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Popular media, specifically movies and television programs, are well-accepted educational tools in many college classrooms and the subject of numerous articles on teaching sociology. In this paper, we look at the use of media in sociology classrooms through a new lens, research in educational psychology. We review key findings from the educational psychology literature regarding the effect of media in the classroom on learning, focusing on what we as sociology instructors can take away from this research and incorporate in our own teaching. Our analysis finds that the use of media can enhance student learning, however it must be a conscious use of media. Specifically, we suggest that the use of short video clips may often be more effective than showing full-length programs or films. Video clips can enhance learning by stimulating interest and providing focused information using both verbal and non-verbal images. We conclude our discussion with an example of how we have successfully used media clips of Japanese and American animation in one of our own sociology courses to illustrate group versus individual cultural orientations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging literature on pricing suggests that a diversity of approaches to pricing exist even within the same firm or industry. Through field observation and interviews with artists and gallery owners in a local art market, I have discovered that this is also true for visual art. In addition, individual artists often take more than one approach to pricing decisions, either at different stages of their career or conterminously. This paper attempts to make sense of the diversity of pricing decisions for visual art by investigating the exchange contexts within which art is sold. Exchange contexts are examined both in terms of the meanings associated with exchange and the structure and content of the social relationship between exchange partners. I argue that exchange contexts provide frameworks within which pricing styles take on particular forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few empirical studies have been conducted on pricing in any industry. However, a key finding of the existing literature is that even within the same firm a diversity of strategies may be employed. Drawing on the literature on the social embeddedness of economic transactions, I argue that to understand pricing it is necessary to understand the exchange setting in which decisions regarding price are made. Many pricing decisions are made within the context of existing social relationships and the nature of such relationships is likely to influence the pricing decision. The pricing of visual art is identified as a case for examining pricing within embedded transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine trends in the popularity of religious and spiritual nonfiction books over the past nine decades. We not only find considerable variation in the number of these books appearing on best-seller lists over time, but also in the content and themes of the books. We make use of an innovative technique for coding cultural objects, by applying Qualitative Comparative Analysis to map the changing configurations of ideas contained in religious and spiritual best-sellers. Preliminary analysis indicates that characteristic themes emerge during different time periods. For example, the 1990's saw the emergence of spiritual or religiously themed books which sought to address the material concerns of their audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]