Using the Constant Comparative Method in the Foreign Classroom: Shopping as a Social Problem in Romania

Abstract

This paper describes how the senior author introduced the constant comparative method as a teaching and research tool to a class on the sociology of deviance. The students selected the topic of shopping as a social problem for a class project. The project not only held the interest of students but also generated information relevant to understanding the transformation of the former Soviet Union. Consumers were found to be developing their own procedures for responding to the difficult conditions created by the dual market economy. This paper presents a four step procedure for using the constant comparative method. The procedure may be especially applicable for teaching sociology to small numbers of committed students in the foreign classroom