sociology – JCCC Billington Library

Today’s book could’ve been called, “Watch the Throne”

Sociologists study the weirdest things, and this collection of research follows the awkward politics of bathroom behavior. User anxiety, eye contact, waiting in line: so many things from interaction to gender segregation are governed by unspoken social agreements. Editors Harvey Molotch and Laura Noren compile research and essays evaluating what rules exist, what happens when they’re broken, and why they were even there in the first place.

Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing is great for people interested in sociology, psychology, or people who loathe using public restrooms.

I promise this has nothing to do with Charlie Sheen

What’s got our society so focused on winning? Or maybe, why is there a cultural stigma so greatly attached to losing, and how many victories over losses must one have to be, forgive me, Winning?

Francesco Duina’s book, Winning: Reflections on an American Obsession, tries to investigate the American fascination with being a winner, and tries to figure out what culturally counts as success and the journey to get there.

This book is recommended for anyone interested in current events, sociology, or pyschology.

Sociology, the Environment, and How They Get Along

The lines of society and environment cross many times, but it is unique to have a book like this handy: the implications of sociological behaviors and attitudes and their impact on the environment as seen from varying professions collected for study. Nature, Society and Environmental Crisis (edited by Bob Carl and Nickie Charles) is a fantastic collection of articles and essays about what we can do in the way we live to address the impact we’re having on the environment. Having experts in both ecology and sociology allows for a wide range of opinions, priorities, and perceived results and impacts. This book is great for people interested in sociology, environmentalism, ecology, and anyone with a passing concern in things like pollution, globalization, global warming, or other similar issues.

The Library Reminds You: The Importance of Protection

Between the slogans letting you know that “It’s worth waiting for,” or conversely to “wrap it up, every time,” the concern over sexually transmitted diseases is very real! That’s why we’re dropping the Knowledge Hammer on you in the form of a disturbingly thick book, Sex, Sin, & Science: A History of Syphilis in America. This takes on the relationship between science, religion, sexual education, and social stereotypes of contracting a disease like syphilis. You’ll get to find out how long Old Joe (slang for syphilis!) has been around, from pilgrims to modern day.

Overall, it’s an excellent study of sociology, medical science, and even religious studies, as written by a medical expert, John Parascandola, not seen below.