Describes a strategy for improving the quality of class discussions. States two reasons why class discussions can be unsatisfying: (1) individual contributions are emphasized more than the merits of collective discussion; and (2) discussion performance is emphasized over development of discussion skills. Describes a student exercise to overcome…

Describes a group project from a course on rural, countercultural communitarians' attempts to create utopian communities. Explains that the project gives students the opportunity to integrate material from a variety of sources and to apply it to a group term paper. Suggests that the project utilizes experiential methods for learning abstract…

Presents a classroom exercise designed to illustrate the effects of structural social inequality. The exercise is based on a quiz in which students are divided into four groups and given different amounts of time to complete the test. The exercise demonstrates how high levels of determination and ability may be subordinated to the effects of…

Presents a classroom exercise which asks undergraduates to assign a social class ranking to nine family names which stereotypically represent ethnic groups. Students are also asked to rate the degree to which they believe social class can be inferred from ethnic family names. Presents results from several years of data collection in different…

Recommends a classroom exercise to demonstrate intergroup relations. Possible learning outcomes include conflict resolution, decision-making, trust, and increased understanding of differences between competitive and collaborative behavior. (Author/DB)

Describes METROPROB, a noncompetitive teaching game based on the theory of metropolitan locality-relevant problems and stressing their interactions. Discusses potential for teaching systemic analysis of urban problems and helping students think sociologically. (Author/CK)

Asserts that, although many researchers and teachers have written about the use of cooperative, or collaborative, learning groups, their work has focused on small classes. Reports on a study of informal cooperative group assignments used in a large (225 students) college-level Introduction to Sociology class. (CFR)

Describes a classroom exercise for increasing gender equality and awareness in class discussions by increasing female students' participation. Explains that only female students may speak during one week of the course. Argues that radical and feminist education must promote the equal empowerment of male and female students to talk and listen. (DK)

Discusses the use of individual and group journals as a way to develop students' abilities to critically analyze reading materials in a college level sociology course. Describes the process by which the journals are written and evaluated. Contends that the learning strategy improved students' analytical abilities and writing skills. (CFR)

Describes methods for teaching applications of social psychology research. Divides class time between lectures on applications, new material, and discussion. Requires students' understanding of how concepts can be applied in everyday life. Uses writing assignments and small-group discussions to promote concept recognition. Includes list of reading…

Examines the hypotheses that students need to improve communication skills and that an innovative pedagogy is more effective than traditional methods for improving communication skills. Describes the teaching pedagogy and its implementation in an introductory sociology course. Results suggest that this pedagogy is more effective than conventional…

Describes two teaching techniques that can be used to personalize the standard lecture format used in large group human sexuality classes. The techniques involve the use of varied homework assignments and the use of upper-level students as discussion leaders. (Author/AEM)