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All TRAILS Resources
All TRAILS Resources
May 31, 2023

Browse the entire collection of TRAILS resources here.

spoons on a plate
Anna Penner
Spoon Theory: An In-class Activity Examining Disability and Ableism
October 9, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Disabilities
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This disability activity uses the sociological imagination and the social model of disability to highlight how society disables chronically ill and disabled individuals. Utilizing the spoon theory, students work through a week of their life with varying numbers of...

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Football players making a tackle
Kristen Discola
49ers Faithful: Application of Symbolic Interactionist Concepts in Identity Construction
October 1, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Social Psychology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

In this activity, basic tenets of symbolic interactionism are broken down into digestible pieces and students explore each through close investigation of their own experiences of identity construction. This will not only solidify their understanding, but it will...

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A man in the grocery store
Tamika Odum
Separate, Not Equal: Exploring Food Insecurity and Health
September 25, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Medical Sociology, Public Policy, Race, Class and Gender
Resource Type(s):
Assessment, Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This project helps students gain a sociological understanding of food insecurity and health. Students participate in an immersive experience, exploring local grocery stores in Cincinnati. The goal of this activity is to help students use scholarship, interactive...

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Climate justice equals social justice sign at a protest
Rachel Bryant-Anderson
Integrating Climate Justice into a Social Problems Course
September 25, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Environmental Sociology, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Teaching and Learning in Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This guide describes climate justice-themed content designed for a Social Problems course. While the course covers many distinct “social problems,” it also shows how climate justice relates to each of these problems. Students complete several small assignments...

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A football on the football field
Frederic Traylor
Does Taylor Make Travis Better? An Exercise in Testing Popular Assumptions
September 25, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Cultural Sociology, Research Methods, Statistics
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

Throughout the 2023-24 NFL season, it had been claimed that Taylor Swift’s attendance at her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s games has made him play better. This short classroom activity (25 minutes) tasks students with computing, analyzing, and arguing for or against...

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A vaccine
Deeb Kitchen
Ethics, Race, and Deception: Analyzing a Historical Medical Study
September 23, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Medical Sociology, Racial and Ethnic Relations
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
Any Level, College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

This class activity engages students in a critical exploration of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a notorious example of unethical medical research. The activity is particularly well-suited for courses on race and ethnicity, research methods, or medical sociology,...

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An arial view of Los Angeles
Robert Thomson
Teaching Race and Gang Violence Using the Documentary Crips & Bloods: Made in America (Peralta 2008)
September 4, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Criminology/Delinquency, Deviant Behavior/Social Disorganization, Law and Society, Public Policy, Race, Class and Gender, Racial and Ethnic Relations, Urban Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity, Essay, Film List
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

In this class activity, students wrestle with the causes and consequences of gang violence through a series of activities including lectures and assignments organized around the documentary Crips & Bloods: Made in America (Peralta 2008). The film...

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A crowd looks at protesters on the steps of a government building
Tagart Sobotka
Social Movement Strategic Action Plan
August 27, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Collective Behavior/Social Movements, Social Change
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

Students will demonstrate and apply their understanding of sociological theories and concepts about social movements by working in groups to: 1) identify an issue around which there is no current social movement; 2) develop a detailed plan for mobilizing people in...

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A fountain pen writing on paper
Jeff Shelton
Exploring Policy Solutions to Today’s Problems
August 23, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Applied Sociology/Evaluation Research, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Policy Analysis, Public Policy, Social Change, Social Welfare/Social Work
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

Through feedback and revision, this writing assignment will help students develop writing, library research, and critical thinking skills. This assignment consists of three submissions over two topics. The first brief requires two submissions: an initial and a...

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Pizza slices
Yvette Jean
"Splitting the Bill": Informal Responses to Everyday Troubles
August 21, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Social Control
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This class activity helps students explore the norms, customs, and troubles that arise while
splitting a group restaurant bill. It’s well-suited for introductory sociology courses that
examine norms, or informal social control courses that analyze...

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