Reflections

Engaging Elections: Political responsibility in the classroom

Many sociological topics provoke heated political debates that can affect classroom dynamics. A common narrative in the current political discourse … Read More

Lessons on Living Theory

“Well, you might say, this is all very well in ‘theory’ but what about ‘in practice’?”(Burawoy, p. 219)  … Read More

Engaging Elections: Keeping the US elections in context

This is a remarkable year for elections and democracy globally with about half the population of the world having … Read More

Engaging Elections: Making Sense of Student Engagement

From protesting against genocide in Palestine to demanding political responses on climate change, we are witnessing a surge of student … Read More

Toward a Better Vision of Classical Sociological Theory

Sociological theory often feels disconnected from nearly everything else we teach in undergraduate courses. This is not totally an accident, … Read More

Sociology is Essential for Students in Medicine

I love sociology majors. They have a unique perspective as they try to apply recently learned concepts and methods while … Read More

Dear Junior Faculty Colleagues

Dear Junior Faculty Colleagues, Teaching community-based learning (CBL) courses is one of the most rewarding pedagogies for students and professors, … Read More

Old School Intro in a 21st Century World

I have to be honest. When I first got the invitation to write an essay for First Publics, I wasn’t … Read More

From Incarceration to Hope: Teaching in Youth Jail Facilities 

In my almost twenty years of working with system-impacted individuals my goals have always been two-fold: 1. Advocate for those … Read More

Teaching in the Era of Social Media and Soundbite News

I started my teaching career as an Assistant Professor in August 2020. Three out of the five sociology courses I … Read More