By: Trisha Welstad on November 18, 2017
From the time children are small parents tell them, “You can be anything if you put your mind to it,” in an attempt to encourage them to be imaginative and to pursue their dreams. Children’s books such as Snoopy’s, “You Can Be Anything” reinforce this belief. Yet there’s a myth hidden in this pop culture…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on November 17, 2017
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”[1] – Winston Churchill How often do we as leaders deal with the reality of failure? To achieve success failure is inevitable. While many leaders know this is true there remains a challenge as to how to deal…
By: Kyle Chalko on November 17, 2017
Anthony Elliott in his book Contemporary Social Theories covers the whole spectrum of sociological models for approaching life. Perhaps one way to explain Social Theories is to re-label it as “world views”. It is the lens in which one sees the world, but then more than that it is the way in which one approaches…
By: Kristin Hamilton on November 16, 2017
“The fundamental rules that have governed how relationships work are being rewritten, because of easy, no-cost information sharing.” – Charlene Li[1] Relationships are changing as quickly as technology is evolving. In the past decade, the meaning of the word “friend” has shifted, “messaging” now means several different things, and no one could ever have predicted…
By: Jean Ollis on November 16, 2017
Anthony Elliott’s text, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction is comprehensive and easy to navigate. He highlights multiple theories in this second edition, and challenges the reader to critically engage in understanding societal theories of change in “contemporary social life”.[1] Because it’s intended to be used as a textbook (and the cost reflects that), very few…
By: Chip Stapleton on November 16, 2017
This week we have been reading Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li,. Open Leadership is a very popular business leadership book that is, ostensibly about how to integrate the burgeoning world of social media successfully into your business and into the way you lead in your company, in a…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on November 16, 2017
Although Anthony Elliott covered a huge span of social theory in his book, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, I will be focusing on the section that is closely linked to my topic of research…Feminism and Post-Feminist Theory. It was fascinating to learn about the origins of feminism and how it has been shaped and how…
By: Mike on November 16, 2017
Anthony Elliott’s Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction is a valuable reference book for study and researching contemporary social theories and global ideas. He focuses on local, national, and global issues that influence everything from what we eat to what we believe. This post will bypass the traditional comprehensive reviews and zero in on globalization,…
By: Katy Drage Lines on November 16, 2017
For the past two days, I’ve been wearing a different hat than normal. As I’ve mentioned in previous conversations, I have the honor of serving as the chair of the board of a non-profit organization, Christian HolyLand Foundation. [1] Yesterday and today, we held our annual face-to-face board meeting, followed this afternoon by an annual meeting…
By: Jason Turbeville on November 16, 2017
When I picked up Elliott’s Contemporary Social Theory I needed and introduction. I was not sure I understood what it meant, after the first chapter, I still am not one hundred percent sure but I think I have a work towards it. “What is Society” [1], this was a question I thought I had the answer for. …
By: Greg on November 16, 2017
“Christians in China Must Replace Jesus With Pictures of [China President] Xi Jinping or Lose Social Services”1 This was the headline this week after the President of China announced a call to help lift rural impoverished Chinese out of their way of life. He wants them to begin putting their faith in the country rather…
By: Shawn Hart on November 16, 2017
“There is, to date, no single adequate definition of society in social theory…”[1] And yet, in this fascinating and highly informative book, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, author Anthony Elliott dares to do just that. Elliott takes the struggle of dealing with modernity in an ever changing world, and diligently, through the works of scholars,…
By: Chris Pritchett on November 16, 2017
Anthony Elliot’s text, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, examines key scholars, concepts, and theoretical traditions in contemporary social theory. The first part of the book includes chapters that define society and social theory, and review classical theory. The author then explores various social theories in today’s contemporary society, including structuralism, post-structuralism, contemporary critical theory, feminism…
By: Dan Kreiss on November 16, 2017
It can be extremely ‘heady’ stuff, and for those outside academia discourse on Social Theory is confusing, jargon filled, and completely disconnected to real life. Yet the proponents of Social Theory offer us an opportunity to recognize that “we live in new worlds of social and cultural organization.”[1] Anthony Elliott attempts to provide a thorough…
By: Dave Watermulder on November 16, 2017
There’s an old adage that says, “it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.” If you want to get ahead in life, in your career, or in new opportunities, it seems that the key factor often comes down to how well “networked you” are. It’s about who you know. In his expansive…
By: Jim Sabella on November 16, 2017
Honestly, what do I do? I want to be a realist optimist instead of a fearful skeptic, maybe a cautious tester, but probably not the transparent evangelist. [1] But we are living and leading in a time when more people than ever before are willing to share openly and publicly about themselves, their work and…
By: Lynda Gittens on November 16, 2017
This book, Open Leadership, is refreshing and has an inspiring view on effective leadership. A couple of points reflected were the open mindset and loosened control. Author Li examines the need for the leader to be open and receptive to new ideas.…
By: Mary Walker on November 16, 2017
Open Leadership is having the confidence and humility to give up the need to be in control while inspiring commitment from people to accomplish goals.[1] The old days are gone. CEO’s can no longer sit up in their top-floor, glamorous offices leading by fiat decrees, while ignoring the changes in technology going on all around…
By: Jennifer Williamson on November 16, 2017
Language is a funny thing, so deeply connected to a culture that it is like water to a fish—one rarely thinks of language unless and until one’s native tongue is no longer the medium in which one is navigating life. But 20th century pioneer of linguistics and semiotics, Ferdinand de Saussure, recognized language as a…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on November 16, 2017
Open Leadership is a guidebook offering methods and techniques of how an organization can develop a relationship with the consumer, establish trust and gain their loyalty. If marketing is to be effective, a relationship with the organization and customer is required. “Without a relationship in place, the best marketing campaigns will fall on deaf ears,…
