Sociologists and instructors who teach about community service share an affinity for understanding and addressing social problems. While many studies have demonstrated the benefits of incorporating community service into sociology courses, we examine the benefits of incorporating sociological content into community service classes. The authors…

Six student projects which focus attention on the activities and processes through which conditions come to be defined as social problems are described. They demonstrate the relevance of the student's own values and life experiences in understanding social problems. (Author/DE)

As part of an introductory sociology course students examined social problems from the three perspectives of common sense, journalism, and sociology. They explored these perspectives outside the classroom through various activities which included a questionnaire of their own common sense thoughts, interviews, and readings. (Author/DE)

Research shows that films can be effective in engaging the interest of students in an appealing manner. States that, with the growth of video cassettes, feature films should become an economical and more widely employed teaching medium. Suggestions for using films in education are given and sociologically relevant films in 39 categories are…

Use of the format of a congressional hearing, instead of traditional teaching methods, appears to enhance direct student involvment, interest, and knowledge. Described are the social setting and procedures, research protocol, analysis and evaluation, and conclusions and limitations of the experiment. (KM)

Presents several arguments and strategies for using films about war and peace in introductory sociology and social problems courses. Addresses the practical problems of cost, scheduling, and locating appropriate resources. An appendix provides an annotated list of effective films, videos, and slide shows. (Author/BSR)

Describes an interdisciplinary course team taught by instructors from the sociology and drama departments. The course used dramatic literature to complement and illustrate sociological works examining such basic concepts as economic dislocation, racism, and deviance. Includes a table of the sociological works and their dramatic counterparts. (MJP)