Like all of my colleagues, I was forced to move class content to an online format when the pandemic hit. I encountered a few stumbles along the way and learned some valuable lessons. While the conversion was far from perfect, I think I got a few things right. Here are my 3 R’s of teaching online during…
Tag: teaching and learning
Teach Talk: Creativity, Flexibility, and Support During COVID-19
As I look back on the Fall 2020 semester, I recognize that this has been one of the most challenging semesters that I have had as an educator. Navigating and juggling remote classes for 200 students has been a unique experience. I know my fellow educators in COSSPP have felt the weight of the many…
Adapt, Pursue, and Reassess: Student Reflections on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
As we wind down another semester, particularly one as eventful and intense as this fall has been, it’s important that students are given structured opportunities to reflect on the meaning of their learning experiences. Foundations of Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ISS 3241) is a required course for students pursuing this field through the SIE Specialization…
FSU Announces New Institute of Politics.
The institute will celebrate American democracy and promote citizen engagement. In October of 2020, Florida State University announced the launch of its new Institute of Politics (IOP@FSU), a non-partisan, world-class home for civic engagement and research, which will showcase the role of politics in improving the lives of Americans. Housed within the College of Social…
Teaching Spotlight: How Should and Can We Help the poor? A Course on Global Development & Giving
In the Fall 2019 semester I launched a new undergraduate course titled Global Development & Giving (PUP 4931), which was supported by FSU’s Council of Research and Creativity. I have been visiting poor countries, predominantly in South East Asia, once or twice annually since 2014. These countries include Cambodia, Myanmar, Tibet (China), and, foremost, Laos….
From the Classroom: Engaging Statistics Students Who (Think They) Hate Math
Frankly speaking, most students don’t want to take math classes. I’m sure most of my students can recall vowing to never take another math class again after their Algebra 2 finals in high school. Imagine their disappointment when they learned that my Social Statistics course was a requirement needed to earn their undergraduate sociology degree….
From the Classroom: Antitrust Law and Tech Giants
One of the most satisfying parts of the assignment was that I challenged the students to write both a government and a defense memo that were so balanced in their arguments that I could not tell which side they personally favored. Virtually all of the students succeeded in doing so.
From the Classroom: Students Co-Create A Social Movement Photovoice Blog Following the Parkland, FL School Shooting
Engagement in visual-centric blogging introduces students to a popular form of public sociology that develops the sociological imagination. As Lisa Wade and Gwen Sharp, founders of Sociological Images, note, sharing compelling images and social scientific analysis in blog form is an effective way to engage a non-scholar audience in developing understandings of social science principles.
Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions 