Across courses in the social sciences, instructors confront the challenge of how to teach (theories of) culture, yet no consensus exists as to what helps students best comprehend and digest its full complexity. This article offers a metaphorical and heuristic approach to culture that is accessible, multifaceted, and reflective of a wide range of…

Replicating published studies promotes active learning of quantitative research skills. Drawing on experiences from a replication course, we provide practical tips and reflections for teachers who consider incorporating replication in their courses. We discuss teaching practices and challenges we encountered at three stages of a replication…

It is well documented that interaction between diverse students encourages positive learning outcomes. Given this, we examine how to enhance the quantity and quality of student diversity in university classrooms. Drawing on sociological theory linking life experiences with ways of knowing, we investigate how to increase classroom diversity by…

This teaching note describes my multiyear experience with interventions designed to enhance student engagement and learning through various teaching techniques, most notably active and collaborative learning through local case studies. While other aspects of this course had been successful, I was disappointed in the level of engagement--the…

In this article, we describe student perceptions of, and experiences in, a one-semester, required sociology research capstone course. The data come from 106 students in eight sections of the course taught at three institutions. We used multiple methods for data collection: questionnaires, focus groups, and learning reflection essays. Our results…

A course in the sociology of tourism offers an opportunity to examine a world-transforming force that is penetrating more and more aspects of social life. It also offers an opportunity to create a learning environment that uses the object of study as the medium of study. This article examines how instructors can use tourism to teach the sociology…

An innovative course structure which combines a traditional sociology course with a special topic minicourse is described. Possible options for using the structure are discussed. (Author/DE)

A long-term experience with the complex organizations sociology course is recounted. Problems, challenges, and rewards are discussed. The course's organization and approach are described, including emphases, topics, reading materials, examinations, term projects, "capstone" articles, analysis of cases, and special topics. (Author/GEA)

A set of behavioral objectives for an introductory sociology course is suggested, stressing the "sociological perspective", methodological understandings, the ability to deal critically with sociological materials, and selected content areas. (Author/DE)

Presents arguments for offering introductory statistics courses to undergraduate sociology majors taught within departments of sociology rather than using statistics courses taught by other departments. (Author)

Provides a general strategy for planning, developing, and teaching applied courses, suggesting that a variety of sociology courses can be designed around an applied focus. Describes the various stages of creating the applied course, illustrating exemplary actions to be taken. (KO)

Advocates separating the curriculum of deviance from criminological theory. Offers descriptions of a deviance course (introductory material, theories and issues in rule-making, and understanding rule-breaking behavior) and a criminological theory course (introductory discussion, theory focusing on the individual and social context, and critical…

A course of study in social psychology should progress from the personal to the social. It should be organized around the study of four topics: (1) the boundaries of the self; (2) the relation between individuals; (3) communication between individuals; and (4) leadership and social power. (Author/RM)

Discusses two upper division writing-intensive courses, Sociological Theory and Sociology of Religion, offered at Millsaps College (Mississippi). Argues that greater emphasis on writing in the upper-division sociology courses allows students to become better learners and better sociologists. (DB)

Demonstrates that popular music's potential as a tool for teaching interactive introductory sociology courses is enhanced when a cultural analysis of a specific music genre is incorporated into the classroom. Presents a two-part model for integrating a cultural analysis of heavy metal music and its subculture into the introductory course. Includes…