Course Type: Upper-level seminar
Institution: Bryn Mawr College
Semester Taught: Fall 2023
Enrollment: 15-20 students

Course Description

I designed and taught this course as a survey of several key theoretical approaches to micro-sociology, including symbolic interaction, dramaturgy, ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, and the phenomenology of the body. Later parts of the semester traced ways in which these microsociological approaches have enriched the study of meso-scale (networks, groups, organizations) and macro-scale (race, class, gender) sociological phenomena.

Course Structure

Module 1: Approaches to Micro-Sociology - Theoretical foundations and key concepts
Module 2: Micro-sociology meets Meso-Sociology - Applications to groups and organizations
Module 3: Micro-sociology meets Macro-sociology - Connections to structural phenomena

Pedagogical Approach

• Theory-to-practice connections: Students apply microsociological concepts to analyze everyday interactions
• Portfolio projects: Students explore how micro-level processes connect to larger social patterns
• Participatory learning: Students practice analyzing conversations and social interactions
• Cross-scale analysis: Examining how micro-processes aggregate to meso and macro levels

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understanding foundational theories of micro-sociology
• Ability to analyze face-to-face interactions using sociological frameworks
• Recognition of how micro-processes connect to larger social structures
• Application of conversation analysis and ethnomethodological approaches
• Critical thinking about the relationship between individual agency and social structure

Assessment

Students engage in portfolio-based learning that allows them to explore connections between micro-sociological theory and their own areas of interest within sociology.

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Header image: Courtesy of Royal Academy of Arts. Used for educational purposes.