Karen Sternheimer's books challenge conventional wisdom about young people and popular culture
Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer
Westview Press, 2009
Is violence on the streets caused by violence in video
games? Do hip-hop lyrics increase misogynistic and homophobic behavior? Are
teens promiscuous because of what they see in movies? Popular culture is an
easy answer for many of society’s problems, but it is almost always the wrong
answer. This innovative book goes beyond the news-grabbing headlines claiming
that popular culture is public enemy number one to consider what really causes
the social problems we are most concerned about. The sobering fact is that the
roots of poverty, child abuse, and unequal public education are much more
complicated than the media-made-them-do-it explanations. Karen Sternheimer
deftly illustrates how welfare “reform,” a two-tiered health care system, and
other difficult systemic issues have far more to do with our contemporary
social problems than Grand Theft Auto or 50 Cent.
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Everyday Sociology Reader
W.W. Norton, 2010
A lively mix of traditional readings, blog posts, and activities to help students connect sociology to their own lives.
Everyday Sociology Reader
combines classic and contemporary readings by sociologists and seeks to
meet students where they are, offering observations on popular culture,
family life, news events, and other aspects of everyday life. Posts
from the Everyday Sociology Blog and traditional readings have been
chosen for their relevance and readability; all are written in an
engaging manner in order to engage students new to sociology and
sociological thinking.
Each section of the book features three blog posts and two traditional
readings, as well as discussion questions, activities, research ideas,
and essay suggestions so that students become not just active in the
learning process, but creators of sociological thinking as well.
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Childhood in American Society: A Reader
Allyn & Bacon, 2009
This anthology from scholarly literature about children explores the
ways society makes meaning of the period called childhood, the social
forces that shape children, and the strategies children use
to influence each other, their families, and the larger adult world. The
thirty four readings in
Childhood in American Society examine
how how definitions of "normal" and "ideal" childhood change across
place and time, and vary with differences of race, class, and gender.
They challenge traditional development and socialization approaches to
studying childhood, and provide many examples based on ethnographies
with children.
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