First Publics

Dialogues

Intro to Sociology Dialogues Series – A Review

First Publics on March 1, 2024

During the Fall of 2023, First Publics published a series of interviews with four authors of Intro to Sociology textbooks: … Read More

Reflections

From Incarceration to Hope: Teaching in Youth Jail Facilities

Calvin John Smiley on February 16, 2024

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

Class Notes

Pop Culture Fridays

Anna Rogers on February 11, 2024

My first semester of teaching Introductory Sociology was to a class of 120 students, and I had just completed my … Read More

Dialogues

Intro Textbooks as Public Sociology: A Conversation with Kathleen Korgen

First Publics on December 18, 2023

Intro to Sociology classes are frequently the first and only contact many students will have with sociology, which also makes … Read More

Connections

Intro to Sociology courses often serve as the “public” face of the fieldMarch 1, 2024

Intro to Sociology courses often serve as the “public” face of the field, but how do they contribute to students’ “mental image” of sociology? Miskolczi (2023) conducted a qualitative longitudinal study of students’ mind mapping the central concept of sociology in Hungary discovering recurring vagueness in their conceptualization of the field.

Host and Co-Creator of “The Social Breakdown” podcast…February 23, 2024

Host and Co-Creator of "The Social Breakdown" podcast, Ellen Meiser (2021), reflects on using podcasts in pedagogy, encouraging instructors to find ways to combat monotony in the classroom and critically analyze multimedia.

ASA Presidents…February 9, 2024

ASA Presidents Joya Misra, Prudence Carter, and Adia Harvey Wingfield defend the value of sociology in response to Florida's "gross mischaracterization" of the discipline and the state's decision to eliminate sociology as a core course option.

Want to engage more students using the Socratic method in your classes?February 6, 2024

Want to engage more students using the Socratic method in your classes? Check Chiang-Lopez & Nuñez 's (2024) piece on the method's challenges and strategies to minimize harm and student exclusion.

Struggling with how to assess active learning in the online classroom?January 26, 2024

Struggling with how to assess active learning in the online classroom? Hasnine, Ahmed, and Ueda (2020) provide an analysis on active learning in various global contexts.