Enhancing Introduction to Sociology with the Memoir “I Am Malala”

• In Event: 2322 - Activities and Techniques Poster Session

Abstract

Previous scholars document the benefits of using non-traditional texts like fiction (Hartman 2005) and narratives (Lewis 2016) as additions to more traditional textbooks and articles in undergraduate sociology courses. However, a recent review of syllabi suggests that less than 13% of sociology courses integrate non-traditional texts like “fiction… poetry, public documents, plays, [and] memoirs” (Florida and Hall 2006: 15). In this presentation, I describe the “Text to Life” assignment I included in Introduction to Sociology. The assignment required students to read the memoir I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, write a short two-page essay first summarizing the account and then examining it from a sociological perspective, and discuss the memoir in class. Students then partnered with a local not-for-profit center for early childhood education to learn about inequalities in early childhood education in the United States and participate in community outreach by collecting books for the center. I will discuss how I chose the memoir, share the essay assignment, class discussion format, grading scheme, and highlight the positives and negatives of the “Text to Life” assignment overall.

REFERENCES
Florida, Central and Howard Phillips Hall. 2006. “Articulation of Goals and Means in Sociology: What We Can Learn from Syllabi.” Teaching Sociology 34:5–22.

Hartman, Cheryl J. 2005. “Enriching Sociology 100: Using the Novel Things Fall Apart.” Teaching Sociology 33(3):317–22.

Lewis, Michael. 2016. “Developing a Sociological Perspective on Mental Illness through Reading Narratives and Active Learning : A ‘Book Club’ Strategy.” Teaching Sociology 32(4):391–400.

Yousafzai, Malala with Patricia McCormick. 2016. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Author

• Jamie L. Oslawski-Lopez, Indiana University Kokomo