Snakegrrl Sociology

In this episode, three teachers at three different levels of the educational institution discuss the sociological context of education in the U.S. and the profession of teaching. These three co-authors recently wrote an academic article on the topic of the teaching profession and this conversation reflects on the topics covered in the academic journal article. Morgan Craig is an art teacher in a Philadelphia public high school; Akello Stone is an adjunct sociology professor at a community college in California; and Beverly Thompson is a sociology professor at a small private, liberal arts college in upstate New York.

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Co-hosts Akello Stone and Beverly Yuen Thompson interview Dustin Kiskaddon, author of the book Blood and Lightning: On Becoming a Tattooer. Published in 2024 by Stanford University Press, Dr. Kiskaddon takes us on his journey from tattoo apprentice to tattooer, via a sociological memoir journey through the main social concepts that arose during this professional development process. Using a sociological perspective on this unique world of tattooing as body work, we learn about the approach to working with skin, engaging with clients, advertising on Instagram, and creating body art that will last a lifetime. Dustin Kiskaddon: https://www.dustinkiskaddon.com/Blood and Lightning: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?bottom_ref=subject&id=35524

bottom_ref=subject&id=35524ChaptersIntro 0:00Beverly Intro 0:27-0:59Akello intro 0:60-1:34Dustin intro 1:35-3:28 Dustin background 3:29-6:39Sociology of Professions 6:40-8:22Entering the ethnographic field 8:23-9:16Writing notes in the field 9:17-14:51Academic advisors 14:52-20:35Corporate jobs with sociology degree or “al-careers” for PhDs 20:36-22:52Tattooing side hustles. 22:53- 25:45Tattoos in the professional workplace 25:46-26:39Adding to the tattoo literature 26:40-34:30Writing from the perspective of a tattoo artist 34:31-37:59Beholden to clients for income 38:00-39:59 Apprenticeship 44:00-46:23Intimacy and economics 46:24-50:42Race 50:43-1:01:25Tattooing as an occupation 1:01:25-1:07:27Bullet list of random thoughts 1:07:28-1:08:54Sensorial aspects of tattoos and smell 1:08:55-1:10:47User experience of the tattoo shop 1:10:48-1:17:02Concluding thoughts 1:17:03-1:22:00

In this sociological conversation, two sociologists-- @AkelloStone and Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson-- as long-time instructors of Sociology of the Family Course, talk about the global changes in marriage, divorce and procreation trends. Globally, people are getting married later (if at all), having children later, and having fewer children. Divorce is also a frequent choice, with subsequent marriages ending in ever increasing percentages of divorce. Some people even choose the option of sologamy—marrying one’s self. Overall, the professors hope that students and public sociologists will become informed on these larger trends and social pressures so that they can understand the context in which they make their own life choices. Timeline: 00:00-01:48 Introduction01:49-04:39 Sologamy 04:40-10:57 Divorce10:58-20:40 Marriage 20:41-33:08 Procreation33:09-36:41 Gender roles36:42-54:20 Modern family alternative forms54:21-57:59 ConclusionVideo link

Dr. Alyssa Grocutt recently graduated from Smith School of Business, at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, with a PhD. She is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. Her PhD was in management, concentrating in organizational behavior. Her dissertation studied employees’ perceptions of tattooed coworkers and leaders. It also looks at how tattoo content plays a role in perceptions of tattooed coworkers. Alyssa’s website: https://www.alyssagrocutt.com/Alyssa’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alyssagrocutt/

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Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson overviews the book entitled, “Lean Semesters: How Higher Education Reproduces Inequality,” by Sekile M. Nzinga. This book centers the experience of Black women who are graduate students, MA graduates, or PhD graduates, who are teaching as part time adjunct teachers in higher education. Yet even with, or indeed, because of, their graduate degrees, they are more indebted than ever because of their student loan burden. This ethnographic study presents the voices of women laboring in higher education and contrasts the demographic ideals of higher education with the reality of student loan burdens on the American public.

