRISTIAN INVASION” BUT, [...]

Posted in Global Relations, SOC 119 - Voices from the Classroom | 469 Responses

Creating Terrorists

By Sam Richards on April 15, 2010

posted by Sam Richards There is a good deal to say about creating “terrorists” and making enemies. I guess I laid out what seems to me to be a reasonable argument in the Christian Invaders lecture…but I didn’t have time to give a good many concrete examples of killing civilians. Here is a timely article [...]