Version:
January 3, 2000
Exploring
Sociology through Service Learning (S)
Students
will use 3 hours each week in addition to class time conducting
volunteer work for a campus or community non-profit organization,
for a minimum total of 39 hours of community service. Faculty
expect that some of these hours at the beginning and end of
the course will be spent on logistics such as identifying
and interviewing prospective service opportunities. Students
will maintain time-sheets signed by agency personnel to account
for the completion of hours. This Exploration in Sociology
module assumes that students' service work will be integrated
with the academic component of the course. Service work will
be assessed by faculty through various strategies requiring
students to reflect on their service work in light of course
materials and related academic projects such as (a) research
papers that respond to service issues, (b) journals or field-notes
analyzing service work to be turned in to the instructor,
(c) integrative essay questions on exams, (d) in-class oral
presentations, or (e) combinations of the above.
Exploring
Sociology through Collaborative Learning (C)
Students
will use 3 hours each week in addition to class time in small
group activities, working collectively or independently to
contribute to group products. This time will be devoted to
group meetings, independent work, and meetings with the professor
to advance group projects. Products of this work will be assessed
by the instructor via group presentations, project papers
written collaboratively, in aggregation (each student writes
a section of the paper), or independently (each student writes
an independent paper based on the group project). This module
accommodates a wide array of cooperative group structures
varying by length, membership, and size, as well as varying
formats for assessment including individual and group grades.
One example of a collaborative project is the assignment of
a different research article to each group, with each group
developing and offering a presentation to the class based
on its article. Another example is a semester-long group assignment
in which rotating team leaders are responsible for delivering
discrete project reports (oral and/or written) based on various
concrete tasks (e.g., web-based research, off-campus interviews,
data analysis, and fieldtrips).
Exploring
Sociology through Research (R)
Students
will use 3 hours each week in addition to class time engaging
in independent or collaborative research projects that are
related to the course material. This time will be spent developing
research questions, reviewing relevant literature, collecting
data, analyzing data, and presenting research findings in
written reports, oral presentations, or other media. Courses
incorporating Explorations in Sociology through Research may
provide more intensive introductions to specific elements
in the research process or particular methodologies such as
content analysis or data analysis. Students will meet regularly
with the instructor to report on their progress and to receive
advice and feedback from the instructor. Students' research
will be evaluated based on their finished products (research
papers, oral presentations, etc.).
Exploring
Sociology through Writing (W)
This
Exploration in Sociology module requires a fourth classroom
contact hour each week. Students will undertake writing assignments
integrated with the subject matter of the course. Writing
assignments and their evaluation will be consistent with guidelines
for the Skidmore's writing intensive courses.
Other
reconfiguration documents:
| Intro | Overview
| Issues | Majors/Minor
| Catalog | Goals
|
| Spring 2001 | Fall
2001 | Spring 2002 |
|
Created
January 2000; modified Junly 2000
|