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0:00-1:54 Introduction to video 1:55- 8:10 Book Introduction 8:11-18:03 Chapter One: Mortgaging Our Brains 18:04-25:56 Chapter Two: Ain’t I Precarious? 25:57-31:53 Chapter Three: Families Devalued 31:54-38:39 Chapter Four: Jumping Mountains 38:40-43:32 Conclusion: Statement of Solidarity 43:33 Video Conclusion

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This talk is called, “Centering Multiplicity and Intersectionality of Asian American Identities,” and it was presented to the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center at San Diego State University, on April 17, 2024. I am an alum of SDSU, where I earned my MA in women’s studies. This talk reviewed my MA thesis topic that I researched during my time at SDSU, thus, it was an honor to speak to this group, as such a organization did not exist during my tenure at SDSU in 1997-1999. This talk positions the identity of the mixed race and bisexual woman at the center of an identity model to explore concepts of identity formation, community, and solidarity. I then apply this theory to my current research topic of the tattoo community and talk about how Asian American women engage with their tattoo collection, especially when revealing it to their parents. Timecode: 0:00-4:13 introduction 4:14-5:18 talk starts5:19-7:48 Revisiting the thesis 7:49-10:39 Sociological autobiography 10:40-17:18 My family background 17:19-22:21 Thesis: Identities 22:22-27:07 Thesis: Communities 27:08-30:45 Tattoo community, women, and Asian American women 30:46-32:04 Conclusion: Solidarity 32:050-33:11 End: Networking

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Sociology professor Beverly Yuen Thompson overviews the book, “Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement,” written by Ashley Shew (2023). In this short book of essays, Dr. Shew brings together her experiences as an academic researcher in the areas of technology, ethics, and embodiment to apply to the topic of disability from a critical perspective. As a disabled person herself, she reflects upon her own experiences, as well as the voices of disabled scholars and activists to discuss such topics as how disability can contribute to critical understandings of our materials and social worlds, media representations, the materiality of costs associated with disability technologies, neurodivergence, and perspectives on the future of our social context for all bodies. This book provides an insightful perspective for sociologists, medical workers, and those becoming educated on embodiment in social institutions.

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I overview Margaret Chin’s book Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don’t Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder, published by NYU Press in 2020. This book applies the concept of the bamboo ceiling to an ethnographic study of elite educated Asian Americans and their experiences climbing the corporate ladder and the various levels at which they find difficulty in being promoted to the next stage. Incorporating concepts such as the model minority myth, perpetual foreigner, racial stereotype, stereotype threat, we see that this group of elite workers find these images imposed on them to have real world consequences for their career trajectory.

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Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson provides an overview of the book entitled, “The Meaning of Multiraciality: A Racially Queer Exploration of Multiracial College Students’ Identity Production,” written by Aurora Chang (2022). This book is a qualitative and ethnographic exploration of college students who identify as biracial or multiracial and how they conceive of their identity and the social context in which it is produced. It is based on twenty-five in-depth interviews and three focus groups at one particular college. Aurora Chang explores her own identity in one chapter, and those of her participants in several content chapters before concluding with her theory of “racial queerness.” Dr. Thompson is a professor of sociology who teaches a course on the sociology of Race & Ethnicity and has published academic writing on similar themes.

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In the first part, Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson talks about the process of applying for a full-time academic teaching job at an institution of higher education. This video contextualizes the process within a tight academic job market into which ~55,000 newly minted PhDs are unleashed into each year. Because of this stiff competition and few jobs, especially in one’s area of research specialization, it is important to be precise and attentive to your application material package. Dr. Thompson speaks on the composition and perspective of hiring committee members; the pieces of the application, common mistakes, and common-sense details to work on in order to create the best materials for employment consideration. These pieces include: the CV, cover letter, possible teaching statement, research statement, evidence of teaching excellence, sample publication, and list of references or full reference letters. This is the first video in a series of three where the other parts of the process, such as the zoom interview and campus visit, are covered next. (See Video)

In the second part, Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson discusses the process of the Zoom interview with the hiring committee and how the candidate should prepare for this encounter. The committee may be comprised of around seven faculty, primarily in the department hiring, along with outside members. Dr. Thompson discusses self-presentation, potential questions, time management, information to look up before the interview, and how to leave a lasting impression. Dr. Thompson also provides the perspective of a committee member who is doing this as additional college service, the number of potential applicants to overview, and the long days of interviewing candidates back-to-back. By the end of the Zoom interview, you want to come across as personable, confident, excited about this particular job, and have the committee excited to meet you in person for the campus visit, which is covered in the third video. (See Video)

In the third part, the academic job interview is discussed at the campus visit state. This video overviews the pieces of the campus interview, speaking to an audience of potential job candidates, who will learn about this grueling multi-day interview process for full-time academic teaching jobs. Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson is a sociology professor who has sat on a number of hiring committees and provides the perspective of the committee members. Details about how to plan for this long campus visit with practice tip, from clothing to interpersonal skills. The steps of the process are also explained. This video points to the ever-increasingly competitive academic job market. (See Video)