Flying Solidarity as an Introductory Lesson in Social Theory

Bibliographic Data

ID11063847
AuthorsDebra Wetcher-Hendricks (0000-0001-8520-6160, Moravian University, Bethlehem, PA, USA, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume50
Issue2
Pages136-145
Publication date2022-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeaching Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0092-055X • E-ISSN: 1939-862X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0092055x211053372
OpenAlexW3217638470
LanguageEN
References cited12

Although students rely on social solidarity in their everyday lives, they generally fail to acknowledge its existence. An active learning class exercise, conducted within approximately 35 minutes, introduces sociology students to Emile Durkheim’s concept of solidarity and the distinction between its mechanical and organic forms. Some groups of students perform the task of creating and flying paper airplanes under the pretense of organic solidarity, and other groups perform the same task under the pretense of mechanical solidarity. Through reflection on their experiences and discussion with members of other groups, students begin to identify nuances of each type of solidarity. An evaluation of this exercise indicates that those who participate in it can describe the distinction between mechanical and organic solidarity and their respective associations with gemeinschaft and gesellschaft better than those exposed to a traditional lesson on the topic can

Class (philosophy · Epistemology · Management · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Solidarity · Task (project management · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Psychology

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