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A Quarterly Publication of
The American Sociological Association

ABSTRACTS
Volume 35, Number 3, July 2007

ARTICLES

NOTES

The Role of the Introductory Sociology Course on Students' Perceptions of Achievement of General Education Goals

As higher education accreditation agencies emphasize achievement of general education learning goals for undergraduate students, departments are increasingly required to identify and assess the contributions of their disciplines to achievement of these goals. This exploratory study conducted at a large urban university and its satellite campus seeks to identify students’ perceptions of the contributions of the Introduction to Sociology course to the general education goals specified by a single university. This study also seeks to identify the most frequently used pedagogies used by introductory sociology instructors. Results indicate students perceive that Introduction to Sociology facilitates achievement of critical thinking skills, integration and application of knowledge, and understanding of society and culture. Results also indicate that lecture is a nearly ubiquitous teaching strategy. Students report instructors utilize in-class discussion frequently. Small group activities, writing assignments, videos, and online discussion were less frequently utilized.

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The Social Construction of Social Facts: Using the U.S. Census to Examine Race as a Scientific and Moral Category

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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Coverage and Representations of Sexuality in Introductory Sociology Textbooks

Mirroring increased cultural and disciplinary attention to sexuality, many introductory sociology textbooks have begun to include coverage of the topic. Our study first assesses the extent of textual coverage of sexuality in a sample of 38 introductory textbooks published after 2000. Secondly, we focus on 14 textbooks with a sexuality chapter and/or textbooks with more than the average textual coverage of sexuality. We find that the emergent “core” of the sociology of sexuality centers on sex research, historical and cross-cultural trends in sexuality, media representations, gender and sexuality, homosexuality and society, and sexual violence. These textbooks vary widely in their attention to the intersection of race, class and sexuality and theoretical applications. We find lingering heteronormativity, homogenization of homosexuality, and problematic representations of non-normative sexuality within the chapters. We conclude with comments on the relevance of these findings and offer some suggestions to ensure that coverage of sexuality better reflects scholarship and discourse within the discipline.

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Table Reading Skills as Quantitative Literacy

Sociologists, with our research foundations and engaging substantive areas are well suited to make valuable contributions to improving undergraduates’ skills in quantitative literacy. In this article, we focus on table reading skills as one aspect of quantitative literacy and present data on table reading collected from first year students at three points during a semester. We find that students started the semester with solid basic table reading abilities but lacked skills in placing table data in a research context involving variables and hypotheses. Students’ skills in these more intricate tasks of table reading improved with training, which involved the completion of a data analysis module, mini-lectures, and group assignments. We submit that teaching table reading skills in introductory courses is a valuable approach for building the more general quantitative literacy skills students need to succeed in college and be competitive in the job market.

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Moving Forward Looking Backward: An Exercise in Recursive Thinking and Writing

This paper describes a class project that uses a recursive writing exercise to observe how student thinking transitions over the course of a semester and the extent to which students see information presented in the course as contributing to these changes. In essence, this assignment presents a “snapshot” of where students are in their thinking when they begin and end the course. It is designed to capitalize on the recursive nature of writing and thought. “Writing is a recursive process that requires the reconstruction of text already written, so that what we add connects approximately with what has preceded (Hillocks 1995: xviii).” In this assignment, students are required to revisit beliefs they held at the beginning of the semester and to identify course materials that have informed their opinions. Their written work enables them to observe the growth of their knowledge base, while it provides valuable information to the instructor regarding the students’ reaction to and understanding of the course materials. Thus, this recursive exercise can be used both to evaluate and enhance student learning.

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Videoconferencing: A Way for Students to Meet Their Sociological Heroes

IThis note describes the successful use of videoconferencing in a sociology capstone course as a way to introduce students to eminent scholars and authors across the country, as well as to encourage students to take responsibility for organizing class and their learning. Information is provided on institutional context, the rationale for electronic guest speakers, how students planned and prepared for speakers, technological necessities for videoconferencing, and unexpected issues.

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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.
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: June 11, 2007