My primary teaching interests include introduction to sociology, classical theory, and various aspects of the sociology of religion, and I teach a First Year Seminar called "Sociology of Vocation." You can look at class photos of most of the classes I have taught.

I am also involved in various types of "secondary teaching," such as working with students on research fellowships, honors theses, and the like. Because this involvement is so important to me, I am especially proud to have won the Kulynych Family Omicron Delta Kappa Award for Contribution to Student Life in 2007.

I have been active in fostering what is called the "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning," through my service on the editorial board of the professional journal Teaching Sociology and through publications like my article "Course Preparation Assignments: A Strategy for Creating Discussion-Based Courses" in Teaching Sociology (July 2006)

COURSE INFORMATION

First Year Seminar 100: Sociology of Vocation (): This course is a sociological examination of the concept and practice of vocation. Vocation, understood from a Judeo-Christian perspective, is God’s call and plan for our lives and our response to that call. As Quakers say, vocation involves “letting your life speak.” Although it can be difficult to understand vocation without a religious dimension, we might provisionally say that from a secular perspective vocation is simply our understanding of and answer to the question: “What must I do with my life?” We will combine reflection on the concept of vocation and our sense of personal vocation with sociological analyses of the constraints we face in American society as we attempt to discern and realize our vocations in domains such as education, work, family, and public life.

Sociology 151: Principles of Sociology (course website): Sociologists like to watch people do things with and to one another, and then try to explain how and why they do them. We are the voyeurs of social life. This course invites students to become part of this sociological enterprise of observing and explaining the social world. It presumes no previous exposure to sociology as an academic discipline, though we all bring with us a life's worth of experiences of living in society and we will draw upon those experiences throughout the course.

Sociology 301/Religion 351: Sociology of Religion (course website): This course surveys the major developments in the sociological study of religion, beginning with it roots in Enlightenment thought and the work of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim and continuing through to current debates over religious growth and decline, contemporary spiritual transformations, and the reality of secularization. Along the way, we will examine the cultural and social structural factors that have transformed religion in modern society, especially the United States. We will examine these transformations at both the individual and organizational levels, and also explore the ways in which religion enters civil society and public life.

Sociology 302: Topics in Sociology of Religion (hope to offer in Spring 2011 or so): A more advanced course offered as a follow-up to Sociology 301. Topics vary, but could include "Sociology of Conversion," "Religion and Politics," or "Religion and Sport."

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