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All TRAILS Resources
All TRAILS Resources
May 31, 2023

Browse the entire collection of TRAILS resources here.

Rena Cornell Zito
An Interactive Introduction to Variables and Correlations
July 29, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Research Methods
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Small
Abstract:
This introductory-level interactive activity requires students to work together to generate correlations and assess the causality of those correlations. Topics covered include: variables and attributes, independent and dependent variables, hypotheses, positive and...
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May Takeuchi
Be A Wise Consumer of Information
July 29, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Research Methods
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 300
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
"Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write" (H.G. Wells). While society is more and more filled with quantitative information, not all statements based on numerical results are scientific. Without...
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Rena Cornell Zito
Using Peer Accounts to Understand Techniques of Neutralization
July 29, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Deviant Behavior/Social Disorganization
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
This two-part assignment requires students to administer a questionnaire to peers regarding deviant behavior, after obtaining informed consent, and to use the collected data to identify examples of Sykes and Matza’s techniques of neutralization. They also use the...
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Adrienne Milner
Sport and Stratification Activity
July 19, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Leisure/Sports/Recreation
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
There are few societal institutions which are thought to transcend the power of sexual, racial, sexuality, and class politics; however, the arena of sports is often looked upon as a desegregated and meritocratic system in which these conflicts and tensions are...
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Keith A. Roberts
The Sociological Imagination and the Process of Writing
July 19, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
This exercise is designed to get students to apply the concepts of sociological imagination and to reflect—sociologically—on the process of writing. By completing this assignment, students will be able to: (a) apply the idea of sociological imagination to something...
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Samantha K Ammons
Learning to Read Empirical Articles
July 9, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Research Methods
Class Level(s):
College 200
Class Size(s):
Medium
Abstract:
Through a series of low-stakes assignments, students are required to read, assess, and properly cite four peer-reviewed empirical research articles. The articles reflect the four core methodologies that we devote the most time to in class (surveys, fieldwork,...
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Ann (Stephen
Wealth, Poverty, and Power
July 9, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Stratification/Mobility
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 300
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
Who owns what? Why? So what? How much inequality characterizes the distribution of resources in different societies? How do sociological and individualist arguments address these questions? We will use data from various sources to examine how goods are...
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David Johnson, Linda Renzulli, Jackson Bunch
Everyday Observations: Developing a Sociological Perspective through a Portfolio Term Project
July 8, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
We describe a semester-long active learning project in which students practice the skills of synthesis and analysis by developing portfolios organized around a topic of their own choosing (relevant to their substantive course). We build on prior contributions in four...
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Adam Messinger
Teaching Interactionist Gender Theory through Speed Dating
July 1, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
Any Level
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
Few evaluated classroom exercises to date have addressed one of the most cited and compelling explanations of gender formation over the life course: interactionist gender theory. This theory posits that people actively "do" or "perform" their gender in every...
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Kristin Holster
Social Activism Assignment
June 27, 2013
Subject Area(s):
Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Any
Abstract:
In this paper assignment, students develop their sociological imaginations by exploring the impact of individual, group, and societal level actions in addressing social problems. Students use course concepts and theories to describe a specific social problem,...
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