Presents a study that investigated the effects of student factors related to course preparation, specifically participation in Learning in Communities (LINC) and technology, on the success of the students in an introductory sociology course. Reveals that attendance and reading required texts were significant predictors of success, while LINC…

Provides an overview of social class, poverty, and welfare issues. Focuses on a course called, "The Welfare State," used at Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas). Describes two course assignments: (1) social class and genealogy and childhood memories assignment; and (2) the poverty lunch project. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents results from a study that focused on undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) using in-depth written interviews with UTAs; interviews with faculty members/instructors who work with UTAs; and questionnaires from students in classes that use UTAs. States that UTAs can be useful in promoting active learning. (CMK)

Describes an interactive in-class learning activity where students learn about social movement theories. Provides background information about the exercise; discusses the process of preparing and implementing the assignment; and explores the student responses. Includes an appendix and references. (CMK)

Takes the position that sociology teachers should expand their role to help students write better. Outlines the goals of speculative writing and demonstrates its usefulness in the sociology classroom. Describes classroom experiences using speculative writing and offers suggestions for enhancing its effectiveness. (KO)

Presents the animated television series "The Simpsons" as a tool to reach undergraduate students by using popular culture to teach sociology. Discusses "The Simpsons" and sociology, provides a sample of the sociological themes embedded within the show, and how to use "The Simpsons." Provides information gleaned from…

Examines how the peer review process influences the writing and publication of sociology textbooks and the teaching of sociology. States that the peer review process may influence the final textbook in five ways: (1) degree of innovation; (2) length; (3) reading level; (4) cloning ancillaries and accessories; and (5) using reviewers as marketing…

Explores the utility of a multicultural approach to teaching an undergraduate social psychology course. Discusses institutional context and the transformation of the course by infusing multicultural content. Uses survey data and student performance on the first examination before and after the class transformation to evaluate the multicultural…

Substantial classroom experience has made teachers aware that teaching undergraduate sociology courses dealing with minority groups presents a particular set of challenges. The difficulty they confronted in teaching a course dealing with racial and ethnic groups is two-pronged: on one hand, there is the well-documented problematic nature of the…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of otherness as it applies to the content of sociology of the family texts. We conducted a study of the content of the indexes and the body of texts on sociology of the family, examining the way in which the experiences of whites were addressed relative to families of color. We found that whites…

Discusses the Internship in New York City Government program initiated by City University of New York (Lehman College) to provide sociology majors with insight into the workings of a profession. Emphasizes that such programs are necessary because a large number of sociology majors choose business and professional careers over academic ones. (GEA)

This article describes how an introductory sociology course was organized and taught in order to promote students' understanding of sociology as the systematic and critical analysis of modern social structure and its impact on the individual. (JDH)

How one sociology department in an urban university has responded to the enrollment crisis by returning to a somewhat more traditional and structured curriculum is described. Areas of concentration were developed, and a paralegal program was grafted onto the undergraduate sociology program. (Author/RM)

Describes a sociology experiential learning assignment where students learned why people living in poverty can sometimes pay more for products than people with better incomes. Focuses specifically on the rent to own concept. States students achieved the goal of learning how life constraints of poverty can hinder the poor from overcoming their…

Provides an exercise for students in cross-cultural communication with the goal of improving understanding about the elements of culture and increasing the relevance of sociology. States that participants are divided into two groups with different cultural norms for communication and then allowed to interact with each other. (DAJ)