Sociology of the Anarchists - Gozips.uakron.edu - The University of ...

and social interactions within it... no one approaches it with a blank slate or no
experience. On the other hand, I imagine that there may be suitable resistance to many
conclusions within sociology, due to preexisting biases that people have (“class doesn't
exist”, “poor people are just lazy”, “women aren't oppressed anymore”, etc.). I am
looking forward to teaching to see how people respond and react with their prior
knowledge.
Values of teaching:
I cannot say I was vastly shocked by Roberts' (1986) piece on the development of
intellectual development, where he notes that large numbers of college students and other
adults never gain full operational thinking ability. I did appreciate his examples of how
the teacher-student relationship can go awry when this is not considered, however.
Primarily, I liked his focus upon the structuralist theory of teacher:
If we view our role as one of simply transmitting
knowledge, we conform to the expectations of our dualistic
students by playing the role of 'Authority'. Playing this role
may then serve as a barrier to the development of
independent thinking, for dualistic students assimilate that
role into their own cognitive structure and fail to think for
themselves. (p. 214)
My own favorite classes (in retrospect, at least) were those that provoked me to think and
challenge my own beliefs. When “knowledge” was handed to me on a platter I was far
less likely to retain it long-term. Thus, even when I rejected the leanings or style of these
more challenging instructors, I still appreciate what they did for/to me (intentionally or
inadvertently): causing me to think for myself. “Cognitive Dissonance” is not only a great
idea for a band name, but is a pretty damn cool thing, too.
In this same light, O'Brien and Kollock (1991) call for us (as teachers) to “empower our
students by demonstrating the relevance of the sociological perspective to everyday
modern life” (p. 140). I cannot think of a more on-point statement than that, in regards to
making education “stick”. Probably the only reason I continue in academics is that I can
still find a way to make it relevant to understanding everyday life. The day I get stuck in
some abstract, arcane, and otherwise silly irrelevancy of “knowledge pursuit”, is the day I
need to get out. Even for students who only take “Introduction to Sociology” as a general
education requirement, making the ideas/concepts relevant to them seems like a great way
to engage them and possibly interest them outside of their gen-ed needs.
I liked the application of social exchange theory (SET) to teaching, and although a bit
tedious, I thought the discussion drove home the authors' point rather well—allowing
students to construct for themselves just how sociology (or social psychology) is relevant
to them, at the most immediate level (such as intimate relationships). SET is a decent way
of bridging this personal experience with more formal knowledge.
Best, however, was how they tackled the subject of “values” in the classroom. It reaffirms
[ Williams 96 ] [ this is a draft. do not cite. ]