Social psychology (sociology)

About: Social psychology (sociology) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 18151 publications have been published within this topic receiving 907731 citations. The topic is also known as: Social psychology & sociological social psychology.

Getting Beyond the Facts: Teaching Social Studies/Social Sciences in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: In this second edition of Getting Beyond the Facts, Kincheloe presents a comprehensive view of complex-democratic social studies in the 21st century He argues that the reform of social studies education requires a corps of rigorous social science scholars who understand the historical origins of the social studies, the conceptual foundations of the field, its strengths and weaknesses, and modes of social theoretical analysis and takes students through numerous intellectual encounters in social studies and the contexts that inform it Focusing on the importance of knowledge production and interpretation, Kincheloe calls for the education of social studies teachers as researchers who can critique and reconstruct curriculum as they expose the covert, ideological functions of contemporary educational reforms and top-down standards-driven social studies subject matter In an era of depoliticization and induced political illiteracy, Kincheloe calls for a new form of social studies/social sciences scholarship to counter such alarming trends

The Social and Applied Psychology of Music

Abstract: "The Social and Applied Psychology of Music" by Adrian North & David Hargreaves "The Social and Applied Psychology of Music", by Adrian North & David Hargreaves. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. (ISBN 978-0-19-856742-4, Paperback, 476pp., $69.95). In this book by North and Hargreaves, a quick glance at the contents reveals that the applied science of music psychology is more than the application of psychological theories and principles to address real world problems. It is a way of making a real difference in our lives. It is also a way of raising awareness of the significance of music for bettering the human condition in the hope of safeguarding it from the "moral, financial, and technological pressures" of the modern world. Throughout their systematic and well-constructed overview, the authors remind us that responsible ethics and humane values must be at the forefront of any social and applied psychology research agenda if music is to be recognized and appreciated as a "manifestation of the human spirit". There are seven chapters, and the topics cover theoretical and empirical explorations of music in relation to creativity, composition and musicianship; preferences and taste; manipulation and subcultures; industry, business and health; development and education. North and Hargreaves tell us that Doise's (1986) concept of "levels of analysis" was an important influence on their own research and on the way they have defined the social psychology of music according to intraindividual, interindividual/situational, socio-positional, and ideological. The authors also adopted a topicbased approach to the book "in the hope that, by juxtaposing related bodies of research that are largely uninformed by one another, researchers will be more inclined to draw on related work and increase the coherence of the field" (p. 5). Donaldson, Berger, and Pezdek (2006) remind us that in addition to up-to-date theory and research-based applications of psychology, a volume devoted to applied psychology can be used to inform researchers and practitioners alike about the varied and wide-ranging opportunities that exist for addressing education, health, social, legal, and economic problems. The volume by North and Hargreaves is an important reminder of the tremendous growth of research in the social psychology of music that has taken place since Farnsworth (1969) published his second edition on this topic. There has been a paradigm shift in music psychology in general towards a focus on social factors and contexts. Hargreaves and North's (1997) edited publication on the social psychology of music marked a noticeable increase in studies that examined "the purpose and implications of musical behavior in naturalistic contexts" (p. 9). Their latest book goes even further in dispelling the seemingly false dichotomy between basic and applied research in music psychology and between music psychology and other related fields such as sociology, anthropology, education, economics, cultural, media and communication studies. One of the high points in the book for me, and perhaps one of the most provocative topics of investigation in applied psychology of music today, relates to musical tastes and preferences, the reasons we like or dislike certain styles or forms of music, and the impact music has on people in their everyday lives. This is an area where North and Hargreaves have made some of their most prolific and seminal research contributions. For nearly two decades, they have investigated musical tastes and preferences across a variety of ages and social contexts in an attempt to unravel the great mystery of how musical elements and sociocultural factors are related to our sense of musical valuing. They provide a detailed theoretical and experimental background for future researchers to build on and give many clues about how we might best proceed in finding answers to important overarching questions. I believe that these questions should include: How does music make a significant contribution to our lives? …

History and Social Theory.

Abstract: * Preface *1 THEORISTS AND HISTORIANS * A Dialogue of the Deaf * The Differentiation of History and Theory * The Dismissal of the Past * The Rise of Social History * The Convergence of Theory and History *2 MODELS AND METHODS * Comparisons * Models * Quantitative Methods * The Social Microscope *3 CENTRAL CONCEPTS * Roles and Performances * Sex and Gender * Family and Kinship * Communities and Identities * Class and Status * Social Mobility and Social Distinction * Consumption and Exchange * Social and Cultural Capital * Patrons and Clients * Power and the Public Sphere * Centres and Peripheries * Hegemony and Resistance * Social Protest and Social Movements * Mentalities, Ideologies, Discourses * Communication and Reception * Postcolonialism and Cultural Hybridity * Orality and Textuality * Memory and Myth *4 CENTRAL PROBLEMS * Rationality versus Relativism * Concepts of Culture * Consensus versus Conflict * Facts versus Fictions * Structures versus Agents * Functionalism * The Example of Venice * Structuralism * The Return of the Actor *5 SOCIAL THEORY AND SOCIAL CHANGE * Spencera s Model * Marxa s Model * A Third Way? * Essays in Synthesis * Patterns of Population * Patterns of Culture * Encounters * The Importance of Events * Generations *6 POSTMODERNITY AND POSTMODERNISM * Destabilization * Cultural Constructions * Decentering * Beyond Eurocentrism? * Globalization * To Conclude * Bibliography * Index