globalization

Famed sociologist Michael Burawoy visits to share his thoughts on the common character of social movements happening throughout the world today. Michael is the former president of both the American and International Sociological Associations, and he is widely credited as a master of placing everyday life in the context of global and historical forces. Our own Erik Kojola asks Michael about his vision for the future of social movement research, as well as the mounting problems that face public universities today.

Download Office Hours #99

This week we talk with Shehzad Nadeem, author of Dead Ringers: How Outsourcing is Changing the Way Indians Understand Themselves. We discuss what it’s like to work at a call center in India, what Indians think about outsourcing, and the social and cultural challenges faced by both labor and management in outsourcing firms.

Download Office Hours #61.

We sit down with Hans Rosling for a discussion about how visual graphics can unveil the underlying beauty of data. Highlights include a discussion of the history behind Rosling’s gapminder, who is leading the pack on adopting a “fact-based worldview,” the work that goes into Rosling’s famous TED Talks, and the historical relationship between Sweden and the US (and Minnesota, in particular).

A special thanks goes to the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. Rosling spoke at Minnesota as part of their Momentum 2011 series and they were kind enough to allow us to interview him as well.

Download Office Hours #24

This week, Jeffrey Dixon talks Turkey, Islam and the EU. What can the debate about Turkey joining the EU tell us about religion, democracy and globalization? Listen in and find out!

But first, Hollie Nyseth shares a discovery about how mothers’ community participation affects their child’s health.

If you haven’t taken the survey yet, please do! You can find it at thesocietypages.org/podcast/survey!

Download episode #23 now!

Michael Goldman and Wes Longhofer drop by to talk about their Winter 2009 Contexts feature, Making World Cities. Michael and Wes have spent extensive time in Bangalore, India studying the effects of globalization on Indian cities. Listen in as they explain the complications, contradictions and paradoxes of cities in this global age.

Also, Jesse shares a discovery about the narrowing gender gap in drunk driving arrests from Criminology.

Download episode #11 now!