History/Sociology?

Anyone here enjoy classes in history or sociology?

I'm taking a history class right now, and it's called Environmental History, but it's really about people, and how nature might be relevant in a story that is essentially anthropocentric . . . and therefor not that satisfying for me. I think I'll give myself a break and skip next week. Today I felt very alienated in there as they talked about gender, class, the nation-state, marketing, code of sporting, and other human-oriented stuff at best an irritant to my existence.

If you love these kinds of topics, I'm curious to know why. He kept saying stuff was profound and meaningful, and I don't get it. Then again I don't have a humanistic bias.

You are going to skip class!

Yes, and?

I actually thought about skipping the rest of th term, but for two weeks we study the theme of "Knowledge" about nature, and there are some science articles there. So I emailed the prof to ask how I'm doing on the participation (30% of our mark) in the seminar class. I feel extremely uncomfortable with topics such as gender, class, race, all that people stuff. And identity worst of all. I don't want to sit through another day of how typical people construct their identities!!!

I'm so far out on the long tail, I can't see the mean from here, nor do I wish to!

Rebel.

I know what you mean about these kinds of classes. They don't make sense to me either.

Sorry I don't understand statements like this. Long tail? What does that mean?

Ignore the numbers on the x axis. My point is that not everyone is anywhere near average. The long tail of this particular distribution curve is to the right and probably extends further.

Thanks. I got it when I saw the graph.

In answer to the above question, nope. Can't remember dates to save my life.

Psychology was fun though. The professor always did his little classroom experiments on me for demonstration. Mr. Webgoji, please tell me the color of the dots. Now read the words. Now read the color of the words. DOH!

It was probably because I didn't fall for his perception example (drinking blue water in a Windex bottle that he had spent all semester conditioning us to think it was Windex) and I was laughing all the way through the Milgram Experiments film he showed.

Yes, I'd enjoyed these classes, in.college. I did well. Bumped into some less than basic history courses, due to AP from hs. And my behavioral science minor, was predominated by sociology courses. Back, late 90's,, one of my final papers, was about, what I perceived to be a major social issue, in the future, I wrote about Islamic Fundamentalism.

These courses, aren't always appealing, to everyone. Why not just withdraw, instead of wasting money on a low grade, if you plan to skip out?

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I won't get a low grade for skipping one class. I am graduating in August, so I can't afford to lose credits right now, not to mention it's too late to withdraw without penalty or switch classes.

I'm just wondering WHY people like these classes. Why are the views of the majority of humans of such interest. The prof highly recommended a book called Distinction, by Pierre Bourdieu. 600+ pages that can be summed up, "We're all snobs." So?

La Distinction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sounds like an utter waste of time. Luckily it's not actually on our reading list. I was just shaking my head when reading a Marxist analysis of sugar and a gender-oriented analysis of farming and food production.

You mentioned Islamic fundamentalism. Religion baffles me. Apart from one giant WTF, I can't imagine what the thought process about Islamic fundamentalism would be. Can you enlighten me?

My favorite history class was the history of early Christianity. That was a really interesting class. I ended up buying a book on the Gnostic gospels because they were so interesting. Sociology was ok, my teacher was a really good teacher, it's too bad he enlisted and was transferred to Germany. I also love any history classes on ancient history, especially Roman history. Also, the Dark Ages, Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The History Channel is one of my favorite channels. I watched a really interesting program not long ago on the history of the Black Death.

Thanks for replies. I am still hoping someone will tell me how insights into what most people think can be "profound." I was never too excited about archeology, either. Same kind of thing.

I just get annoyed that people have these stupid ideas, eg, an egocentric self-image of superiority because one is a fly-fisher rather than a spear-fisher. Apparently there is this gentlemanly code of hunting and fishing, which people use to justify their actions, ie ignore reality and take power. Oh, and marketing. Ick.

I have a BA in Social/Cultural Studies and our history classes were all socially based. I loved this because it put a human face to history instead of it just being documents and data. I put human thoughts and behaviours and attitudes of the time into better focus. I am reading a book now about the history of human rights.

The best I can say for it is that I am now crystal clear that I take a biocentric perspective, not an anthropocentric one.

We just cannot see it no matter how much we try. It isn't a part of our circuitry.

I love history classes, but I'd want to skip your class too.