Syllabus as argument in an era of politicized pedagogy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12136013 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael L Dougherty (0000-0001-5468-598X, Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 223-230 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Forum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0884-8971 • E-ISSN: 1573-7861 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/socf.13008 |
| OpenAlex | W4400244123 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
The traditional character of higher education in the US is under assault. The broad, intellectual focus on the liberal arts and its concomitant values of academic freedom and academic governance are giving way to an over‐managed vocational institution that prioritizes ambience over integrity and credentialism over citizenship. In this milieu, sociologists should use the classroom as an opportunity to model the explanatory power of the discipline by structuring our syllabi to make a point. I refer to this approach as syllabus‐as‐argument , which I contrast with the traditional organizational logic of syllabus‐as‐survey —configuring a syllabus to provide an overview of a given topic, theme or field. Where the chief criterion of success for the syllabus as survey is comprehensiveness, the syllabus as argument strives for convincingness. I draw from two courses to exemplify this approach. The first is a senior seminar in environmental sociology, which I have reworked into a course explaining the intractability of the climate crisis. The second is a general education course in community sociology that I remade to explain the links between growing inequality and deteriorating democracy in the US
Argument (complex analysis · Epistemology · Institution · Pedagogy · Social science · Sociology · Syllabus · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Evaluation of Teaching Practices · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences
A framework for teaching socio-environmental problem-solving
Interrogating the Meaning of ‘Quality’ in Utterances and Activities Protected by Academic Freedom
The upswing
On Teaching as Activism
The Center Does Hold
The Syllabus Reconstructed
Critical Pedagogy and Classroom Praxis
The Sociology Research Experience Capstone Course at Three Institutions
Syllabus under Construction
Social Issues and Problem-based Learning in Sociology
Sociology of the College Classroom
A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things
Historical capitalism ; with, Capitalist civilization
American Sociological Association Presidential address
Deciding under Doubt
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |