Engaging with Sociological Theories through Story Narratives

• In Event: 20461 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 11: Exploring Assignments

Abstract

Learning Objective: Students will practice taking a sociological perspective, conceptualize at least one
major sociological theory, and be able to compare and contrast the major theoretical approaches.

After a lecture on the sociological perspective, the class is provided with an image from an
illustrated picture book (i.e. a scene from a Richard Scarry book). The image should contain at least two
to three characters and some detail. The story narrative is not provided or is limited. Students are
assigned to small groups (3-6) and a theory (Conflict theory, structural functionalism, and symbolic
interactionism) to create a fictional story narrative (1-3 paragraphs) of the illustration from the
perspective of their theory. Students are given a worksheet to guide them which includes summarizing
the assigned theory, looking for norms, roles, and interactions between the characters and environment,
and recording observations. After the story narratives have been written, students present their work to
the class for further discussion.
The use of children’s storybook illustrations helps the students become engaged in the activity
quickly and encourages curiosity. Students may be guided with open-ended questions to practice seeing
the strange in the familiar. As students pair sociological imagination with their lecture notes on the
assigned theory, the story narrative becomes a fun and creative process to solidify and share their
learning. Students also benefit from hearing the story narratives written by other groups to increase
their understanding of each theory and their ability to compare and contrast the theoretical approaches.

The understanding of the sociological perspective is a crucial part of an introductory sociology class. It is
often the most challenging for undergraduate students and an inability to grasp these concepts at the
beginning of the semester often leads to frustration for both students and instructor for the remainder
of the course. A brief, interactive example of this teaching method will provide audience members with a
classroom activity that can be easily modified to various class formats and sizes and be adapted to
encourage the taking of a sociological perspective throughout various courses and topics.

Authors

• Emilee Prins, Grand Valley State University

• Scott D Shaw, Grace Christian University