Suchergebnisse

In 2004 Wright et al. issued a challenge to sociologists, to examine 'the effect of the structure of the academy on teaching and learning outcomes' (2004: 155). In this paper I take up this challenge, beginning with a short overview of the changing Irish higher education context, highlighting three macro level changes that currently impact on teaching sociology in Ireland. I argue that such a structural lens is essential to our understanding of the meso (institutional and disciplinary) levels of teaching sociology. I argue a nascent 'teaching and learning movement' in Irish sociology may be emerging. A number of factors that have facilitated this are identified. However even a quick glance at Irish higher education also reveals contradictions and conflicts which threaten this movement before it is even established, including worsening staff-student ratios, increased casualisation of teaching and the neo-liberal turn. The paper concludes with a call for more sociologically informed work both on teaching and learning in Irish higher education, and on teaching sociology. This would enable more informed involvement in critical debates around teaching excellence at the national and institutional levels. It would also make public pedagogies currently in use for teaching sociology in Ireland.

AbstractIt can be argued that the Irish workforce has been revolutionised over the past 25 years, as married women entered the world of paid work in increasing numbers, bolstering the female participation rate. There have also been changes in gender roles and gender role attitudes over the period. This review will present sociological research analysing this major social change, including research that places the Irish case in a comparative European and international context. The review will mirror the main foci of the field, paying particular attention to research on gender role attitudes, occupational segregation and unpaid work. The gendering of the Irish workforce has been a complex and uneven process, involving continuities as well as changes. Overall, the sexual division of labour remains a key feature of paid and unpaid work in Ireland, and the concept has considerable explanatory power in relation to persistent gender inequalities.

This article reports on an Irish study that examines the teaching of large, introductory-level sociology courses at a research-intensive university. The study's aim was to ameliorate some of the problems associated with large classes by applying key lessons from the U.S. literature to an Irish setting. Overall, the initiative was successful; attendance improved, student evaluations were positive, and the numbers of students continuing with sociology increased. The study illustrates that these lessons can be applied successfully in countries with a broadly similar sociology curriculum and suggests that there is scope to extend what Howard (2010) calls "the teaching and learning movement in sociology" beyond the United States. The results indicate that simple changes lead to gains in student learning. There is therefore a value in sociologists exploring the transferability of other techniques that may be applicable to the Irish classroom.

This article focuses on callers' experiences of participating on a tabloid talk radio show. The performative dimension of calling was found to be central. This is an aspect of participation on talk radio shows that has been largely neglected by previous studies. Callers have concerns about how they manage their self-presentation on-air. They are aware of both the host and the listening audience, and try to control the impression they 'give off'. Callers to The Gerry Ryan Show are central players who, together with the host and the production team, contribute to the staging of debate in this on-air forum. Concerns about performance were found to be secondary for those who rang the show with a problem. These callers tended to prioritize instrumental goals such as problem-solving or support-seeking.

In this study we explore how absence from sociology classes is understood by undergraduate students at University College Dublin. The authors use Scott and Lyman's (1968) concept of accounts to explore absence sociologically. Drawing on data generated via focus groups, an open-ended questionnaire, and an online survey with students, we outline the different excuses and justifications for missing classes used by students and present their understanding of attendance at classes as an optional feature of student life. Individual students' attendance differed across courses, throwing doubt on the usefulness of individual-level frameworks for understanding attendance. We argue that decisions to attend are influenced by a variety of contextual issues, including knowledge of legitimate accounts for the setting, pedagogic approaches in use, and students' perceptions of the usefulness of classes. We conclude that to counter the trend of declining attendance and enhance student learning, it is important to better understand how both local norms, values, curriculum design, and assessment practices combine to facilitate students' absences. Focusing on accounts allows us to better understand student absence rather than accepting this as an inevitable feature of contemporary student behavior about which nothing much can be done.