Sociological Learning to Action: Using Social Action Projects to Promote Community Engagement beyond the Classroom

• In Event: 2222 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable Session
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 04. Taking Sociology Beyond the Classroom

Abstract

This discussion will involve how the presenters implemented a sociology term social action project and evaluated the efficacy of the educational intervention. Recent news highlights have shown a plethora of social movements and social action issues across the world, but most seem to fade out before issues are addressed and resolved. The presenters of this workshop saw an opportunity in the classroom to engage students in a way that would help promote social action beyond academia. The presenters implemented a social action term project to address the issue of human trafficking in the local area. The project involved five sociology classes at two colleges and focused on teaching the students about the impact they can create within their community. Presenters divided groups into four engagement platforms: social media, community event, traditional media, and legislative. Students worked in small groups to design a social action campaign for their assigned platform and then carried out the campaign on their college campuses and in the local community. An evaluation was done to determine the impact students made in their community. There were three objectives of the social action term project: illustrate how a small group can create a big impact in the world; give students an opportunity to learn how to leverage scarce resources to accomplish a task; and ultimately to promote future social advocacy among students.

Authors

• Kristin Pitts, Chattahoochee Valley Community College

• Kandace M. Henry, University of North Georgia