Reflections

“A Clingy Friend”: AI and the First Public

When I first designed an assignment called Seeing with the Machines, I wanted students to move beyond using artificial intelligence … Read More

Toward a More Inclusive First Publics

In August 2023, we launched First Publics as an online space for exploring the politics, pedagogy, and practice of teaching … Read More

Teaching Consent Before Content

I was tasked with acting as a guest lecturer for a Sociology of Gender course on the topic of BDSM … Read More

Seven Principles for Teaching Social Theory

I’ve taught social theory to undergraduate students at public institutions for over a decade, and among the instructional challenges this … Read More

Teaching Environmental Justice Cross-Nationally

When I began teaching undergraduate courses in Bangladesh, my primary goal was to complete the curriculum on time and deliver … Read More

Theory for Good: Sociology in Cultural Studies

Deploying sociological theory is a core part of our teaching in cultural studies. Indeed, one of our most prominent theorists … Read More

Subverting a Subject: Marketing as Sociology

When I first stepped into my high school classroom as a marketing teacher, it felt like an ironic turn. I … Read More

“Can We Still Come to Class If We Want To?”

In the Fall of 2024, I attempted to give students a “research day.” assuming they would appreciate the extra time … Read More

Sociology’s Problem-Solving Potential

In his 2004 presidential address to the American Sociological Association, Michael Burawoy called on professional sociologists to recognize that, … Read More

Fearing the Future: Reconsidering the Role of AI

I’ve recently reimagined an introductory sociology course into a digital sociology course that introduces students to social science research methods … Read More