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TRAILS Featured Resources
TRAILS Featured Resources
February 23, 2023

TRAILS, the Teaching Resources and Innovation Library for Sociology, provides a way for you to easily locate peer-reviewed teaching materials, showcase your teaching ideas, develop professionally, and join a community of scholarly teachers. You will find great assignments, syllabi, lectures, and other teaching ideas at TRAILS. Please also consider submitting your great ideas for teaching. The Featured Resources include some of the newest additions to our collection.

-Stephanie Medley-Rath
TRAILS Lead Editor

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Heather Sullivan-Catlin
Homework Assignments & In-Class Activities
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Cultural Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 300
Abstract:
Homework Assignments & In-Class Activities on the topic of Sociology of Food.
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Jennifer Friedman
DRUGS & SOCIETY
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Alcohol and Drugs
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 100
Abstract:
This course will explore the social construction of substance use in the United States. By engaging in an historical analysis of substance use, students will take a look at the numerous dynamics which work to define the legality status of particular drugs. In...
Cover Page Requires Subscription DOC
Lesley J. Wood
The Political Economy of Social Movements
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Collective Behavior/Social Movements
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
Social movements are intrinsic to societies characterized by unequal access to property, political power, and cultural resources. In this course, the relevance of political economy to the study of social movements will be critically reviewed in relation to other...
Cover Page Requires Subscription DOC
Jeffrey S. Victor
A Community Study of AIDS Attitudes in a Small Town:
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Medical Sociology
Resource Type(s):
Essay
Abstract:
On October 27, 1997, public health officials and police announced that many teenage girls in the small town of Jamestown, New York, had been infected with HIV by one young man, named Nushawn Williams. Suddenly, a great deal of publicity was focused on "the AIDS...
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Katherine B. Novak
GOVERNMENT STATISTICS AND MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF THE AMOUNT AND DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME IN SOCIETY: AN ASSIGNMENT
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Criminology/Delinquency
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
In this assignment, students explore crime rates in the UCR and NCVS, and the "rates" of criminal activity in the media. They are, then, asked to examine the ways the media representations of crime rates and official crime rates differ, and the implications of those...
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Joan Toms Olson
Media Research Project
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Mass Communication/Public Opinion
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
Media Research Project. Interpret your findings using insights of your own, as well as insights that might be derived from at least one of the theoretical perspectives we have been studying this semester.
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Jan E. Thomas
Sociology 489: Senior Seminar
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Capstone Courses
Resource Type(s):
Syllabus
Class Level(s):
College 400
Abstract:
This advanced seminar, required of all senior majors, explores fundamental issues regarding the process of sociological inquiry and the promise of the discipline. Faculty forums and student directed discussions will consider the boundaries and purposes of sociology,...
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Joan Z. Spade
Gender Norm Observations
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Sex and Gender
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
This project asks students to simply observe gender. It is used at the very beginning of my class to help students distinguish between gender and sex as categories and to understand the diversity of gendered behavior across individuals and social situations.
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Kathryn Hynes
Linking Theories to "Real World" Decisions: A Paper Project
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Family
Resource Type(s):
Assignment
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
Abstract: This project is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of theories about maternal labor force participation by comparing theoretical models to the actual experiences of people who have children. The project includes reading a review of...
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Jennifer Keys
Simulating the Crisis hotline to teach about Domestic Violence
April 26, 2010
Subject Area(s):
Family
Resource Type(s):
Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 200
Abstract:
Overview: In this small group exercise, students are asked to imagine that they are answering a crisis hotline. Students assess each vignette by identifying the types of abuse taking place and the level of danger. They evaluate the resources available and discuss...
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