In this exploratory scholarship of teaching and learning study, we describe the development, over time, of engagement in the discipline, the ability to use the sociological imagination and other learning, an identity as a sociologist, and a sense of being an autonomous learner in a group of sociology majors. We followed 18 students who completed questionnaires, learning reflection essays, and face-to-face interviews over a period of about two years in their careers as sociology majors. We found that students showed few, small, and mixed changes over time in the major dependent variables as well as small increases in involvement in useful academic and study behaviors.
American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department. 2006. What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology: First Glances: What Do They Know and Where Are They Going?Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
2.
AtkinsonMaxine P.WillsJeremiah B.McClureAmy I.2008. “The Evidence Matrix: A Simple Heuristic for Analyzing and Integrating Evidence.” Teaching Sociology36(3):262-71.
3.
Baxter MagoldaMarcia. 2009. “Educating Students for Self-authorship.” Pp. 143-56 in The University and Its Disciplines, edited by KreberC.New York: Routledge.
4.
Baxter MagoldaMarciaKingP. M., eds. 2004. Learning Partnerships: Theory and Models of Practice to Educate for Self-authorship. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
5.
BerheideCatherine White. 2005. “Searching for Structure: Creating Coherence in the Sociology Curriculum.” Teaching Sociology33(1):1-15.
6.
BidwellLee D. Millar. 1995. “Helping Students Develop a Sociological Imagination through Innovative Writing Assignments.” Teaching Sociology23(4):401-06.
7.
BrayfieldApril A.ZablotskyDiane L.AdlerMarina A.1990. “Gender, Race, and Cultural Literacy: Consequences for Academic Performance.” Teaching Sociology18(3):362-71.
8.
BuechlerSteven. 2008. “What Is Critical about Sociology?” Teaching Sociology36(4):318-30.
9.
CappellCharlesKamensDavid. 2002. “Curriculum Assessment: A Case Study in Sociology.” Teaching Sociology30(4):467-94.
10.
DandaneauSteven P.2009. “Sisyphus Had It Easy: Reflections of Two Decades of Teaching the Sociological Imagination.” Teaching Sociology37(1):8-19.
11.
DietzTracy. 2002. “Predictors of Success in Large Enrollment Introductory Courses: An Examination of the Impact of Learning Communities and Virtual Learning Resources on Student Success in an Introductory Level Sociology Course.” Teaching Sociology30(1):80-88.
12.
DowellWilliam. 2006. “Throwing the Sociological Imagination into the Garbage: Using Students’ Waste Disposal Habits to Illustrate C. Wright Mills’s Concept.” Teaching Sociology34(2):150-55.
13.
EcksteinRickSchoenikeRebeccaDelaneyKevin. 1995. “The Voice of Sociology: Obstacles to Teaching and Learning the Sociological Imagination.” Teaching Sociology23(4):353-63.
14.
FinkelsteinMarv. 2009. “Toward Teaching a Liberating Sociological Practicality: Challenges for Teaching, Learning and Practice.” Teaching Sociology37(1):89-102.
15.
GeertsenH. Reed. 2003. “Rethinking Thinking about Higher-Level Thinking.” Teaching Sociology31(1):1-19.
16.
GordyLaurie L.PearyAlexandria. 2005. “Bringing Creativity into the Classroom: Using Sociology to Write First-Person Fiction.” Teaching Sociology33(4):396-402.
HaddadAngela T.LiebermanLeonard. 2002. “From Student Resistance to Embracing the Sociological Imagination: Unmasking Privilege, Social Conventions, and Racism.” Teaching Sociology30(3):328-41.
19.
Hironimus-WendtRobert J.WallaceLora Ebert. 2009. “The Sociological Imagination and Social Responsibility.” Teaching Sociology37(1):76-88.
20.
HoffmanElizabeth. 2006. “The Importance of Place: Using Local-focus Videos to Spark the Sociological Imagination.” Teaching Sociology34(2):164-72.
21.
HoopKatrina C.2009. “Students’ Lived Experiences as Text in Teaching the Sociological Imagination.” Teaching Sociology37(1):47-60.
22.
HounsellDaiAndersonCharles. 2009. “Ways of Thinking and Practicing in Biology and History.” Pp. 71-83 in The University and Its Disciplines, edited by KreberC.New York: Routledge.
23.
