Previous scholarship has demonstrated the value of high-impact practices of community engagement, inquiry-based pedagogy, and collaborative learning for engagement and learning in sociology courses, especially undergraduate research methods and statistics. This article explores the changes made to an upper-division undergraduate course focused on…

In this article, I connect globalization and qualitative methodological practice, describing a semester-long intensive interview project about the anti-apartheid movement. I provide a detailed overview of the project as well as considerations for those who might want to adapt it for their own courses. Using students' reflections on the projects…

This article provides a model for incorporating a student-run campus awareness week into the course objectives of a sociology class. It reflects on four semesters in which students in a sociology course on eating disorders create social change by developing and implementing a campus-based awareness week. Although the article focuses specifically…

An informal research project with high local relevance was developed for a first-year sociology course at an Australian rural university campus. The project developed students' sociological insight by challenging them to investigate "truths" about their own region, rather than immediately pushing them to comprehend new and different…

This article describes and assesses two learning modules designed to make students aware of gender and racial inequalities present in their own intended careers. Students identify their intended occupation in respect to the Standard Occupational Classification system and then use that code to determine the composition and earnings in that…

Analyzing literary materials to discern relationships between sociological variables is an established mode of scholarly inquiry which can easily be used in the instruction of sociology. A step-by-step method for writing a sociological book review is outlined and discussed. (RM)

Discusses in cost/benefit terms an approach to teaching the sociology of religion which involves students in writing their religious autobiographies. Considers the nature of the assignment, level of methodological sophistication, difficulties in grading, and justification of the exercise. Concludes that the biographical approach has wide…

Describes how the constant comparative method was introduced as a teaching and research tool at a Romanian university. Presents a four-step procedure for employing the constant comparative method. Suggests that the method may be well-suited for teaching sociology to small numbers of committed students in the foreign classroom. (DSK)

Argues that a capstone course in college-level sociology should focus on synthesizing information gained from a sequentially integrated curriculum. Discusses the course organization and content of the sociology capstone course at the U.S. Military Academy. Describes a six-chapter student project that comprises the major course assignment. (CFR)

Describes recommended and tested strategies for teaching a first-level course on the demography of aging. Provides illustrations of the range of perspectives used to teach the subject in the context of the sociology of aging. Recommends using primary sources and includes a list of resource materials. Includes examples of student projects. (NL)

Social scientists, particularly sociologists, seem to place great value in small classes and group projects, especially in teaching research methods. However, in the authors' department, the sophomore-level research methods class ranges from 70 to 105 students, which would result in 14 to 21 small groups for one instructor to supervise without a…

States that an important goal of introductory college sociology courses is to make the discipline come alive for students and to encourage active involvement in learning. Describes a student project approach in which students interview three people and analyze the data relevant to four theoretical perspectives. (CFR)

The purpose of experiential education is to combine experience and learning in ways that transform both. Students have experiences outside the classroom, and these experiences are integrated into the course curriculum, enriching both the experience and the class material. Successful experiential education assignments must first provide students…

In a social psychology class based on experiential learning, students carry out research and interpret a setting by observing social interaction. Settings include correctional facilities, self-help groups, and abuse shelters. Describes students responsibilities, reactions, data collection, analysis, and project findings. Finds students learn…

The majority of literature regarding problem-based learning demonstrates its usefulness as a teaching technique in the natural sciences curriculum. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the broad purpose is to illustrate the application of problem-based learning for instructing students about controversial issues in sociology. Within the…