TEACHSOC: Re: Sociology versus common sense activity

[kmiller]

Andi,

There's a lot of variation from semester to semester, but some patterns do recur. Most students have been sensitized to the fact that stranger rape is less common than acquaintance/date/marital rape; they're far more surprised to find that child abductions are most commonly the work of noncustodial parents and other known parties. They're primed by Stranger, Danger media coverage to assume otherwise.

By far the strongest challenges are on question #20, which invariably yields a long (and generally productive) discussion about the nature of instinct vs. culture as blueprints for human behavior.  I try to be very up front about the notion that humans are influenced by biology, but not controlled by it; we have reflexes, drives, predispositions, but not instincts per se that dictate our behavior. Still, many students aren't satisfied until they've explored all the ramifications (what about the instinct for survival? The maternal instinct? The need to eat?). It's easy to kill most of a class period just on this question alone. And fun-- this is one of the exercises students remember later on and mention on course evaluations.

Kate
__________________
Kathleen Miller, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions
University at Buffalo
1021 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1016
716-887-2588

'Those who would give up essential liberty in the pursuit of a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.' -- Ben Franklin



Kate,

Thanks for sending this along....and good for you for including #20!
I'm curious...do you see any trends in what students usually get
right/wrong?
Which ones are they most surprised about?

Andi
--------------
Every object, every being,
Is a jar of delight.
Be a connoisseur.
    ~Rumi~

Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into
something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.
    ~Cathy Better~

Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which
matter least.
     ~Johann von Goethe~


Dr. Andi Stepnick
Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology
300-C Wheeler Humanities Building
Belmont University
Nashville TN 37212-3757

Direct Line: (615) 460-6249
Office Manager: (615) 460-5505
Sociology Fax: (615) 460-6997







Hi, Kelly. I just ran an exercise along these lines last week, with a somewhat longer quiz (20 questions). These questions are culled both from recent-edition intro texts and from issues that have come up in past semesters' classes; most of them are things that we cover later in the semester, so the quiz serves as both an eye-opener to the often counter-intuitive nature of sociological research findings and as a teaser for the sociological buffet ahead.

Here's the quiz, along with brief notes for responding to challenges on each question (and believe me, students do challenge these findings, which tend to fall under the heading of Weber's "inconvenient facts." Especially be prepared for vehement challenges on question #20!)



Hope this is useful.

Kate
__________________
Kathleen Miller, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions
University at Buffalo
1021 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1016
716-887-2588

'Those who would give up essential liberty in the pursuit of a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.' -- Ben Franklin



I am going to start teaching a new semester of a high school sociology class this upcoming week and was looking for a first day activity that I hope someone can help me with.  I am interested in putting together an activity in which students take a short true-false quiz (about 10 questions) on factual and opinion statements related to a general sociology course (for example, most people on welfare don't want to work and are looking for a handout or compared with men, women touch each other more while they are conversing) as an introduction to some of the topics we will study throughout the semester.  I was wondering if anyone had already developed a quiz similar to this with actual answers.  If so, can I please have a copy?  I would greatly appreciate any help.
 
Thanks,
Kelly Sloot
Deerfield High School