(Editor’s note: This article was written by Associate Professor of Sociology Carolyn Hsu)
One thing I love about sociology and anthropology is that they are useful everywhere. They offer an excellent perspective for thinking about important and meaningful issues, but also for analyzing fun and amusing topics. Even better, they help us see what is important and meaningful about fun and amusing topics. So I can read Entertainment Weekly and still feel like I’m doing something deep and intellectual.
A great place to enjoy this intersection between fun and meaningful is Sociological Images , a website with short articles like, “What Do Little Girls Really Learn from ‘Career ‘Barbies?” and “Questioning Media Portrayals of Female Drunkenness,” as well as pieces on the relationship between “stand your ground” laws and racial bias. My current favorite is “Why do the Japanese Draw Themselves as White?” Check it out.
— Carolyn Hsu
