(TEA4) Teaching Introduction to Sociology

Typically, introductory courses are large classes taught to sociology majors and non-majors at the beginning of students’ post-secondary educations. The unique characteristics of introductory courses present opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning. Join us for a panel discussion featuring 5 short (5-10 minute) presentations of pedagogical innovations, followed by an interactive discussion about the opportunities and challenges of teaching introduction to sociology. Presentations include examples and experiences with: integrating use of online census data, experiential learning in tutorials, pedagogical tools for decolonizing the discipline, reflection assignments to hone learning skills, and engaging with principles of Universal Design for Learning. Tags: Enseignement, Professional Développement

Organizers: Tonya Davidson, Carleton University, Amanda van Beinum, York University; Chairs: Tonya Davidson, Carleton University, Amanda van Beinum, York University

Presentations

Michael Follert, St Francis Xavier University

Localizing your learning: Using online census data in Introductory Sociology classes

Despite being a scholar who leans more toward theoretical and interpretive approaches in sociology, I’ve found the online databases for the Canadian Census to be incredibly successful tools for getting introductory sociology students to translate key concepts to social reality on a week-to-week basis. Census profiles (detailed demographic details of every municipality in the country), census boundary files, and census tables can help students to answer highly relevant questions like: What does income inequality look like in my hometown when compared to the rest of my province or territory? How many people practice various religious faiths where I come from and how has that changed in the past 20 years? How does the quality of housing in my city compared with that in the nearest Reserve or Indigenous community (or vice versa)? What does the gendered division of labour look like in a part of the country I may not know much about (say, as an international student) and how has that changed over time? In addition to the benefits of applied understanding (e.g., concepts like social inequality, secularization, colonialism, and gender roles, respectively) and the development of data literacy, this approach offers highly localized learning that students can feel meaningfully connected to. As a learning framework that can be implemented in weekly online discussion forums, but also in classroom activities, it ensures additionally (i) originality in student responses, and (ii) limitations placed upon use of AI interfaces, in the interest of preserving academic integrity. (i) Students each select a different census subdivision (municipality) to start, to ensure responses are unique from each other; results can then be compared and contrasted in discussion posts in relation to the weekly concepts and readings, allowing students to learn from each other in a low-stakes environment; knowledge about their selected place can be built upon week-to-week in a cumulative fashion. (ii) AI is notoriously flawed at combing data sets like the census to find and interpret specific numbers, so this framework provides one measure for by-passing unauthorized AI usage. There are however potential openings for productive uses of AI here, like performing moderately complex mathematical or statistical calculations that can assist for the purposes of comparison, but whereby knowing how to perform such calculations is not itself part of the expected learning outcomes for first year sociology. Overall, a learning framework that incorporates census data can help students meaningfully connect what they are learning and reading about with lived realities.

Melissa McLetchie, York University

Taking it to the streets: Experiential learning and community-building activities in Introduction to Sociology tutorials.

Rarely, if ever, are undergraduate sociology majors and non-majors given the opportunity to practice methods, apply theories, and share knowledge learned in the classroom in real-world environments. However, experiential learning is essential to students grasp of complex sociological theories, methods, and concepts while community-building activities can strengthen their ability to transfer this knowledge to non-academic audiences. Given that introductory courses are large classes, it is challenging for course directors to facilitate experiential learning and knowledge-mobilization opportunities. It becomes incumbent upon teaching assistants to create innovative learning and capacity-building opportunities for their students and the community. Using examples gathered through five years as a teaching assistant for an Introduction to Sociology course at York University, as well as my work facilitating social justice programs for youth in the community, my presentation will explore the challenges of teaching Introduction to Sociology and the solutions that experiential learning in tutorials and community-building activities can offer. 

