ERIC Number: EJ929885
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jul
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0092-055X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Extraterrestrials and Generic Social Processes: Minimizing Resistance in Teaching the Reproduction of Inequality
Parrotta, Kylie L.; Rusche, Sarah Nell
Teaching Sociology, v39 n3 p320-328 Jul 2011
In this article, the authors describe a class activity that uses a combination of strategies to overcome obstacles students face when learning about the reproduction of inequality in everyday life. Based on Schwalbe et al.'s (2000) piece on "generic social processes," and following the idea of "making the strange familiar and the familiar strange," the authors had students pretend to be aliens to investigate how generic social processes are used in the United States to both maintain privilege and cope with oppression. The activity facilitates students' understanding of how inequality is reproduced through interaction rather than by "social forces." The activity provides students with a hands-on way to grasp the reproduction of inequality from a social-psychological perspective. It also encourages students to see how valuable qualitative research is for helping sociologists understand how inequality is reproduced across contexts. (Contains 2 figures and 2 notes.)
Descriptors: Class Activities, Astronomy, Biology, Consciousness Raising, Social Experience, Group Behavior, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Social Influences, Power Structure, Social Status, Coping, Barriers, Social Control, Self Expression, Hidden Curriculum, Qualitative Research, Stranger Reactions, Social Behavior
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A