Making Sociology Relevant: The Assignment and Application of Breaching Experiments

Autor/in	Rafalovich, Adam
Titel	Making Sociology Relevant: The Assignment and Application of Breaching Experiments
Quelle	In: Teaching Sociology, 34 (2006) 2, S.156-163 (8 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0092-055X
DOI	10.1177/0092055X0603400206
Schlagwörter	Sociology; Relevance (Education); Educational Experiments; Assignments; Antisocial Behavior; Social Structure; Behavior Standards; Discussion (Teaching Technique); College Instruction + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Soziologie; Relevance; Relevanz; Schulversuch; Assignment; Auftrag; Zuweisung; Sozialstruktur; Hochschullehre
Abstract	Breaching experiments involve the conscious exhibition of "unexpected" behavior, an observation of the types of social reactions such behavioral violations engender, and an analysis of the social structure that makes these social reactions possible. The conscious violation of norms can be highly fruitful for sociology students, providing insights into social structure and elucidating the sociological meaning of students' own subjective experiences. This paper adds to the discussion of the assignment of breaching experiments in two ways. First, it outlines specific instructions (for teacher and student) that are absent or not explained thoroughly in the literature. Described in more detail in this paper are some assignment guidelines the author has found valuable for effective social breaching. Second, this paper offers an example of how a breaching assignment brings abstract sociological concepts "down-to-Earth" for students. The author provides a description of a highly effective breach called "waiting-in-line" that he incorporates into a classroom discussion of Robert K. Merton's (1938) concept of "anomie," which describes a social condition in which the culturally-approved means and goals of a society become questionable, undesirable, or unclear. (Contains 1 table.) (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10