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Explorations in Sociology
Service Learning
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three hours each week in addition to class time volunteering for a campus or community nonprofit organization for a minimum total of thirty-nine 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' service work will be integrated with the academic component of the course. Faculty will assess service work 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 or exams, (d) in-class oral presentations, or (e) combinations of the above.
Collaborative Learning
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three hours each week in addition to class time in small group activities, working collectively or independently to contribute to group projects. This time will be devoted to group meetings, independent work, and meetings with the instructor to advance group projects. Products of this work will be assessed by the instructor via group presentations or 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 field trips).
Research
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three 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 this module may provide more intensive introductions to specific elements in the research process or particular methodologies such as content analysis or quantitative 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.).
Writing
This exploration in sociology 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 Skidmore's writing-intensive courses.
Selected 200- and 300-level sociology courses each semester incorporate exploration in sociology through special emphasis on collaborative learning, research, service learning, or writing (designated C, R, S, or W, respectively, in the master schedule listing). Courses integrating an exploration in sociology carry four rather than three credit hours.
Service Learning
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three hours each week in addition to class time volunteering for a campus or community nonprofit organization for a minimum total of thirty-nine 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' service work will be integrated with the academic component of the course. Faculty will assess service work 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 or exams, (d) in-class oral presentations, or (e) combinations of the above.
Collaborative Learning
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three hours each week in addition to class time in small group activities, working collectively or independently to contribute to group projects. This time will be devoted to group meetings, independent work, and meetings with the instructor to advance group projects. Products of this work will be assessed by the instructor via group presentations or 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 field trips).
Research
This exploration in sociology requires that students spend three 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 this module may provide more intensive introductions to specific elements in the research process or particular methodologies such as content analysis or quantitative 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.).
Writing
This exploration in sociology 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 Skidmore's writing-intensive courses.
