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All TRAILS Resources
All TRAILS Resources
May 31, 2023

Browse the entire collection of TRAILS resources here.

A stack of newspapers
Matt Reid
Individual v Structural Frames of Social Problems: News on Cooking, Eating, and Obesity
May 21, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Medical Sociology, Qualitative Methodology
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This activity has students replicate Merin Oleschuk’s (2020) content analysis study which demonstrated how our culture favors individual-level causes and solutions to larger social problems in the context of the obesity epidemic. The study analyzed news articles...

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Two men and a women sitting at an outdoor booth studying together
Elizabeth Ziff
undergraduate-sociological-theory-syllabus
Undergraduate Sociological Theory Syllabus
May 21, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Theory
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 300
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

This course provides students with an in-depth introduction to social theory, examining central issues in sociological theory using selected works of major theorists and some underrepresented voices. Students are introduced to different conceptualizations such as...

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Paper in a typewriter that reads "job application"
Martha Martinez
Employability for Sociologists
May 21, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Applied Sociology/Evaluation Research, Economic Sociology, Occupations/Professions, Organizations, Formal and Complex, Other, Work and Labor Markets
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Small
Abstract:

This course guides students through the knowledge and steps needed to apply their sociology degree in a career both personally satisfying and contributing to the greater social good. It integrates the concept of employability with sociological theories, methods,...

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A person typing on a laptop
Colleen Wynn, Amanda Miller
Building Student Expertise: Using OpEds in the Classroom
May 14, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Other, Sociological Practice, Urban Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This resource provides two approaches to an OpEd assignment in two levels of courses. OpEds are public scholarship that discuss contemporary issues from the author’s perspective using a variety of types of evidence. One of these assignment models is from an...

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The shores of a waterway full of trash
Michael Briscoe
Green Criminology
April 29, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Criminal Justice, Criminology/Delinquency, Environmental Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 300, College 400, Graduate
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:

This syllabus provides readings and paper assignments for a class on Green Criminology. The class is designed at the 300 or 400 level but can be adapted for a lower level course by choosing selected readings for each week. It covers topics including criminological...

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Money going into a blue piggy bank
Anjel Stough-Hunter, Kathleen Gorman-Ezell
Gender Wage Gap Activity
April 24, 2024
Subject Area(s):
High School Sociology, Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Occupations/Professions, Sex and Gender, Stratification/Mobility
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, High School
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

This active learning group activity asks students to explore data and articles on factors that contribute to the gender wage gap.  After a time of exploration, they share their results with their peers and engage in a guided discussion about the information they...

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Prison bars
Cody Warner
Understanding labeling and collateral consequences through a cooperative learning activity
April 19, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Criminal Justice, Criminology/Delinquency
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity, PowerPoint
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

A criminal record or period of incarceration can result in social exclusion and diminished citizenship. In this small-group activity, students in criminology or criminal justice courses use the jigsaw method learn about labeling theory and the consequences of a...

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Crime scene tape
Cody Warner
Understanding crime data through a cooperative learning activity
April 5, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Criminal Justice, Criminology/Delinquency
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

The amount of crime in our society, if that amount is going up or down, and what that all means has become a contested and contentious issue. In this small-group activity, students in criminology or criminal justice courses use the jigsaw method to learn about...

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A chalkboard with the word theory written on it
Cody Warner
From Theory to Practice: Can our theories combat crime?
April 5, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Criminology/Delinquency
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity, PowerPoint
Class Level(s):
College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

A range of theoretical perspectives in criminology seek to account for why some individuals engage in criminal behaviors and others do not. In this small-group activity, students in criminology or criminal justice courses use a modified DENT framework to translate...

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A pregnant person placing their hands on their belly
Kaylin Greene
Medicalizing Birth: Using the DENT framework to Consider Conflicting Options
April 5, 2024
Subject Area(s):
Medical Sociology, Social Welfare/Social Work
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 200, College 300, College 400
Class Size(s):
Medium, Small
Abstract:

In this activity, students work together in teams to apply their critical thinking skills and their understanding of the medicalization of birth to a hypothetical scenario.  The activity uses a modified DENT framework in which students are given an ill-defined...

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