Yes...there are *tons* of analytical exercises you can come up with, but why reinvent the wheel?   The ASA teaching guides are fabulous.  The one on Teaching gender has an analysis for "gender at the mall" for example.   I would also search the old TeachSoc archives...I seem to have a gazillion ideas from there.

Michael Schwalbe's Intro book has some discussion questions you might adapt for small groups.  My student do better in small groups of 2-3 where they are more likely to open up.

Students can analyze song lyrics, TV shows, movies, magazines for soc ideas.   For example, recreate Goffman's Gender Analysis using magazines that you bring in (ask colleagues/friends to give old ones to you).  You can bring in lyrics or ask students to do so.  This month's "hot" topic pick in my class - Stupid Girls by Pink.
I've done music analysis with *so* many topics -- class, war, gender, family, sense of self, norms/deviance, etc, etc.

Ask students to analyze group dynamics at school (e.g., cliques in the cafeteria).  Anyalyze power dynamics between teachers/students, cafeteria workers/students, teachers/parents.

You've got tons of options. Don't give up. 




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah Murray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Gardetto, Darlaine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 7:05 AM
Subject: Re: TEACHSOC: Re: frustration


  
I actually take my classes on a  field trip to a local mall every semester; 
since the Mall has replaced main street  as the American market place and 
meeting place, it is virtually a sociological laboratory.  I have my 
students spend an hour there looking for corporate values versus family 
values, and for signs of structural violence, giving them about 50 clues to 
hunt for and meeting back for lunch to discuss what they found.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gardetto, Darlaine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 1:15 AM
Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: frustration


    
Quick note:

Here is the link to the NYT article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/fashion/sundaystyles/07friendss.html?_r=1&
oref=slogin

The article is called: "Money Changes Everything."

Another topic that gets my students going is to talk about the 
differences
in shopping malls -- also differences in bathrooms in various stores --
Walmart vs. Nordstrom, for example.




-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
To: Sunny Allen
Cc: [email protected]
Sent: 5/7/2006 11:12 PM
Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: frustration

Hi Sunny,
The New York Times just ran an article today in its Sunday Styles
section (help w/posting a link again, anyone? I've forgotten how
already!)  about the strain on friendships that include people of very
different income levels -- most often experienced in college, but
perhaps high schools too if there is a "have" and "have not" side of
town?  Maybe this concept could spring board into a discussion or
exercise?  Envision a shopping or restaurant trip in this situation, or
visits to one another's homes.
Sarah Murray
WPUNJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Sunny  <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Allen
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 11:28 PM
Subject: TEACHSOC: frustration


So I've realized I start to panic on Sunday nights because I dread
teaching my soc classes (high school level).  I thought it was because
of the students in the classes, which it partly is.  However, I think
the biggest reason is that I just don't like teaching soc.  I have no
books (text or otherwise) for them, our school dosn't have any
computers, and I can't lecture for 90 minutes without losing them.  I
can't get these kids too engaged in discussions, and we're all getting
tired of group projects.

I do like sociology, I just struggle teaching it.  I seem to have so
many activities, ideas, and "fun" things to do with my psychology
classes, but have almost nothing with soc.

Does anyone have any short demonstrations, activities, or "things" they
do in class.  I'm teaching inequalities right now (class, gender and
race) and I know there is so much more I could be doing.

It's probably just end-of-year burnout, but thanks for letting me vent.

Sunny Allen
Tooele High School
Tooele, UT



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--
Andi

 

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, Department of Sociology

314 Wheeler Humanities Building

Belmont University

1900 Belmont Blvd.

Nashville TN 37212-3757

 

Direct Line:  (615) 460-6249

Office Manager: (615) 460-5505

Sociology Fax:  (615) 460-6997

 


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