This learning activity, "Feeding Your Family for a Year," teaches students about how the shift from nomadic, hunter-gatherer societies to agrarian societies led to inequities in resources, which in turn allowed a leisure class to develop (Cordes & Ibrahim, 2003). The activity demonstrates how an unequal distribution of resources,…

Critical theory is one of the predominant schools of thought in the social sciences. Like all theory, it is a framework used for explaining--and examining--something about the world. Critical theory pays special attention to the social world, focusing on the hierarchical nature of social relations and examining how these unequal power…

Courses: Intercultural Communication, Interracial Communication, or an Interpersonal Communication class that covers co-cultural theory. Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate a practical application of co-cultural theory by creating scenes that illustrate different communicative approaches and desired outcomes based on communication…

Courses: Intercultural Communication, Interracial Communication, Gender and Communication, Introduction to Communication Course (within a unit on culture), and any courses encouraging critical analyses of power. Objectives: This activity will: illuminate the ways in which everyday performances of privilege and resulting oppressions connect with…

Courses: Communication and Diversity, Intercultural Communication, Gender Communication. Objectives: After completing this semester-long activity, students should be able to (1) articulate a systems-of-oppression (privilege??oppression) approach to thinking about difference; (2) confront and "interact differently" with one social…

This case was written to help prepare teacher-leaders, principals, and central office administrators, particularly those in rural and economically marginalized settings, who are expected to lead teachers and stakeholders in their community through increasingly stressed economic conditions. The intent of the case study is for educators to examine…

This essay looks primarily at one approach to teaching about privilege in a feminist research course. I talk about the motivation to ask students to participate in this exercise and the potential as well as the challenges it has for raising awareness of one's own privileges before setting out to do feminist research. Additionally, the paper…

The focus of "Social Justice Issues and Racism in the College Classroom" is faculty and students of color at postsecondary institutions and the racial challenges they encounter in college classrooms. To achieve this aim, the book highlights the voices of various racial/ethnic groups of faculty and students, including international…

"Justice" simply defined is synonymous with fairness, equity, adherence to the rule of law with impartiality. What justice means in practice in the field of education, however--how it is taught, how it is expressed in action, and how it can be supported and assessed--foments considerable confusion. In this article, the author defines the term…

As evidence of the growing ecological crisis mounts, it is imperative that sociologists speak to this social problem and incorporate a sociological perspective on environmental issues into the curriculum. Central to understanding how social issues relate to environmental problems is an examination of the ties between consumption and its ecological…