Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Video Links

•  Hillel Cooperman: Legos for Grown-Ups
  Hillel Cooperman, an entrepreneur and Lego enthusiast, discusses the subculture of adults who enjoy building Lego structures and gives examples of some of these structures that have been created by mature adults.

 

• The American “Ethnic” Food Section
  An American visits a grocery store in Berlin and explores the “ethnic” foods aisle and its selection of American foods—macaroni and cheese, blueberry muffin mix, barbecue sauce, and so on.

​      

• From Jesus to Christ—The First Christians
  This program considers the beginnings of Christianity. Over the course of 4 hours, scholars discuss recent archaeological findings that provide clues about the life of Jesus and his early followers. 

​       

Audio Links

• StoryCorps 474: With Pride
  This NPR podcast interviews individuals from the LGBTQ community, especially children. Insightful interviews with children between the ages of 8 and 12 discuss the struggles they face as members of this subculture.
   
• No Secular Music for Funerals, says Australian Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church in southern Australia has banned the playing of romantic ballads, pop and heavy metal music, and football anthems at funerals. The church wants the music at funerals to be sacred “rather than a secular expression of the individual’s life.”

​       

• This American Life 337: Man vs. History
  This program presents stories about people taking history into their own hands. In the first act, a man with no practical experience hatches a plan to curb the violence in Iraq. He thought he could get the Sunni resistance to sit down with coalition forces to negotiate a cease-fire, so he hooked up with a member of the Iraqi parliament and headed to Baghdad and Amman, where, remarkably, doors opened to him.

​       

• This American Life 380: No Map
  Norms are defined as culturally expected rules of conduct. Norms may be ambiguous or contradictory. This episode reveals stories of people who find themselves in situations far from the beaten path, where there are no guidelines and no useful precedents. 

​   

Web Resources

Professional Resources

• Culture Section—American Sociological Association
  The American Sociological Association includes articles and interviews about cultural topics. Good source of information on material culture and nonmaterial culture for sociologists, researchers, and the public at large.
   
• The General Social Survey (GSS)
  ​​​​​​For more than 4 decades, the GSS has studied the growing complexity of American society. It is the only full-probability, personal-interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes currently being conducted in the United States.
   
• The Gallup Organization
  Gallup Polls: The Gallup Organization is one of the world’s largest management consulting firms. Gallup’s core expertise is in measuring and understanding human attitudes and behavior. . . . Gallup . . . conducts The Gallup Poll, the world’s leading source of public opinion since 1935 (self-characterization).
   
• Roper Polls
  Roper Polls: Founded in 1947, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is the leading educational facility in the field of public opinion. The center exists to promote the intelligent, responsible, and imaginative use of public opinion in addressing the problems faced by Americans and citizens of other nations (self-characterization).
   
• Pew Global Attitudes Project
  The Pew Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys that encompasses a broad array of subjects ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day. More than 200,000 interviews in 57 countries have been conducted as part of the project's work (self-characterization).

​Other Resources

• Who Buys Chanel in a Recession?
  This article from Pacific Standard magazine examines why individuals may spend hundreds, even thousands, on luxury items such as handbags from high-end retailers. This article highlights the significance material items have for many people and why money isn’t a deterrent for those who may not have the means to purchase these items.
   
• Esperanto League for North America (ELNA)
  Is a cross-culturally universal language possible? Supporters of Esperanto believe so. According to ELNA nonprofit organization of Esperantists and supporters of Esperanto in the United States, “ is a language introduced in 1887 by Dr. L. L. Zamenhof after years of development. He proposed Esperanto as a second language that would allow people who speak different native languages to communicate, yet at the same time retain their own languages and cultural identities. Esperanto is four times easier to learn than other languages.” 
   
• Flash-Mob Movements
  This article from Contexts examines the subculture of flash-mobs. How do they originate? Why would people join a flash-mob? Certain conditions that ultimately shape the course and character of protest events and movements can lead to spontaneous uprising.
   
• Smithsonian
  A great way to consider how people understand their own culture is to look at how museums represent cultural artifacts and history. The Smithsonian Institution is called "America's Attic" because it houses a little bit of almost everything from American history and culture. At this site, you can browse or search through selected images from the Collections of the Office of Imaging and Photographic Services. Included are images from current exhibits, Smithsonian events, and historic collections.