Resources for Students
One of my teaching priorities is to "demystify" college as much as possible. I remember not knowing what to do or what was expected of me in my college courses. Now that I'm on the other side of the classroom, I want to make things as clear as possible. This page is devoted to helping you make sense of this crazy, wonderful place!
Over the years I have developed a number of resources to help students make the most of their educational experiences and succeed in sociology. Below are the resources that my students have found most helpful, please feel free to take advantage of them.
Over the years I have developed a number of resources to help students make the most of their educational experiences and succeed in sociology. Below are the resources that my students have found most helpful, please feel free to take advantage of them.
General
Best Practices for New College Students
Here is a compilation of ideas to help you get acquainted to and feel more confident in this new academic setting.
Preparing for an Essay Exam
This handout offers tips for how to study for and write a quality essay exam.
Student Self-Assessment for the First Week of Class
This will help you make sense of your goals for the class, anticipate future challenges, and define measures of success beyond getting a grade.
Tips for Reading
Tips for Reading Different AcademicTexts
There's a whole lot of reading out there. This handout will explain the different kinds of texts you might be assigned and offer tips for how to read each of these texts actively, rather than passively.
Tips for Reading Social Theory
This handout dives into the complicated world of reading social theory. It offers you some tips for seeing the logic behind social theory texts and guides you through exercises to read actively, rather than passively.
This handout dives into the complicated world of reading social theory. It offers you some tips for seeing the logic behind social theory texts and guides you through exercises to read actively, rather than passively.
Social Theory Resources
Intro to Marx: An Illustrated Guide
For students new to social theory, reading Marx can get a little confusing. This handout provides a very simplified overview of basic Marxist principles, with pictures!
Understanding The Communist Manifesto
What exactly is happening in this text? The Manifesto is one of the last things Karl Marx ever wrote; it is both a culmination of his theory as well as Engels' attempt to mobilize theory into action. This handout is a compilation of notes to help you make sense of one of Marx's most famous texts.
What exactly is happening in this text? The Manifesto is one of the last things Karl Marx ever wrote; it is both a culmination of his theory as well as Engels' attempt to mobilize theory into action. This handout is a compilation of notes to help you make sense of one of Marx's most famous texts.
Understanding The Protestant Ethic
This is a brief set of notes to help you make sense of one chapter from Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
This is a brief set of notes to help you make sense of one chapter from Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
Power versus Class: Marx, Weber, Bourdieu
This is a visual handout that helps to explain the difference between power, class, and capital according to three monumental sociological theorists: Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Pierre Bourdieu.
This is a visual handout that helps to explain the difference between power, class, and capital according to three monumental sociological theorists: Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Pierre Bourdieu.