HowardJay R.2005. “An Examination of Student Learning in Introductory Sociology at a Commuter Campus.” Teaching Sociology33(2):195-205.
24.
HuddSuzanne S.BronsonEric Franklin. 2007. “Moving Forward Looking Backward: An Exercise in Recursive Thinking and Writing.” Teaching Sociology35(3):264-73.
25.
JenningsPatriciaRienziBethLydaLaramee. 2006. “Assessing Student Learning: A Case Study.” Teaching Sociology34(3):286-95.
26.
KainEdward. 1999. “Building the Sociological Imagination through a Cumulative Curriculum: Professional Socialization in Sociology.” Teaching Sociology27(1):1-16.
27.
KaufmanPeter. 1997. “Michael Jordan Meets C. Wright Mills: Illustrating the Sociological Imagination with Objects from Everyday Life.” Teaching Sociology25(4):309-14.
28.
KaufmanPeterSchoepflinTodd. 2009. “Last but Not Least: The Pedagogical Insights of ‘Intellectual Craftsmanship.’” Teaching Sociology37(1):20-30.
MalcomNancy. 2006. “Analyzing the News: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a Writing Intensive Social Problems Course.” Teaching Sociology34(2):143-49.
32.
MarulloSamMoayediRoxannaCookeDeanna. 2009. “C. Wright Mills’s Friendly Critique of Service Learning and an Innovative Response: Cross Institutional Collaborations for Community-based Research.” Teaching Sociology37(1):61-75.
33.
McCuneV.HounsellD.2005. “The Development of Students’ Ways of Thinking and Practicing in Three Final-year Biology Courses.” Higher Education49(3):255-89.
34.
McKinneyKathleen. 2007. “The Student Voice: Sociology Majors Tell Us about Learning Sociology.” Teaching Sociology35(2):112-24.
McKinneyKathleenReedLaura. 2007. “Profile of an Engaged Sociology Major.” Teaching Sociology35(1):77-84.
37.
McKinneyKathleenSaxeDavidCobbLaura. 1998. “Are We Really Doing All We Can for Our Undergraduates? Professional Socialization via Out-of-Class Experiences.” Teaching Sociology26(1):1-13.
38.
McKinneyKathleenTchernykhMariaFiteKareyMalakJanice. 2004. “Beyond the Classroom: Out-of-Class Learning in Sociology.” Teaching Sociology32(1):43-60.
39.
MillsC. Wright. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
40.
MisraJoya. 2000. “Integrating ‘The Real World’ into Introduction to Sociology: Making Sociological Concepts Real.” Teaching Sociology28(4):346-63.
41.
MitraAditiSarabiaDaniel. 2005. “Embracing the Sociological Imagination: A Study of University Students’ Perceptions of Sociology.” College Student Journal39(4):637-46.
42.
NeumanW. Lawrence. 1989. “Which Students Learn the Most, and Why? A Replication and Extension of the Szafran Pretest Study.” Teaching Sociology17(1):19-27.
43.
PersellCaroline Hodges. 2004. “Using Focused Web-based Discussions to Enhance Student Engagement and Deep Understanding.” Teaching Sociology32(1):61-78.
44.
RobertsKeith A.2002. “Ironies of Effective Teaching: Deep Structured Learning and Constructions of the Classroom.” Teaching Sociology30(1):1-25.
45.
RobertsKeith A.RobertsJudith C.2008. “Deep Reading, Cost/Benefit, and the Construction of Meaning: Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Deep Learning in Sociology Courses.” Teaching Sociology36(2):125-40.
46.
ScanlonStephen J.FeinbergSeth L.2000. “The Cartoon Society: Using The Simpsons to Teach and Learn Sociology.” Teaching Sociology28(2):127-39.
47.
StetsJ. E.BurkeP. J.2000. “Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory.” Social Psychology Quarterly63(3):224-37.
48.
StorrsDebbie. 2009. “Teaching Mills in Tokyo: Developing the Sociological Imagination through Storytelling.” Teaching Sociology37(1):31-46.
49.
StrykerSheldonBurkeP. J.2000. “The Past, Present, and Future of Identity Theory.” Social Psychology Quarterly63(4):284-97.
50.
SzafranRobert F.1986. “What Do Introductory Sociology Students Know and When Do They Know It? The Results of Pretesting Students.” Teaching Sociology14(4):217-23.
