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A Quarterly Publication of
The American Sociological Association
Comments from the Editor
Volume 33, Number 1
January 2005THOUGH A NEW YEAR has begun, the challenges facing sociologists in the classroom remain. In the aftermath of the 2004 elections and increasing instability in the Middle East, it seems more critical than ever that we challenge our students to go beyond their own private experiences and see how social, especially global and economic, forces are shaping their lives and those of others. This journal has a long tradition of publishing pedagogical strategies and approaches that challenge students’ preconceived ideas about social class, stratification and social problems, and in this issue of TS you will find several pieces that deal with these topics (c.f., Dundes and Harlow, Johnson, Desmond, and Brislen and Peoples). From a different angle, Nancy Davis explores the challenges of teaching students how their most private, sexual lives are shaped by larger social forces. In all of these ways, I am encouraged by the continual effort we sociologists make to help our students become more aware and engaged in the world outside their own.
I have the tendency to focus outward, towards expanding students’ understandings of the social world, sometimes forgetting that we must also turn a critical eye to our own institutional practices that can impede student learning. In Catherine Berheide’s lead article—based upon her 2004 Hans O. Mauksch Award presentation at ASA—she addresses the issue of coherence and sequencing within the sociology curriculum. Along the lines of disciplinary concerns, you can also read more about the core in sociology, in Schweingruber’s comment on Keith and Ender’s earlier conversation published in this journal, as well as their response to Schweingruber. Finally, Levy and Merenstein offer ideas for teaching one of the discipline’s core courses—theory.
As 2005 unfolds, I look forward to discovering even more creative ways to engage our students and to help them see the world through a more sociological lens. I wish you all a productive and rewarding year.
Volume 33, Number 2
April 2005
There is no Comment from the Editor this issue.
Volume 33, Number 3
July 2005
THIS ISSUE MARKS several important changes.
First, the Teaching Sociology operations have moved from Purdue University to the University of Central Florida. It is an exciting change and signals, in some small way, that departmental hiring practices are becoming responsive to scholarship of teaching and learning. The position at UCF is defined as a Sotl position and marks one of the first—if not the first—exclusively Sotl hires within sociology. It is rewarding to see universities and departments taking notice of, and supporting, scholars of teaching and learning in this way.
Second, you will notice a new feature in this issue—Applications. The purpose of Applications is to help instructors integrate current sociological research into the undergraduate curriculum. I have been working with Jerry Jacobs, editor of the American Sociological Review (ASR), to identify forthcoming ASR articles that are likely to be interesting and accessible to undergraduate students. The authors of the ASR article are invited to develop, usually in collaboration with an award-winning teacher in the discipline, an application article that can serve as an instructional guide to using their research in undergraduate courses. In the first application, Ed Kain pairs up with Diane Purvin, co-author (with Andrew Cherlin, Linda Burton, and Tera Hurt) of “The Influence of Physical and Sexual Abuse on Marriage and Cohabitation” (see the December 2004 issue of ASR). They present creative student-centered learning strategies geared specifically to the Cherlin, et al. piece, in addition to guidelines for helping students read and critically think about original sociological research. I hope Applications will help bridge the troublesome gap between research and teaching that Purvin and Kain note and expose more students to current sociological work.
Third, as you know this year marks the 100th anniversary of the ASA. Part of this issue of TS explores aspects of the past, present and future of teaching within sociology. In the first article, Michael DeCesare explores the nearly 100-year history of teaching high school sociology and speculates about its future. Jonathan Marx and Douglas Eckberg explore trends in TS publications during the 1990s. And this issue’s Conversation raises questions about the future of teaching graduate statistics. The conversation, though centered on the goals of graduate statistics, has relevance to many courses we teach. As Melissa Hardy states in her response to Moran, “it appears…that teaching of not only sociological methods and statistics but many other topics at the core of our discipline…are too often drained of much of their theoretical/historical content.” Whether you teach statistics or other courses, graduate students or undergraduates, I think you will find this thought-provoking conversation worthwhile.
As we head into another academic year, I hope that all the changes in store for you are positive ones.
Volume 33, Number 4
October 2005
THIS ISSUE features our second Application. In “Using a Research Article to Facilitate a ‘Deep Structure’ Understanding of Discrimination,” Rebecca Bordt, in collaboration with Devah Pager, uses the June 2005 ASR article “Walking the Talk? What Employers Say Versus What They Do” to introduce a variety of in- and out-of-class activities for introductory sociology, research methods, race/ethnicity, and criminology courses. Rather than teaching students “simply” how to read an empirical article from the discipline’s flagship journal, this Application is designed to help students achieve deeper learning. As the authors note, “There is a difference between requiring undergraduates to read a research article for content and using a research article as a tool for accomplishing deep structure learning. In the former case, students may gain new knowledge about the subject matter (especially if we teach them how to read). In the latter, however, students gain new knowledge about the subject matter and enhance fundamental thinking skills.” This is the goal of all the Applications, as well as the many innovations described in the articles and notes in TS.
With the publication of these Applications (and plans to develop others), it is important that we also learn whether they are achieving the intended goals of bridging the gap between research and teaching, and exposing students to current sociological work. If you have used an Application in your courses (also see Kain and Purvin in the July 2005 issue of TS), I would like to hear about your experiences. What worked and what didn’t? How did students react to the activities? Was it necessary to modify the lessons to adapt to your circumstances and to enable your students to learn, and if so, what did you do? Would you use it again? Most importantly, if you use an Application, consider systematically assessing its effectiveness in teaching students important skills and knowledge.
Knowledge about the effectiveness of the pedagogical exercises published Applications—and virtually all other teaching strategies published in this journal—is lacking. Perhaps we should be sharing the successes and failures we’ve encountered using the activities presented in TS (I’ve certainly had many). Thus, if you have experiences you would like to share, email me and let me know what worked or what didn’t work. I will share insights gained “from the field” in future issues. In this way, we may all gain more tools for teaching, bring innovations and creative ideas to life, provide greater communication among teachers in the discipline, and ultimately, enhance our students’ understanding of and appreciation for sociology.
Erratum: The title of Michael DeCesare’s article that appeared on the cover and contents of the July 2005 issue should be “95 Years of Teaching High School Sociology” rather than "95 Years of Teaching Sociology."
The Editor of Teaching Sociology is Liz Grauerholz.
For articles, notes, and conversations, send manuscripts to: Liz Grauerholz, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Howard Phillips Hall 403, Orlando, FL 32816-1360. Phone: 407-823-2227, Fax: 407-823-3026.
For book, video, and software reviews, send manuscripts to: Jay Howard, Department of Sociology, Indiana University Columbus, 4601 Central Avenue, Columbus, IN 47203-1769.
For questions about manuscript processing, contact Jori Sechrist, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Purdue University Stone Hall, 700 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059. Phone: 765-494-5874, Fax: 765-496-1476. Phone: 765-494-5874, Fax: 765-496-1476.
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: September 15, 2005
