Principles of the Undergraduate
Sociology Program at MSU

The undergraduate program in sociology at Michigan State University is a constantly evolving and changing program and has undergone major revisions. The department's Undergraduate Education Committee has issued a set of principles that will guide the new program. Below are some of the basic principles to which we aspire currently in our undergraduate program. Your reactions are welcome.

• Student Responsibility for Learning: The responsibility for learning needs to be put back on the shoulders of the students. Since learning is an active process, students need to have the opportunity to engage in action, rather than merely listening to lectures. We need to break down the barriers between teaching and learning. If we do our job correctly, then everyone--students, teaching assistants, and faculty should be both teachers and learners.

• Active Learning and Research Skills: The undergraduate program needs to abandon the unrealizable expectation that we will teach students all (or even a small subset of) the facts. Instead, we must help students to develop competencies. We need to help students develop skills for critical thinking and action. We need to help students learn how to analyze problems. We need to engage students in learning research skills. We need to help students understand what counts as ethical behavior in society.

• Doing Sociology: Instead of only teaching about sociology, we need to engage students in doing sociology. Specifically, students--from the introductory course onwards--need to get involved in all forms of sociological research and practice. They need to be involved in learning how to create and interpret tables and figures, how to use spreadsheets and statistical packages to do quantitative analysis, how to design instruments and gather quantitative data through surveys, how to design, execute and participate in social psychological experiments, how to design and gather qualitative data through interviews and participant observation, how to use computer programs to analyze qualitative data, how to use Graphical Information Systems to understand the spatial aspects of social phenomena, how to do historical and bibliographic analysis in the library, how to do comparative analysis of regions, cities, nations, and last but not least, how to critically interpret the texts of sociological theory.

• Team Learning: In the non-academic world, group projects and reports are the norm. This demands skills such as the following: Ability to find and evaluate information; creating information by conducting research; public speaking and presentation skills; technical writing skills; ability to function effectively in a team project environment, and to exercise leadership and management skills within teams. Learning starts with "dialogue," the capacity to suspend assumptions and to "think together," and to engage in coordinated action. Team learning is vital, as sociologists know, because in the real world teams, not individuals, are the fundamental units of organizations and society.

• Computers: We are living in an age of computers. Every student should have general computer familiarity and should know how to use at least one word processor, one spreadsheet, and one database program. Students should also be able to use electronic communications effectively.

• Job Skills: We should collect and analyze information about what happens to current students when they finish the program and how our training could be improved. We need to know what kinds of skills and knowledge are appropriate and what kind of skills and knowledge would enhance their opportunities in the future. We also need to know more about the process students use in finding employment. In addition to molding our program in a way that makes our students competitive we can also hopefully educate placement services and potential employers.

• Life Skills: Besides preparing students for the world of work, we need to prepare them to lead a full and meaningful life. In addition to the liberal studies requirements of the university, the sociology program needs to expose majors to domestic issues of class, race, gender, international diversity, and different perspectives in viewing the world . Democracy requires citizens who have the intellectual skills and conviction necessary to participate publicly in making the many choices that confront us, in ways that will promote the common good. It depends on individuals who are able to discern truth from propaganda and common interests from partisan slogans. Democratic ethics should be a basic part of a sociological education. Students must be able to consider questions involving their own biases and prejudices and who actually benefits or will be hurt by a particular type of research or practice.

• The World as Classroom: Sociology classes should not be confined within the classroom walls. Participation in the local, national, and international community should be a basic part of the student's program. Education is a matter of experience, and learning involves active engagement between the individual and the world. The goal of the Program is to nurture natural, healthy growth through experience, and not to rely only on a limited, fragmented, predigested, textbook curriculum. Sociology education should link the learner to the wonders of the social world through direct experience. Sociology is more than reading books and taking tests. It involves connecting with society and working in it. Field trips, community service, internships, and other forms of experiential learning promote education and the sociological practice.

• Integrating Graduate and Undergraduate Education: We need to integrate undergraduate and graduate education more effectively. We should consider developing a teaching program for graduate students that would both help them develop teaching skills as well as provide undergraduates with a high quality experience as sociology majors.

The "general principles" of the undergraduate program are inevitably incomplete and will evolve over time. We must start with a vision, or picture, of what the overall program aspires to accomplish.