Transcript The Curriculum: - alphakappadelta

The Curriculum:
Where Does Your
Course Fit In?
Kathryn Feltey
University of Akron
[email protected]
What is the Curriculum?
“The curriculum… is not only a
matter of the courses listed in
the catalog; it is also, and
perhaps more importantly, the
structure within which those
courses are arrayed.”
-- Catherine White Berheide, (2005)
Most Sociology Programs
For the major require:


introductory sociology
theory, statistics and methods (skills)

a capstone course or experience (integration,
application)

Elective credits

Internships are increasingly important
The Intro Class
General Education Course
“I want to hook them... show them the
discipline can be fun.... and get them to
take another class!” Brian Pendleton (35 yrs)
75% of sociology majors chose Sociology
because they enjoyed their first class
(Spalter-Roth, et al 2010)
The Intro Class
Prerequisite for upper-level courses in
Sociology
 a “ticket to ride”
 what do you want covered in Intro
for your upper-level classes?
Organizing the Curriculum
According to the ASA to
provide continuity for majors,
course content (across classes)
should include:
Research skills
Theoretical approaches
 Key concepts
Across Classes
I
always think of my classes as helping
students develop their sociological
imaginations, or in other words, learning to
put the course contents/topics in a
broader social and historical context. I
honestly haven't thought too much about
how my classes fit into the sociological
major at UA, but maybe I should.
--Janette Dill (1 yr)
Across Classes

I try to see each course as a way of
expanding their knowledge of how (1) social
inequalities and (2) socialization influence all
aspects of social life. I also try to continually
impress upon them that sociologists look at
the social world and take what they think is
"common sense" information, and transform
that into meaningful and testable research
questions.
--Adrianne Frech (2 yrs)
ASA – Bachelor’s &
Beyond Surveys
What Leads to Student
Satisfaction with Sociology
Programs?
Knowledge Acquisition
As part of your sociology major, to what
extent did you learn to:
 Present
sociological explanations about
current social issues such as crime,
racism, poverty, family formation, or
religion
 Discuss what is meant by a social
institution and give examples of their
impact on individuals
 Discuss basic sociological theories or
theoretical orientations
Knowledge Acquisition
 Explain
basic concepts in sociology
(including culture, socialization,
institutions, or stratification)
 Explain important differences in the life
experiences of people as they vary by
race, class, gender, age, disability, and
other ascribed statuses
 Identify the impact and consequences of
social policy
--Senter, et al 2012
Skills Acquisition
As part of your major, to what extent did
you learn to:
 Use computers to find information to
develop a bibliography or a list of
references
 Create a hypothesis with independent
and dependent variables
 Use standard Use standard software
packages, such as SPSS, SAS, and STATA,
to analyze data
Skills Acquisition
 Evaluate
the strengths and weaknesses of
different research methods (e.g., surveys,
in-depth interviews, participant
observation) for answering specific
research questions
 Gather information to make an argument
based on evidence
 Describe percentages and statistics in a
two-variable table
Skills Acquisition
 Interpret
the results of different types of
data gathering such as surveys,
experiments, case studies, or other
qualitative studies
 Identify ethical issues in sociological
research
 Write a report that can be understood by
non-sociologists
Skills Acquisition
 Graphically
display data
 Work with people who differ in race,
ethnicity, gender, or class
 Use qualitative data analysis packages,
such as NVivo, Atlas.ti, or Ethnography
 Write research or grant proposals
 Write a résumé
 Make presentations using software such
as PowerPoint
-- Senter, et al 2012
Specialty Areas
Over one-third of sociology departments
have concentrations or specialty areas.
 62% in crime, law, and society
 29% in social work or social services
 16% in gerontology
 15% in family and youth
-- Spalter-Roth and Erskine 2003
Focus on Inequalities
 The
ASA recommends that all
sociology majors be exposed to
courses that place a major focus on
gender, racial diversity, and class
inequality, as well as multi-cultural,
cross-cultural, and cross-national
content
-- McKinney, et al. 2004
References
Berheide, Catherine White. 2005. Searching for Structure: Creating
Coherence in the Sociology Curriculum. Teaching Sociology 33:115.
Kain, Edward L. 2007. The Sociology Major at Institutions of Higher
Education in the United States. Teaching Sociology 35:31-37.
McKinney, Kathleen, et al. 2004. Liberal Learning and the Sociology
Major Updated: Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Sociology in
the Twenty-First Century. American Sociological Association,
Washington DC.
Senter, Mary, et al. 2012. What Leads to Student Satisfaction with
Sociology Programs? American Sociological Association.
http://www.asanet.org/documents/research/pdfs/Bachelors_and_
Beyond_2012_Brief1_Satisfaction.pdf
References (continued)
Spalter-Roth, Roberta, et al. 2010. ASA’s Bachelor’s
and Beyond Survey: Findings and Their Implications
for Students and Departments Teaching Sociology
38:314-329.
Spalter-Roth, Roberta and William Erskine. 2003. How
Does Your Department Compare? A Peer Analysis
from the 2000-2001 Survey of Baccalaureate and
Graduate Programs in Sociology. Washington, DC:
American Sociological Association.
Sweet, Stephen and James Rothenberg. Navigating
the Sociology Major.
http://www.asanet.org/students/Navigating%20the%20Sociology%20
Major.pdf