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Greetings from the Section Chair
Welcome to the homepage of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Teaching and Learning in Sociology (STLS). As you may have heard, Section membership passed 800 this fall, just in time to earn us a fifth official session, in addition to our Business/Awards session, at the 2010 ASA meetings in Atlanta. I want to remind you all to renew your membership in ASA and the STLS for 2010 and to encourage (even support) colleagues and graduate students to join as well.
As I said in the ASA Awards Ceremony in Montreal in 2007, we all teach. Most of us teach some undergraduates in traditional settings. But we might also teach graduate students, teach via distance, teach other instructors about sociology and/or teaching, teach in our applied or community work, teach via one-on-one mentoring relationships, and so on. We all teach. It is the aspect of our discipline we all share. Teaching is the way we pass on our discipline to future generations! Thus, it is our ethical responsibility to be interested in-- and practice-- the most effective ways to contribute to learning. In our discipline in the U. S., the ASA STLS is the primary ‘place’ (figuratively and literally) to share what we know about teaching and learning in Sociology.
What are we doing this coming year in the STLS? In terms of some ongoing activities, we have two ad hoc committees in place: Contingent Faculty Concerns and Graduate Student Concerns. We also have a new Mentoring Committee that will make recommendations about Section mentoring activities. The Publications Committee is working to update and improve our web pages as well as on a by-laws proposal to make the Newsletter Editor an elected position. Diane Pike is our organizer for the pre-conference on teaching in Atlanta for new teachers. The Cooperative Initiatives Committee will create links with additional groups and organizations. We are considering the possibility of a SOTL grant or award, as well as plan to establish a student award for our Section.
Some of my goals as Chair of the Section this coming year include the following:
• Continue the great work of the past in meeting the needs of the members of the Section. Thus, if you have ideas of how the Section can assist sociologists in improving teaching and learning, let me know.
• Continue our growth both in diversity (broadly defined) and in numbers. Please do what you can to encourage colleagues and graduate students to join the Section.
• Make better connections with the ASA Department Resources Group (DRG) and their many efforts.
• Develop ways the Section can further support the scholarship of teaching and learning in sociology—doing that work, sharing that work, and applying that work to enhance the learning of our students.
Please feel free to contact me or any other council members or committee chairs with your ideas for the Section. Thanks for being a member of the best and most important section of ASA! I look forward to a great year.
Warmly,
Illinois State University
Many thanks to Hudson Valley Community College's Graphics Office for designing the Section logo.
Please email feedback and updates to the Section webmaster, Michael DeCesare.