Doing public sociology in the classroom

Abstract

Within this chapter I explore the manner in which public sociology (Burawoy, 2004) might be usefully employed to enhance teaching and learning.

After arguing for an orientation to teaching that centralises students’ experiences by ‘starting from where they are’ I outline three practical stages in the doing of public sociology in the classroom. These overlapping stages are important as a means of supporting the development of foundational skills that enable more challenging work towards the end of undergraduate study.

In conclusion, I suggest that by integrating elements of public sociology across a curriculum colleagues can enhance their degree programme in terms of employability, engagement and student satisfaction. I also suggest that this process offers some key avenues for tackling some of the pressures and challenges that sociology faces as a discipline.

---