A Quarterly Publication of The American Sociological Association ABSTRACTS--Volume 28, Number 4, October 2000 ARTICLES Women are Teachers, Men are Professors: A Study of Student Perceptions....JoAnn Miller and Marilyn Chamberlin Packaging Poverty as an Intersection of Class, Race, and Gender in Introductory Textbooks....Elaine J. Hall The Controversial Classroom: Institutional Resources and Pedagogical Strategies for a Race Relations Course.....Ana-Maria Wahl, Eduardo T. Perez, Mary Jo Deegan, Thomas W. Sanchez, and Cheryl Applegate A Skill, Process, and Person-Oriented Graduate Seminar on Teaching.....Marilyn C. Krogh Integrating "The Real World" into Introduction to Sociology: Making Sociological Concepts Real....Joy Misra NOTES Nurturing Graduate Students: Integrative Scholarship Through Textbook Projects....Maxine Baca Zinn and D. Stanley Eitzen Putting the Pieces Together: Using Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres in Sociology of Families....Kelly J. Hall Probability Sampling and Inferential Statistics: An Interactive Exercise Using M&M's.....Carol J. Auster Unintended Benefits of Distance-Education Technology for Traditional Classroom Teaching....Mark Evan Edwards, Sheila Cordray, and John Dorbolo Women are Teachers, Men are Professors: A Study of Student Perceptions JoAnn Miller and Marilyn Chamberlin Purdue University and Western Carolina University Sociology students’ perceptions of their instructors’ educational attainment levels are examined empirically. We find gender disparities: students misattribute in an upward direction the level of education actually attained by male graduate student instructors, while they misattribute in a downward direction the level of formal education attained by women, even when the female faculty member is a full professor. The misattributions are linked to the imputed statuses ‘teacher’ for women, and ‘professor’ for men, regardless of the actual positions held or the credentials earned by faculty and graduate student instructors. We suggest that a process of marginalization explains the empirical findings—a process that is attributed by others, but chosen by the self, regardless of the social and economic costs incurred. Consequences for students and sociology professors are discussed. Return to top of page. Packaging Poverty as an Intersection of Class, Race, and Gender in Introductory Textbooks Elaine J. Hall Kent State University Using a sample of 45 introductory sociology textbooks, this research addresses how poverty information is packaged as the intersection of class, race, and gender, and how this depiction has changed from the 1980s to the early 1990s. I conducted a quantitative content analysis of the number of index citations and the location of poverty information they reference; the number and composition of poverty tables; and the number, type, and race/gender composition of illustrations of poverty. Newer textbooks reveal a racialized and genderized depiction of poverty which differentiates the topic of poverty from inequality topics. Instead of promoting the development of a multicultural perspective, the selective location of poverty information via ghettoization and topic context appears to counteract the impact of the inclusive content of that information. Implications of and possible strategies for overcoming the conventional topic-chapter format of textbooks are discussed. Return to top of page. The Controversial Classroom: Institutional Resources and Pedagogical Strategies for a Race Relations Course Ana-Maria Wahl (University of Nebraska--Lincoln), Eduardo T. Perez (University of Nebraska--Lincoln), Mary Jo Deegan (University of Nebraska--Lincoln), Thomas W. Sanchez (University of Nebraska--Omaha), and Cheryl Applegate (Nebraska Wesleyan University) The problems encountered in teaching race relations courses have been the central focus of recent discussions about pedagogical approaches to controversial topics. These discussions, while invaluable, fail to fully explore two issues: first, the need for collective as well as individual strategies to deal with the problems generated by race relations courses; and second, the unique experiences of graduate students of color teaching this class at predominantly white universities. This paper offers a model for a collective strategy that departments can use to more effectively deal with problems associated with such courses. This model is provided by a year-long workshop organized by our department to analyze and address challenges posed by race relations classes. Our workshop was racially and ethnically diverse, allowing us a unique opportunity to deliberately explore the experiences of teachers of color. Drawing from this diversity, we develop a multidimensional analysis of the institutional and pedagogical cnstraints that create problems for race relations instructors, and we sketch a multidimensional approach to minimizing these problems. Return to top of page. A Skill, Process, and Person-Oriented Graduate Seminar on Teaching Marilyn C. Krogh Loyola University Chicago While many sociology graduate programs now offer a seminar on teaching, most of these courses appear to emphasize reading and talking about teaching, rather than actually preparing to teach. In this seminar, by drawing on critical, feminist and humanist scholarship, the participants put ideas about pedagogy into practice. Each participant developed an undergraduate course from scratch, including a syllabus, assignments, lesson plans, assessments and a statement of teaching philosophy. Moreover, the seminar itself