Navigating the Age of Crisis: Exploring the Pathway to Engaged Pedagogy for the Transformative Learning Environment

ABSTRACT

Pedagogy for the future: sociology, innovation, and the classroom, a special issue of Sociological Focus takes readers on a journey of self-reflection, research, and dialogue about the importance of teaching sociology in the wake of polarization, crisis, and fear. In times of crisis sociology is uniquely positioned to help us think more critically about the world. Teaching while in crisis taught us to be more responsive to the various needs of students, administrators, universities, colleagues, our families, and our needs as teacher-scholars. This special issue walks us through lessons learned during an era of “crisis teaching.” Our call to action? How can we be better teacher-scholars? The future of sociology in the classroom is through engaged pedagogy, which transforms the learning environment. This article lays the foundation for readers to grapple with pedagogical challenges related to pandemic teaching, polarization, the attack of sociology as a discipline, and the systemic challenges that come with teaching in the age of crisis. Furthermore, this article builds a roadmap to engaged pedagogy designed to transform sociology classrooms of the future.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tamika Odum

Tamika Odum PhD, is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati. Her teaching expertise includes a variety of sociology courses, including but not limited to Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Race, Sociology of Sex and Sexuality, Gender and Society, Sociology of the Family, and Health, Medicine and Society. Her research focus includes medical sociology, more specifically reproductive health disparities among poor women and women of color, and structures of inequality.

Gregory Kordsmeier

Gregory T. Kordsmeier, PhD, is director of the Institute for Learning and Teaching Excellence and a professor of sociology at Indiana University Southeast. He is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the John F. Schnabel Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award from the North Central Sociological Association. He served as the editor of TRAILS, the ASA’s Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. His research includes best practices for using podcasts as teaching tools and interventions to better engage the cultural capital of first-generation college students and increase their success and retention.