The Empty Shops Project

Abstract

An informal research project with high local relevance was developed for a first-year sociology course at an Australian rural university campus. The project developed students’ sociological insight by challenging them to investigate “truths” about their own region, rather than immediately pushing them to comprehend new and different societyscapes. Classroom sessions elicited debate over the adequacy of social theories about rural and urban life, centering on the question, “How do you know?” This morphed into debate about “How can you find out, sociologically?” With interest piqued, many students volunteered to participate in investigating the proportion of empty shops in their own or nearby towns, as one measure of rural well-being. Classroom analysis and reflection on the results—what they meant and limits in how well this measured rural districts and rural town existence—greatly enhanced the introductory sociology learning experience for the core group and, to a lesser extent, the “audience” members of class.