Teaching Sociology Through Student Portfolios

Abstract

AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of teaching Sociological Thought-an upper division course that focuses on classical, modern, and contemporary sociological theories-I came across the idea of student portfolios. As a consequence, the course has undergone farreaching changes. The content remains relatively intact; however, today the theory course differs fundamentally in form. This paper is a blueprint for building student portfolios into a writing-intensive theory course. (Although my experience with portfolios is limited to the theory course described here, the ideas presented in this paper could be adapted to many other courses. The topic is covered more fully at the end of the section on portfolio construction.) This paper begins with an overview of the history of student portfolios in the college curriculum; it then lists the course objectives and summarizes the written assignments. Next, the paper takes a close look at how the key components of the portfolio process enhance the assignments of the course and how each assignment fits into the portfolio schema; it also describes the evaluation process. Finally, the paper offers evidence of the effectiveness of the portfolio project. EARMARKS OF STUDENT PORTFOLIOS