Remember: Experiences are (sometimes) worth more than readings!

• I also want to remember to brainstorm more (per several books from previous posts) assignments that are experiential.  I know first-hand from my 10 day retreat that experiences are worth more than any readings.  I have to find ways (permission slips, timing around work schedules, use of class time for activities, etc.) to make several assignments in each class experiential for students.

• I was rereading the Bell Environmental Sociology (4th Edition) text again and reminded that I want to use the text on pages 151-153 regarding Calvinism and Weber in all classes.  Specifically, I want students to reflect deeply, read slowly, and look up unknown vocabulary with respect to passages pertaining to the myth of the meritocracy.  Bell does an excellent job of explaining Weber's analysis of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and the rise of capitalism.  He notes that the inculcation of Calvinist doctrine supported the notion that having material items reflected hard work.  The more material items one had, the more one must have worked for them.  Conversely, the fewer material items, the more slothful one must be.  Very little evidence in contemporary society supports this with respect to income and wealth inequality, but the ideology remains pervasive and powerful.