Shirin Shahrokni, York University, Glendon Campus

Broadening the scope of an introduction to sociology course

As a faculty at York University’s Glendon Campus Sociology Department, I have been teaching the full-year Perspectives Sociologiques course, our introductory course to the discipline for the past eight years. In this short presentation, I will discuss two main sets of challenges I have been confronted with, and some of the strategies I have put in place to address these. The first has to do with difficulties of, and initiatives aimed at, introducing first and second-year students to epistemologies and perspectives that decenter the voices of sociology’s “founding fathers” and invite students to engage with geopolitical locales outside of the Global North when applying their sociological imagination. Like most educators striving to “decolonize” the discipline, one challenge comes from the sources from which students learn to think sociologically in the early years of their training. While increasingly, introductory textbooks written in English expose students to critical perspectives ranging from decolonial frameworks to anti-racist feminist scholarships, these initiatives remain rare in French, the language in which my introductory course is delivered, and most textbooks take as their empirical foci societies located in the Global North. One pedagogical has thus been to diversify, as much as possible, sources from which students learn: as opposed to making a sociology textbook the central piece from which students develop their sociological imagination, I have used research pieces from the Conversation, from francophone investigative journalism websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. Additionally, as one of their assignments, students are asked to create posters introducing the class to a sociologist whose work has illuminated perspectives that have not been acclaimed as canonical. My presentation will point to other pedagogical tools through which I have tried to introduce students to voices within our discipline that have been, and continue to be, largely marginalized with the dominant epistemic structures in which sociological knowledge production processes are embedded. The second challenge I have often encountered has been to show new students the value of sociological work beyond the Ivory Tower. While some of our students will pursue graduate education with the goal of joining members of the academic community, many will not. One of my objectives has thus been to demonstrate the value that a degree in sociology may have, outside of academia, in what some of my students call “the real world”. To this end, one of my strategies has been to invite guest-speakers working in various professional sectors, to come and share with students the benefits that their sociology degree has had as they have transitioned into the professional world, as educators, members of an NGO, policy-makers, etc. Often, I have noticed, these outside voices leave a profound mark on the students, as they open up new ways of envisioning their futures. In a final section, I highlight pedagogical strategies through which students can come to view sociology as “fun” in multiple, complementary ways.

Chris Tatham, University of Guelph

Learning How 'To Do' University: Reflection Assignments, Awareness, and Action

Too often students simply ‘get through’ assignments without considering how to develop, strengthen, and streamline their approach. This presentation discusses a reflection assignment designed to connect student experience, introspection, and future action. Instead of memorizing or applying course content, this assignment encourages students to reflect upon the process by which they ‘do’ assignments and tests. They are asked to consider the way they prepare for and complete class assignments, how they feel at different stages, and what they learned about themselves throughout the process. Students are then asked to strategize by contemplating changes they could make to how they approach similar tasks in a future class or workplace. This assignment encourages students to look inwards and forwards. By encouraging student awareness of their own processes and skill sets, students are able to develop awareness of their own individual strengths, and opportunities for growth, and to link these with future action both inside and outside of the academic context.  

J Overholser, University of Calgary; Annette Tézli, University of Calgary

Engaging UDL & EDIA Principles for Teaching Social Research Methods Online

As educators, the radical transformation of teaching and learning we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic provided opportunities to re-envision both teaching and learning instead of returning the pre-pandemic status quo (Bartholomay 2022). Demand for higher education is also expected to increase and future teaching and learning must be evolving, innovative, and diversifying to meet the diverse needs of future students. With these understandings in mind, in fall 2023, the research team developed a fully online section of Soci313: Introductory Social Research Methods at the University of Calgary. In designing this course, we focused on two major goals; first, to create an engaging and effective online learning experience. From the pandemic we have learned more about the limitations of online teaching and learning including, the marginalization of certain student groups, stress, and lack of motivation (Adedoyin and Soykan 2023, Bartholomay 2022). Our second goal was to design a course that would effectively address these limitations. To achieve this, the course development was informed by the existing research around teaching online in general as well as teaching social research methods online in particular. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility (EDIA) principles were central to course development to ensure that the course would meet the learning needs of the largest number of students possible. Studies show that online courses designed with UDL and EDIA principles in mind can equalize access to education for diverse student populations (Coombs 2010, Dell et al. 2015). For example, the online section of Soci313 utilizes asynchronous components to provide flexibility for caregiving and working students as well as those who prefer to work during non-standard hours. Synchronous elements facilitate interaction between course participants and build a learning community characterized by collectivism and collaboration among course participants (Freire 2018, hooks 2010). The course critically examines various topics such as the limitations of Western scientific practices and showcases alternative ways of knowing, for example Indigenous methodologies (Adams et al. 2023). It also takes into account a variety of potential accessibility needs and accommodations such as different learning modalities, use of assistive technology, as well as flexibility and supports for our students’ mental health and wellbeing. Our research project aims to 1) assess the effectiveness of the online section of Soci313 in teaching social research methods, and 2) to evaluate the accessibility of learning materials and strategies. We explore these two areas with the students of the course through various modes including reflection pieces and focus groups. In doing so we seek to center the varied voices of our students and engage with them as active collaborators in the project. Our presentation will provide an overview of the core UDL and EDIA principles that informed our course design. In addition, we will discuss our assignment structure which was designed to foster student collaboration (Freire 2018) and encourage independent application of course materials to a new problem. Finally, we will present preliminary results from our empirical study, which generated qualitative data to assess the effectiveness of the course design in fostering collaborative learning and student engagement.