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Overview of Modules 2 - 8 and Next Steps

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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:

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Module 1, Part 4: Overview of Modules 2 – 8 and Next Steps

Need to skip to other parts of Module 1? 

Overview of Modules 2 – 8

We have several modules by leaders in teaching and learning in sociology that will walk you through multiple considerations as you develop your germ of an idea into a published resource. Subsequent modules will help you with considerations from various points of the process.

Explore the table of contents below and be sure to join us as we help you go from great ideas to polished resources and take the next steps to share those resources and foster a teaching-based community. 

Table of Contents

  • Module 1 >> Where Do Good Teaching Ideas Come From?
    by Gregory T. Kordsmeier, Indiana University Southeast and Stephanie Medley-Rath, Indiana University Kokomo
  • Module 2 >> Alignment and Assessment
    by May Takeuchi, University of North Alabama and Alexander Takeuchi, University of North Alabama
  • Module 3 >> Small Changes—Big Impact: Creating Truly Inclusive Learning Environments
    by Celeste Atkins, University of Arizona
  • Module 4 >> Incorporating the Community Into Sociology Courses Through Community-Engaged Research
    by Julia Waity, University of North Carolina Wilmington and Jennifer Vanderminden, University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Module 5 >> Assignments: Low-Stakes, In-Class, and Grading for Completion
    by Andrea N. Hunt, University of North Alabama
  • Module 6 >> What’s A Scholarly Teacher To Do?
    by Kathleen S. Lowney, Professor Emerita, Valdosta State University
  • Module 7 >> Making Your Teaching Public: Sharing, Publishing, and Selling Your Teaching Innovation
    by Stephanie Medley-Rath, Indiana University Kokomo
  • Module 8 >> Presenting SoTL Research on the Job Market and Across Your Career
    by Alanna Gillis, St. Lawrence University and Diane Pike, Augsburg University

Next Steps

Where are you stuck? What resources do you have to get unstuck? For example, if you have access to TRAILS, then you could search for innovative ideas to get you started. If you want to incorporate media but are overwhelmed by the possibilities, then browse the film and podcast reviews in Teaching Sociology (listed in the Resources section below). If your challenge is specific to your institutional context, then identify a colleague to discuss the issue. Do not limit yourself to colleagues within your discipline. 

Resources

Meeting the Course Learning Objectives

  • Cabrera, S. A., & Sweet, S. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook on teaching and learning in sociology. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Greenwood, N. A., & Howard, J. R. (2011). First contact: Teaching and learning in introductory sociology. Rowman & Littlefield. 
  • Middendorf, J., & Shopkow, L. (2018). Overcoming student learning bottlenecks: Decode the critical thinking of your discipline. Stylus. 

The Cultural or Institutional Context

  • Gabriel, K. F. (2008). Teaching unprepared students: Strategies for promoting success and retention in higher education. Stylus. 

Talking Over a Teaching Challenge With Colleagues

TRAILS! Teaching Sociology! Social Media!

K–12 Instruction

Inspiring Media

Discouraging Academic Dishonesty

  • Goldman, J. A., Carson, M. L., & Simonds, J. (2022). It’s in the pedagogy: Evidence-based practices to promote academic integrity. In D. A. Rettinger & T. Bertram Gallant (Eds.), Cheating academic integrity: Lessons from 30 years of research (pp. 131-168). Wiley.

Other

  • Atkinson, M. P., & Lowney, K. S. (2016). In the trenches: Teaching and learning sociology. W. W. Norton & Company. 
  • Kozimor-King, M. L., & Chin, J. (2018). Learning from each other: Refining the practice of teaching in higher education. University of California Press. 
  • Your institution’s center for teaching and learning

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Kate McCoy, Rebecca L. Schewe, Sarah Warren, Kaelyn Wiles, Kathleen S. Lowney, and Catherine White Berheide for providing feedback on this manuscript.

References

Baxter, N., & Conner, C. (2021, September 9). Teaching symbolic interactionist theory through werewolf. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/teaching-symbolic-interactionist-theory-through-baxter

Fox, S., & Rainie, L. (2014, February 27). Part 1: How the internet has woven itself into American life. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/02/27/part-1-how-the-internet-has-woven-itself-into-american-life/ 

Gillis, A. [@alannagillis3]. (2022, March 24). Problem summary: students could benefit from extensions, need flexibility, need structure, profs are burned out, and we have to worry [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/alannagillis3/status/1507120900822417410 

Goldman, J. A., Carson, M. L., & Simonds, J. (2022). It’s in the pedagogy: Evidence-based practices to promote academic integrity. In D. A. Rettinger & T. Bertram Gallant (Eds.), Cheating academic integrity: Lessons from 30 years of research (pp. 131-168). Wiley.

Gonzales, A. L., Calarco, J. M., & Lynch, T. (2020). Technology problems and student achievement gaps: A validation and extension of the technology maintenance construct. Communication Research, 47(5), 750–770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218796366 

Kaufman, P. (1997). Michael Jordan meets C. Wright Mills: Illustrating the sociological imagination with objects from everyday life. Teaching Sociology, 25(4), 309–314. https://doi.org/10.2307/1319299

Kordsmeier, G., & Macdonald, C. (2015, December 17). Applying theory to current events. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/applying-theory-to-current-events 

Medley-Rath, S. (2013, May 23). Seeing sociology. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/seeing-sociology

Medley-Rath, S. (2015, September 2). Objects from everyday life: A can of Coca-Cola. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/objects-from-everyday-life-a-can-of-coca-cola

Medley-Rath, S. (2017, August 29). Seeing sociology v. 2 (updated 2017). TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/seeing-sociology-v-2-updated-2017 

Medley-Rath, S. (2019). Faking sociology? A content analysis of an Introductory Sociology student photography assignment. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 7(1), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.7.1.3 

Oslawski-Lopez, J. (2022, April 22). Analyzing social stratification and inequality in The Hunger Games (2012) film: Presentation and reflection assignment. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/social-stratification-hunger-games 

Scaptura, M. (2022, March 24). FX on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs”: Putting criminological theory in action. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/reservation-dogs-criminological-theory 

Sharp, S., & Kordsmeier, G. T. (2008). The “shirt-weenie”: A note on teaching the power of face-work and tact in social interaction. Teaching Sociology, 36(4), 359–365. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20491265 

Download the free eBook to access all 8 modules >> The Teaching Sociology Playbook eBook

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