modeled many of the teaching techniques the participants might use in their own courses, including extensive peer review. Finally, by practicing the work habits of constancy and moderation from Advice for New Faculty Members: Nihil Nimus (Boice 2000), the participants began to get more done in less time with less strain. The positive outcomes of this seminar suggest that this approach may be informative to faculty designing or revising similar courses. Return to top of page. Integrating "The Real World" into Introduction to Sociology: Making Sociological Concepts Real Joya Misra University of Massachusetts Teaching Introduction to Sociology successfully requires making sociological concepts “real” to students. Using examples from the mass media to depict and clarify important sociological concepts is one particularly successful method that has been well documented. This paper describes an approach using clips from a television show to explore sociological concepts in an Introduction to Sociology course. This method encourages students to think of sociology as something that can help them to make sense of their world. Students learn that sociological concepts are important tools that can help make sense of everyday life, and gain an appreciation for the complexity and value of the sociological imagination. Return to top of page. Nurturing Graduate Students: Integrative Scholarship Through Textbook Projects Maxine Baca Zinn and D. Stanley Eitzen Michigan State University and Colorado State University Although controversial, textbooks are a central pedagogical tool. This paper presents various ways that professors can bring graduate students into the textbook writing process. This involvement broadens their skills in integrating and teaching forms of scholarship, provides mentoring, learning opportunities, and vita building possibilities. Return to top of page. Putting the Pieces Together: Using Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres in Sociology of Families Kelley J. Hall DePauw University Using a sample of 45 introductory sociology textbooks, this research addresses how poverty information is packaged as the intersection of class, race, and gender, and how this depiction has changed from the 1980s to the early 1990s. I conducted a quantitative content analysis of the number of index citations and the location of poverty information they reference; the number and composition of poverty tables; and the number, type, and race/gender composition of illustrations of poverty. Newer textbooks reveal a racialized and genderized depiction of poverty which differentiates the topic of poverty from inequality topics. Instead of promoting the development of a multicultural perspective, the selective location of poverty information via ghettoization and topic context appears to counteract the impact of the inclusive content of that information. Implications of and possible strategies for overcoming the conventional topic-chapter format of textbooks are discussed. Return to top of page. Probability Sampling and Inferential Statistics: An Interactive Exercise Using M&M's Carol J. Auster Franklin and Marshall College This note describes a hands-on exercise using M&M's that was designed to illustrate a variety of concepts associated with samples and populations, including population parameter, sampling error, level of confidence, and confidence intervals. Step by step procedures for the exercise are included and potential pitfalls are described. The exercise is intended to provide an experience that is illustrative, interesting, and fun with the goal of reducing students' negative feelings and anxiety about statistics and increasing their comprehension of relevant concepts as well as their confidence about and comfort with other statistical concepts. Return to top of page. Unintended Benefits of Distance-Education Technology for Traditional Classroom Teaching Mark Evan Edwards, Sheila Cordray, and John Dorbolo Oregon State University Drawing upon several years of experience developing Internet-distributed courses, we argue that in many instances the unintended consequences of developing distance-education courses may improve traditional courses on campus. While cautious about the ultimate effects of distance education on academic institutions, faculty, and students, we identify several positive short-term effects on existing courses. Among these benefits are (1) the impetus to produce active-learning course components, (2) better thematic and organizational development of courses, and (3) the extension of student-student and teacher-student interactions beyond the classroom. Constraints on these and other benefits are discussed as well. Return to top of page. The Editor of Teaching Sociology is Helen A. Moore. For articles, notes, and conversations, send manuscripts to: Helen A. Moore, Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324. Phone: 402-472-6081, Fax: 402-472-6070. For book, video, and software reviews, send manuscripts to: Laurie Scheuble, Department of Sociology, Doane College, 1014 Boswell Drive, Crete, NE 68333. Phone: 402-826-8220, Fax: 402-826-8278. For questions about manuscript processing, contact Bennie Shobe, Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324. Phone: 402-472-6038. The Webmaster is Pauline H. Pavlakos. Observations on form and egregious spelling may be directed to Ms. Pavlakos. The Teaching Sociology Web Page is located at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Le Moyne College, the Jesuit College of Central New York. Page last updated: April 2, 2001