Sci-fi has the power to open dialogue because its alternate world-building enables students to feel far enough from reality to discuss social problems unreservedly. In this essay, I review an assignment I developed using "Black Mirror" and "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" that present episodes in which militarized policing,…

This article offers an example of a global approach to teaching the sociology of religion, a course that typically focuses on American religious phenomena. It builds on three interventions in the movement for a global sociology: connecting the local and global, moving beyond methodological nationalism, and developing an ethical orientation toward…

As sociology instructors increasingly include materials on sexual violence in their courses, both instructors and students express anxieties over how best to handle such sensitive conversations. This article critically examines the conventional advice to offer a trigger warning, which can interfere with student education (e.g., requiring survivors…

The purpose of this paper is to describe an original active learning exercise that incorporates both referential and constructivist perspectives on the role of language in the social world. The exercise encourages students to view language as both a vehicle for transmitting sociologically-relevant content (e.g., attitudes, perspectives,…

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…

Introducing students to sensitive social issues like intimate violence in lower level courses can spark their sociological imaginations motivating them to do further research in order to gain reflective knowledge about such topics. In order to promote two course objectives: (1) recognizing and applying sociological concepts and theories, and (2)…

Teaching a course that is about sexuality but also about larger cultural themes, social processes, and political struggles poses many challenges. These include: 1) choosing readings from a sexuality literature that is ever-expanding; 2) negotiating student expectations that the course will focus on the sexual behavior of individuals when much of…

Focuses on teaching sociology to prisoners, the benefits of teaching prisoners, and the experience of teaching the courses to prisoners. Addresses how the author took the experience of teaching prison students into traditional undergraduate courses. Highlights the implications for teaching sociology. (CMK)

Describes an exercise for teaching about violence where the students keep a one-day journal about their experiences of fear, use of safety strategies, and analyze their findings. Discusses the students' reactions to the exercise and the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. (CMK)

This paper is the latest installment in a series that is designed to bridge the gap between teaching and practice by developing classroom applications based on a current research article from the "American Sociological Review". We discuss the ways in which a recent "ASR" paper on child care fatalities can be used to help students explore Burawoy's…

Reports on a study of the depiction of women in 54 college criminology textbooks published between 1956 and 1992. Finds that, although recent textbooks have made important strides about discussing women as victims, they say far less about women's ability to resist oppression by words and deeds. (CFR)

Describes an undergraduate sociology course where college students helped develop and teach multicultural lesson plans to high school students in a multiethnic district of Los Angeles (California). Discusses the origin and organization of the project and addresses some of its inherent structural and substantive challenges. (MJP)