ASA logo
All TRAILS Resources
All TRAILS Resources
May 31, 2023

Browse the entire collection of TRAILS resources here.

A black pen laying across a notebook
Alecea Standlee, Bernard Phillips, Andrew Plotkin, Arnold Sherman, Charles Thorpe
Paradigmatic Sociology: Toward an Interdisciplinary Science of Human Behavior
June 6, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Theory
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
Any Level, College 400, Graduate
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

Mills’ The Sociological Imagination was rated by the members of the International Sociological Association as the second most influential book for sociologists published during the entire 20th century, just behind Weber’s Economy and Society....

Cover Page Requires Subscription DOCX Requires Subscription DOCX
Looking down at a wristwatch
Samantha Ammons
Using Time-diaries to Understand Work-family Theory
May 28, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Family, Occupations/Professions, Theory
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 400, Graduate
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

This is an applied theory assignment for an undergraduate/graduate work-family course that addresses how employment, family and leisure come together (or not). The course addresses historical trends, theories, how stratification shapes work-family experiences, and...

Cover Page Requires Subscription DOCX Requires Subscription DOCX Requires Subscription PDF Requires Subscription PDF Requires Subscription DOCX Requires Subscription DOCX
Hands in handcuffs
Jerrod Yarosh
The Fishing Net of Deviance: Catching Ideas and Not Criminals
May 16, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Criminal Justice, Criminology/Delinquency, Deviant Behavior/Social Disorganization, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Theory
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100, High School
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

This resource focuses on introducing students to various concepts and ideas related to the sociological understanding of deviance and is based around the ideas of Richard Quinney (1970). This learning experience utilizes an analogy of a fishing net with different...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF
A group of students around a table with computers at a workshop
Bailey Brown, Amber
Interdisciplinary Methods Exchange: A Joint-Class Guest Speaker Workshop
April 23, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Capstone Courses, Qualitative Methodology, Quantitative Methodology, Research Methods, Statistics
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity, Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Large, Medium
Abstract:

This workshop brings scholars in the social sciences together for a 10-week “Interdisciplinary Research Methods Exchange.” Scholars speak to a group of social science undergraduate majors about their current and prior research, highlighting their background,...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF Requires Subscription PDF Requires Subscription DOCX
A collection of yellow items, including a bag, sweater, lamp, frame, gnome, and yarn
Marion Cassard
Situated Knowledge: Moving Beyond the Objectivity/Subjectivity Binary
April 23, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Cultural Sociology, Ethnography, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Knowledge, Qualitative Methodology, Race, Class and Gender, Research Methods, Social Change, Sociological Practice, Theory
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300
Class Size(s):
Small
Abstract:

This activity provides students with a hands-on experience of situated knowledge, demonstrating how knowledge is shaped by perspective and positionality rather than fitting neatly into the objectivity/subjectivity binary. Using physical barriers...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF
People worshiping
Matthew E. Wilkinson, Lisa Winters, David W. Criger, Mackenzie Jurain
Durkheim and the Non-Religious Moral Community: An Exercise in Theoretical Application
April 15, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Leisure/Sports/Recreation, Religion, Social Organization, Teaching and Learning in Sociology, Theory
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 200, College 300, College 400, Graduate
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

In this assignment, students will explore examples of non-religious moral communities to develop a deeper understanding of key sociological concepts introduced by Émile Durkheim in his study of religion. Specifically, students will identify how Durkheim’s...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF
Stranger Danger
Yvette Jean
Stranger Danger: Everyday Life in Public Space
February 5, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Community, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Urban Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This class activity helps students think sociologically about interacting with strangers in public. Students work collaboratively to identify taken-for-granted behaviors and share breaches of Civil Inattention during informal class presentations. This activity...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF
Students studying in a library
Michel Estefan
Classical Sociological Theory
February 4, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Theory
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines theories about how the modern world emerged. In other words, this course is about how the world you live in came into existence. These theories have defined sociology as a discipline and continue to...

Cover Page Requires Subscription PDF
Scrabble pieces spell out the words social media
Jacqueline Zalewski
Verbal Social Media Posts Assignment
January 31, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Urban Sociology, Work and Labor Markets
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the verbal social media post assignment is to get students to reflect on and discuss current social issues in a conversational “town hall” format. The assignment is designed to strengthen students’ sociological...

Cover Page Requires Subscription DOCX
The exterior of a museum
Alyssa Lyons
Experiential Learning in Sociology: Exploring the Role of Settler Colonialism in Museum Education
January 31, 2025
Subject Area(s):
Education, Knowledge, Race, Class and Gender, Visual Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Essay
Class Level(s):
College 300
Class Size(s):
Medium
Abstract:

Experiential learning helps students apply sociological concepts to the social world (Holtzman & Menning, 2015). This experiential project was developed for an upper-level sociology course exploring global and cross-cultural perspectives on education and...

Cover Page Requires Subscription DOCX

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience, to increase the speed and security for the site, to provide analytics about our site and visitors, and for marketing. By proceeding to the site, you are expressing your consent to the use of cookies. To find out more about how we use cookies, see our Privacy Policy .