Research Guides: QEP-Real World Problem Solving: Social Sciences

Sociology & Economics

Sociology
Economics

CHOICES AND CHANCES: THE SOCIOLOGY ROLE-PLAYING GAME—THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION IN PRACTICE
Teaching Sociology 2011, 39(1): 42-56.
This article introduces a sociology role-playing game (RPG) used to demonstrate the broad range of social forces, institutions, and structures in a semester-long series of in-class and homework assignments. RPGs and other simulation games have been frequently suggested as a useful teaching methodology because of their unique ability to allow students to observe and analyze society from a new perspective; however, most games are limited in scope. We present a game that is based on a clearly articulated theoretical foundation, reflects contemporary American demographics, and recreates the full breadth of social structures and relationships. The result is a robust teaching tool that develops critical thinking skills, encourages the sociological imagination, and is applicable to a wide range of classes and topics. Informal student feedback and student evaluations indicate that students enjoy the game, that it aids students in understanding sociological concepts, and that it encourages social critique beyond the classroom.
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MAKING THE UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOM INTO A POLICY THINK TANK
Teaching Sociology 2011, 39(1): 73-87.
When approached about working with colleagues to develop a new course revolving around the inner-workings of a political campaign, one thing was obvious to me: We had to give the course the unique element of making it as closely mimic real-world campaign activities as possible. If we were going to attempt to actually prepare students for work on a political campaign, they would have to participate in activities focusing on the practical application of theoretical information. As such, I designed a section of this course where students were matched with a partner and given the task of running a mock political campaign. Students were presented with a series of activities to complete in their role as campaign managers. This article outlines the way the course was set up, explains the activities used in the course, discusses the success of the course based on observation and survey data, and suggests improvements for the future.
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THE POSSIBILITIES FOR STUDIO PEDDGOGY IN SOCIAL WORK FIELD EDUCATION: REFLECTIONS ON A PILOT CASE STUDY
Journal of Political Science Education 2017, 13(3): 247-255.
Studio pedagogy takes a situated approach to Higher Education learning that is used in many discipline areas but, as yet, is little explored in social work. Studio pedagogy sees collaborative groups using design thinking and co-design to approach real-world problems and their resolution in new ways. The collaboration and resourcefulness required in studio work reflects the social work ethos. Also, the studio skills base of interdisciplinary work and creative thinking are contemporary workplace requirements for social workers. This suggests the usefulness of studio learning in social work education. In this article we introduce the concept of a 'social work studio' as a possible new form of project-based social work field education. We reflect upon a case study pilot project undertaken by RMIT, Melbourne with a major partner agency. Drawing on a consultation with the key stakeholders, our reflection on practice suggests the integration of design enquiry offers considerable potential to advance methodologies of field education in ways that better equip students to respond to some of the challenges of contemporary practice.
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SOCIAL ISSUES AND PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN SOCIOLOGY
Teaching Sociology 2016, 44(3): 212-220.
This article discusses the use of problem-based learning (PBL) in the undergraduate sociology classroom. PBL shifts students from the role of passive listeners and learners to active knowledge builders and communicators through the use of concise and engaging social problem cases. PBL creates opportunities for building substantive area knowledge, research skills, and problem-solving capacities and fosters student enjoyment. This teaching note describes the key characteristics of PBL, discusses practical approaches to its use in a variety of sociology courses, and offers sample case studies. We evaluate student experiences with PBL and consider its broader applicability.
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CONNECTING THE DOTS: APPLYING CLASSROOM LEARNING IN ECONOMICS AT WORKPLACE- ALAM
Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice 2014, 14(3): 49-58.
One of the main expectations from university education is that it prepares student for the workplace. One of the ways many universities are preparing students is by including workplace learning as an integral part of its curriculum. Analyzing the experiences of students in a work placement course, the paper makes various improvement suggestions for Economics classrooms. The paper finds that economic classroom teaching should balance between technical aspects of mathematical modeling and the intuitive explanations behind it and include real world application of models. Economics course evaluation system should focus on building generic skills. Classroom teaching of economics should include more policy discussions, qualitative data analysis, inter-disciplinary perspectives and 'positive' economic analysis to match modern workplaces.
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HOW NOT WHAT: TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY AS PROCESS
Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 2013, 9(1): 64-75.
Ever since the word "sustainability" entered public discourse, the concept has escaped definition. The United Nations has christened the years 2005-2014 "The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" and has called upon universities "to make education for sustainability a central focus of higher education curricula, research, physical operations, student life, and outreach to local, regional, and global communities." Nevertheless, the indeterminacy of sustainability as a concept has challenged those designing university sustainability efforts, in terms of both campus planning and curricula. Some instructors and campus sustainability planners have chosen to stabilize sustainability concepts into a technical and ethical "greenprint" based on some agreement concerning shared (or imposed) concepts and values. Yet others have realized that this is not a problem to be "solved" but instead presents an opportunity to advance and implement alternative approaches to teaching and learning "post-normal" or "Mode 2" science. This article describes a curricular design that attempts to maintain both canonical disciplinary learning about the techniques of sustainability and training in the reflexive skills necessary to explore sustainable change through post-normal learning processes, which we delineate as three "modes of knowing." By training students to practice these ways of knowing sustainability, they come to understand the "how" of sustainable practice, process, and design, while allowing the "what" of sustainability to emerge from group interaction in a collaborative context.
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