We offer suggestions here for learning activities to deliver the learning outcomes (LOs) identified in the curriculum element sections, along with details of a related formative assessment and the LOs addressed
Knowledge
By the third year of an undergraduate degree, students will have been exposed to many of the concepts, theories and perspectives relevant to applied sociology. This module can provide a helpful revision of these.
| Activity | Formative Assessment | LOs |
| Students are allocated specific concepts, perspectives or theories from the list in Annex A. They research these to provide:
a) a one-sentence definition; b) an example of how the concept or theory might be used in a specific applied sociology situation. |
Students present their answers to class-mates, and the combined work is used to create a master resource for the class to use during the module. | K5 – K10 |
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Students are given a case study of an applied sociology problem and asked to identify the concepts, theories etc that are relevant to addressing this problem, with an explanation for the relevance of each. |
Short report.
Presentation to class. |
K6 – K10 |
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Students are given a case study of an applied sociology problem and asked to discuss the issues in applying sociological knowledge to address this problem practically (including using research to assess the problem). |
Written report.
|
K1 – 4; K11 |
Skills
Skills are by their nature not capacities learnt from a book or in a classroom, but through practice. Many skills will only be fully acquired after working as an applied sociologist. We therefore need to differentiate between activities that increase awareness of and applied sociology skill-set and those that provide practical opportunities to acquire or refine skills. See also suggestions under ‘practice’ below.
| Activity | Formative Assessment | LOs |
| Students work in small groups to identify the range of skills needed to work as an applied sociologist (divide into generic, professional and specific skills.) | Presentation to group | S1, 3, 5, 7 |
| Short classroom tasks to practice generic reading, writing, critical thinking, communication, group work skills. | Peer assessment | S2 |
| Students work individually to identify their current level of skill for the skill-set, develop a training needs analysis, and identify what are their CPD needs. | Training needs analysis | S7 |
Employment, Careers and Ethics
| Activity | Formative Assessment | LOs |
| Use knowledge and theory from sociology of work to consider work models and careers in applied sociology. | Essay | E1-3 |
| Students develop a Gantt chart to map a potential career as an applied sociologist, and identify the training needs associated with this career trajectory. | Presentation and discussion in class. | E4-7 |
| Students work in groups to discuss the ethical issues associated with case studies of organizational situations and problems which may be addressed by applied sociologists. | Report | E8-10 |
Practice
A practical component could range from classroom activities to an extended placement. s in local organisations or companies, where students will have an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge in relation to problems or situations in ‘real world’ settings. Conceivably the entirety of this module could be organised as a practical placement/internship, with the learning objectives in the previous sections all being assessed via a placement report. The practical element can be assessed by means of a report, with or without a reflective component (see Assessment section below).
| Activity | Formative Assessment | LOs |
| Students attached to an organisation for a period of days or weeks, to learn about workplace issues. Dual supervision by course tutor and a supervisor from the organisation. Students supported to use sociological theory etc to discuss possible resolutions of organisational situations with workplace supervisor. | Written report and oral presentation to class. | K10; S2,4,6; P1-6; E8-10 |
| Students work on or off-campus in an organisation, shadowing a practitioner and undertaking allocated tasks. | Report on work of a practitioner. | P3-6 |
| Students visit an organisation or business and interview a key member of staff to learn about the kinds of issues that arise. | Report selecting one issue and discussing how an applied sociologist might address the situation. | S2, 4; P5-6 |
| Students identify a social issue (e.g. gender inequalities in a profession or level of management). After library research, they visit an organisation for two days to interview staff and observe how this issue affects a particular organisation. | Report analysing the situation, what needs to change, resources and recommendations. | S2, 4; P1-5 |
| Following library research on a topic, students use role play during a class to explore a situation in an organisation. | Class discussion of knowledge, skills and practical issues of working as an applied sociologist. | P1-4, 6 |
| Students establish a professional profile on LinkedIn or other social networking site. | Class demonstration of profile. | P7 |