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There was a really good book called "Freaks, Geeks and Cool Kids"

http://www.amazon.com/Freaks-Geeks-Cool-Murray-Milner/dp/041595391X

It examined the social dynamics of popularity and 'cliches' in high schools. It essentially viewed high schools as a 'caste society' as students are less concerned with 'real world' economic pressures of work but rather encased in a closed system lacking the freedom to choice who they go to school with, their teachers, classes, etc. Money is still influential though in area of fashion, tech gadgets, cars, . . . being able to participate in expensive sports like lacrosse or afford marching band instruments, uniforms, etc.

What I really liked is how it looked at social rituals as reinforcing social bonds while excluding others. I think it touched on Pierre Bourdieu's 'cultural capital' but not as much as I would have liked.

I have read a LOT of methods texts. I think that if you need a simple intro then you can't go wrong with Alan Bryman's Social Science Research: http://www.amazon.com/Social-Research-Methods-Alan-Bryman/dp/0199588058/ref=lp_B001ITTVK2_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335069341&sr=1-1

It really covers all of the basics in a clear and concise way that is accessible but detailed enough to be of use to researchers and postgrads as well.

I would recommend that you all read a set chapter each week/meeting and then discuss it when you meet. That makes you more of a facilitator and takes some of the pressure off as well as getting people to engage with the material more.

I have not read, but have heard good things about Aronson's Social Animal from academics and "laypeople."

My social psych class used Brehm, Kassin, and Fein's text. It is a solid no-frills textbook that doesn't require previous knowledge of psychology.

Perhaps this could be useful: How Forests Think by Eduardo Kohn is an anthropological book. Kohn talks about something he calls "interspecies pidgin", or the communication between humans an animals using signs and symbolic understanding.

Actually, this article by Kohn is the one I was particularly thinking of. I can't remember if it is included in the above book, but the link provided is to the pdf document.

Check out: http://www.amazon.com/Nations-Matter-Culture-History-Cosmopolitan/dp/0415411874

http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6967.html

http://www.amazon.com/Nationalist-Politics-Everyday-Ethnicity-Transylvanian/dp/069113622X

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870500465611

http://nl.aup.nl/books/9789053569566-national-thought-in-europe.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Crises-Multiculturalism-Alana-Lentin/dp/1848135815

http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/the-politics-of-home-jan-willem-duyvendak/?K=9780230293984

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo6017282.html

(http://www.amazon.com/Chaosophy-Foreign-Agents-Felix-Guattari/dp/1570270198)[Choasophy]? It's an analysis using schizophrenia as a lens to understand the chaos of our capitalistic culture.