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A Quarterly Publication of
The American Sociological Association

ABSTRACTS
Volume 35, Number 2, April 2007

ARTICLES

NOTES

The Student Voice: Sociology Majors Tell Us about Learning Sociology

This paper describes a service-learning project designed for an upper-level sociology course in Policy and Social Change. The project, Breaking Ground, had two main goals: to change students' perceptions about persons who are homeless and to increase students' sense of efficacy for engaging in social advocacy. Through Breaking Ground, students formed a partnership with advocates and homeless clients to raise public awareness about homelessness and to organize advocacy and fund-raising events for the agency partner. The research element of the project used pre-tests and post-tests to assess changes in students' beliefs about social justice, self-efficacy, and perceptions of homelessness. When compared to students who took the class, but did not participate in the described service-learning project, Breaking Ground students experienced significant changes in a positive direction in their perceptions of individuals who are homeless. There were also some small changes in student feelings of self-efficacy and opinions on social justice. We explain these results and provide suggestions for implementation of similar projects.

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Breaking Ground: Engaing Undergraduates in Social Change through Service Learning

This paper describes a service-learning project designed for an upper-level sociology course in Policy and Social Change. The project, Breaking Ground, had two main goals: to change students’ perceptions about persons who are homeless and to increase students’ sense of efficacy for engaging in social advocacy. Through Breaking Ground, students formed a partnership with advocates and homeless clients to raise public awareness about homelessness and to organize advocacy and fund-raising events for the agency partner. The research element of the project used pre-tests and post-tests to assess changes in students’ beliefs about social justice, self-efficacy, and perceptions of homelessness. When compared to students who took the class, but did not participate in the described service-learning project, Breaking Ground students experienced significant changes in a positive direction in their perceptions of individuals who are homeless. There were also some small changes in student feelings of self-efficacy and opinions on social justice. I explain these results and provide suggestions for implementation of similar projects. .

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An Action-Research Project: Community Lead Poisoning Prevention

This action-research project focused on gathering data on awareness of lead poisoning, as well as disseminating information on lead poisoning prevention in a metropolitan midwestern city. This project reflects an action-research approach to service learning and was in collaboration with a grass-roots organization. This paper outlines the daunting task of seeking this “highest level of service learning” (Porpora 1999:121)—action research—in a medical sociology undergraduate class. Action research reflects an integration of the three main academic functions: service, teaching, and research. It requires wearing different hats, and meeting the agendas of both the academic and civic communities. This paper illustrates the process and some of the challenges in carrying out an action-research project geared toward childhood lead poisoning prevention.

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Cross Course Collaboration in Undergraduate Sociology Programs

This paper describes a model designed to foster cross course collaboration in undergraduate programs by integrating sociology coursework taught across subjects. The aim of the model was to create an original student research project that avoided the segmented and often disjointed presentation that occurs in sociology undergraduate programs. This approach to course integration also provided students with valuable hands-on research experience. Student evaluations of the model indicate that the project helped them to better understand the broader sociological approach.

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First Day Sociology: Using Student Introductions to Illustrate the Concept of Norms

Introductory sociology instructors often request self-introductions to gain personal information about students, facilitate a collegial environment, and lay the foundation for discussions later on in the semester. The exercise discussed in this paper capitalizes upon these introductions to illustrate the concept of social norms. The exercise requires little preparation or class time, yet provides an opportunity to immediately interest students in the sociological perspective. These are especially important qualities on the first day of the course when administrative matters demand attention and a quick tool to explore the sociological imagination and address different learning styles is extremely valuable.

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Applying Sociology through Social Marketing: Student Reflections on an Intimate Violence Awareness Project

Introducing students to sensitive social issues like intimate violence in lower level courses can spark their sociological imaginations motivating them to do further research while gaining reflective knowledge about such topics (Scheel 2002). In order to promote two course objectives: (1) recognizing and applying sociological concepts and theories, and (2) understanding practical uses of sociology, we required students in an Introduction to Sociology course to complete a multi-stage social marketing project.

The assignment involved completing an article review, working collaboratively to develop empirically based intimate violence awareness posters, pre-testing slogans and poster designs, presenting findings, and writing individual reflection papers. This paper briefly reviews collaborative learning and social marketing followed by a more detailed discussion of the assignment including a qualitative evaluation of students' final reflections on the project. While the data are limited, we found this project to be a success and suggest the project's applicability to other courses.

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Teaching about Inequality in a Distance Education Course Using The Second Shift

Stratification and inequality have been among the most common topics addressed in Teaching Sociology over the last two decades. While most discussions of these issues focus on conventional classroom settings, higher education's increasing reliance on distance education courses suggests that strategies applicable to the online environment are necessary as well. This paper describes an online teaching strategy using a simple survey regarding household roles that elicits active participation and lively, increasingly informed exchanges in a distance education course.

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The Editor of Teaching Sociology is Liz Grauerholz.

For articles, notes, and conversations, send manuscripts to: Liz Grauerholz, 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.

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 Monica Mendez, 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.
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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: March 28, 2007