Introducing Methods of Sociological Inquiry Using Living-Data Exercises

Abstract

learning techniques into the sociology classroom for many years, but the types of applications and evaluations are quite varied. Crone (1997), for example, uses panel debates in introductory sociology classes and finds that students report high levels of enjoyment in the exercises and they would like to keep the debates as part of the class. Similarly, Reinertsen and DaCruz (1996) report that the majority of students in their study would keep an exercise involving newspaper reading and journal writing in future classes. The assignments helped students to connect sociological concepts with real life news events, fleshing out concepts that otherwise remained abstract.