Joseph Lancaster in America

Applying a consistent historical theme throughout a social studies course is an effective long-term planning strategy that can promote student engagement, retention of information, and contextualized knowledge of history's continuity and change. This article demonstrates how one such theme, power and liberty, might be incorporated into a secondary American history course. Teachers should introduce the theme early in the course using questions designed to help the students define and understand the parameters of power and liberty as a lens through which the past might be viewed. A subsequent and repeated application of consistent scaffolding questions to events in American history promotes the analysis of how those events changed the balance of power and liberty for individuals and various groups in society. Armed with this contextualized knowledge, students can then apply the theme of power and liberty as another approach to the examination of current events in American society.     

Geometry,Logic and Social Studies

This article presents an approach that teachers can use to strengthen students’ ability to make sense of the past at museums. Specifically, we propose a photography exercise to help students to learn from museums and to view museums critically, weighing both the objective realities and subjective interpretations offered by museums. To get the most from a lifetime of museum-going and history learning, students should learn to view museums as reflecting the kinds of perspectives, decision-making, and challenges that accompany any effort to make sense of the past.     

The Sociologist as Teacher in a Time of Crisis

Abstract

A recent wave of research promotes the idea that anonymity or deindividuation precipitates collective behavior. Specifically, anonymous individuals are more likely to participate in collective behavior events than people among friends and acquaintances. To reconsider this recent resurgence of a more contemporary contagion theory, we replicate and expand upon Aveni's (1977) study of crowd behavior. Our survey data of crowd and collective behavior participants show that anonymity actually hinders the emergence of collective behavior. Rather, collective behavior participants are more likely to be in small groups rather than isolated individuals. Our data do suggest that one form of anonymity (i.e., anonymity from formal agents of social control) can facilitate the emergence of collective behavior.     

The Biosociology of Solidarity

For well over a century, sociologists have directed considerable attention to understanding and explaining the processes that produce social solidarity – the feeling of interpersonal connectedness that binds members of society together. Despite the centrality of solidarity to sociological thought, many sociologists remain unaware of the biosocial processes and mechanisms that create and sustain it. We espouse a biosociological viewpoint, which illuminates solidarity as a complex and fascinating interplay between biological and social elements. In this paper we discuss three important advances within the field of neuroscience that point to exciting new avenues of research for sociologists: (i) the discovery of mirror neurons, (ii) developments in the understanding of brain plasticity, and (iii) increased appreciation of the role of non‐conscious processes in social interaction. Additionally, we discuss ongoing basic and applied research to demonstrate how sociologists can capitalize on recent scientific developments to advance their own research agendas. VIDEO ABSTRACT ‐ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is9de_ajheM&hd=1