Cultivating A Sociological Perspective Using Nontraditional Texts

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that novels, mysteries and nonfiction books can provide undergraduate students with an accessible and exciting place to explore sociological concepts. Using storytelling as a pedagogical tool, we teach students key theoretical ideas by analyzing the books in their specific sociocultural contexts. First, we put forward three different strategies for using nontraditional readings in the classroom. We then present standardized assessment data to measure how well these strategies helped to meet our student learning goals: increasing engagement, enhancing conceptual understanding and improving analytic ability. We also discuss what we consider to be the pedagogical costs and benefits of using these approaches in the classroom.

Evaluación de la experiencia de uso de textos literarios como herramienta de enseñanza en cursos de introducción a la epistemología y metodología de la investigación social

“…El texto de Coser (1972) es señalado en diversas publicaciones como el primero en identificar el valor pedagógico de utilizar fuentes literarias para ilustrar conceptos sociológicos. Posteriormente, varios autores sistematizaron sus propias experiencias con respecto al uso de textos literarios en el marco de cursos de introducción a la sociología (Castellano, DeAngelis & Clark-Ibáñez, 2008;Laz, 1996;Hegtvedt, 1991;Hill, 1987;Sullivan, 1982). Pese a ello son escasas las referencias al uso de este tipo de materiales para la enseñanza de epistemología y metodología (Collier, 2011).…”

"Working Lives": The use of auto/biography in the development of a sociological imagination

“…(Marx, 1907, p. 13) As teachers of sociology, we have become increasingly concerned by the apparent lack of knowledge or understanding of the social world in many of our new sociology undergraduates, a fact that has been recognized by others (see Castellano, DeAngelis & Clark-Ibanez, 2008;Dandaneau, 2009). Even among those who had studied the discipline before entering university, few demonstrated any real understanding of the life-affecting interrelationships between "social structures" and individual and group "agency."…”

“…For a wider view of the value of such cultural forms in the development of a sociologic understanding see among others: Prendergast (1986), Kaufman (1997), Ahlkvist (1999), Hanson (2002), andCastellano et al (2008).…”

PUSH(ing) Limits: Using Fiction in the Classroom for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

“…While some students had difficulty drawing connections between Dr. Alexander and his development within the context of the environment, most students were able to make recommendations for macro-and micro-level social work interventions. In short, using novels in this manner has been shown to promote student engagement, understanding, and analytic abilities (Castellano, DeAngelis, & Clark-Ibáñez, 2008). …”