Among the common requirements for receipt of a degree in the social sciences is the completion of a senior seminar in which a senior thesis or capstone project is produced. A number of educational goals have been proposed for this requirement: integrating the knowledge base supplied by the regular curriculum, contributing to students' future roles…

The focus on quantitative literacy has been increasingly outside the realm of mathematics. The social sciences are well suited to including quantitative elements throughout the curriculum but doing so can mean challenges in preparation and presentation of material for instructors and increased anxiety for students. This paper describes tools and…

This paper discusses a joint project of the American Library Association and the American Sociological Association. The goal of this collaboration is to guarantee that students of sociology, particularly sociology majors, develop strong information literacy skills during their undergraduate experience. The article talks about national standards…

Reflexivity has gained paramount status in qualitative inquiry. It is central to debates on subjectivity, objectivity, and, ultimately, the scientific foundation of social science knowledge and research. Although much work on doing reflexivity by researchers and practitioners has been published, scholars have only recently begun to explore how one…

In this paper, we discuss ways collaborative research groups can be used and what students appear to learn about social science reasoning and quantitative literacy from such groups. Data are from field observations, pre- and post-semester surveys in both collaborative and traditional courses, end of the semester student comments, and student work…

Observation is an important component of data collection that forms the basis of a great deal of qualitative research and is also a building block for theorizing in sociology. This dimension of social science research is perhaps the most difficult to teach because there are no fixed guidelines to follow that can enable one to become an effective…

Explores the creation of a computer laboratory that was built for the graduate program in planning, policy, and leadership studies. Provides background information and a description of the laboratory. Discusses the training and orientation of the users, general maintenance of the laboratory, the personnel, and the maintenance costs involved. (CMK)

Describes the use of newsgroups in introductory cultural anthropology. Focuses on how the newsgroups were incorporated into the curriculum, the requirements involved, and grading. Discusses student responses to the newsgroups. Addresses the problems associated with using newsgroups as an instructional tool and resolutions. (CMK)

Contends that the game of "musical chairs" demonstrates how students learn about competition versus cooperation as well as a variety of sociological concepts and theories. Outlines material requirements and rules for playing the game, and suggests methods for post-game debriefings. Notes sociological applications and implications that can be…

Proposes an exercise that allows students to build a physical network of ties and then to experience how it can influence individual opportunities. Provides an example exercise that applies this method to learning about inequality in job opportunities. Suggests other topics that can be illustrated using the same methods. (DSK)

Suggests that professors who want to increase students' participation and foster student involvement should employ panel debates in their classes. Outlines the background readings and organization steps required to set up a panel debate. Reviews literature relating to the use of student debates in sociology instruction. (DSK)

Suggests that field trips may best be seen as an example of short-term experiential education. Explains how field trips may be helpful in a range of sociology classes; notes the basic steps to planning, undertaking, and evaluating field trips; and addresses advantages of, and objections to, such excursions. (DSK)

Maintains that using contemporary novels allows students to critically apply what they have learned about the sociology of family issues, and at the same time to broaden their understanding of them. Outlines the use of literature to illustrate sociological theories, explains the course requirements, and addresses student and instructor responses.…

Reports on classroom experiments with replacing standard student report-style papers with more expressive, explorational writing assignments. Outlines how course readings are used as the basis for a paper that takes the form of a series of letters or postcards to an imaginary or real person. Provides examples from student projects. (DSK)

Observes that contemporary sociology pays little attention to the narrative and graphic aspects of comic strips. Presents classroom experiences using "Gil Thorpe," a comic strip with an ongoing storyline about suburban high school athletics, and gives reasons for the effectiveness of this instructional tool in the sociology of sport. (DSK)