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Reflective Cases - In-Class Activity
The Teaching Sociology Playbook is a practical guide of eight (8) modules crafted to create and share teaching resources.
Access Module 1 below or download the free eBook with the complete set of eight modules now:
Module 1, Part 3: Reflective Cases
Need to skip to other parts of Module 1?
- Part 1 - Where Do Good Teaching Ideas Come From?
- Part 2 - Reflective Cases: Out-of-Class Assignment
- Part 3 - Reflective Cases: In-Class Activity
- Part 4 - Overview of Modules 2 – 8 and Next Steps
Reflective Cases: In-Class Activity
Objects From Everyday Life: A Can of Coca-Cola
Stephanie started using Objects From Everyday Life: A Can of Coca-Cola (Medley-Rath, 2015) as an in-class activity in Introduction to Sociology early in her career. The framework for the activity was not her original idea. The original idea came from Peter Kaufman, who published this activity in Teaching Sociology in 1997. Stephanie learned about the activity from a classmate during her Teaching Sociology Seminar as a graduate student.
Stephanie has used this activity in Introduction to Sociology classes with enrollments ranging from about 15 to upward of 90 students. However, the activity could be successfully used in larger sections too. She has also used a condensed version of the activity with eighth-grade and high school students on campus visit days.
Kaufman’s (1997) activity centered on a pair of Air Jordans as a cultural artifact. Stephanie was familiar with the shoes but never owned a pair or had much interest in them. She was not sure of her students’ familiarity, but suspected it was mixed: Most students were likely familiar with the shoes, but few were likely to be extensively familiar with them. The assignment needed a cultural artifact that had more widespread appeal and was inescapable. At the time, she was living in Atlanta, Georgia, where Coca-Cola is headquartered, and thought more students would have a greater familiarity with Coca-Cola. Using Coca-Cola also had the convenience factor, reducing demands on instructor time. Stephanie could easily purchase a can of Coke for the activity or keep a can in her office at the ready.
Kaufman’s (1997) version included several questions to pose for students. Over the years, Stephanie looked up and answered those questions so that she could provide more in-depth content to her students. She created follow-up questions so that she could more fully answer the questions about Coca-Cola (especially when students were unable or unwilling to share). She also made a PowerPoint with images to illustrate ideas based on the questions.
Students find the activity memorable (it shows up on her student evaluations of teaching). However, over the past couple of years, students have been less able to answer the questions because they are less familiar with the product. She no longer lives in the land of Coca-Cola, but today, all students drink less soda because they are drinking more bottled water, flavored coffee beverages, and energy drinks. Soda machines are no longer a staple of their K–12 schooling as they were for Stephanie (when it was possible to purchase a soda two to three times during the school day!). Stephanie recognizes that the assignment is due for another significant overhaul using a different cultural artifact because students are less prepared to engage with this item. Possible cultural artifacts include smartphones, cars, social media (i.e., how to share information), Amazon.com (i.e., how to shop for things), or Google.com (i.e., how to search for information). Ideal objects have been around long enough to change over time, are used globally, and are part of our everyday lives. The problem with using social media, Amazon.com, or Google.com, is that they are not objects as envisioned by the original assignment. Objects From Everyday Life is a good activity but needs a new cultural object and discussion questions to handle digital objects.
Additionally, the activity was developed entirely for in-person instruction and needs to be adapted for online modalities. The activity could likely be adjusted using polling or social annotation software, online discussion forums, or other programs like VoiceThread. Stephanie has access to many software solutions through her institution, which makes an adaption possible. Still, demands on her time have made creating an interactive online version of the activity difficult.
