Creating the Sociological Imagination on the First Day of Class: The Social Construction of Deviance

Abstract

The first day of class is crucial in setting the tone for the rest of the semester (Dorn 1987; Riffer 1983; Weimer 1989). This paper describes an exercise that we use on the first day of our courses in the sociology of deviance and in introductory sociology. Four objectives are sought in the initial meeting. The first two are the answers to two questions suggested by Dorn (1987): "What are we doing here together?" and "What is the sociological substance of the course?" In answer to the first question, students should know what they will be able to do by the end of the course. To this end, we give them an overview of things to come that will enable them to place course material in an appropriate context. To address Dorn's second question, we expose students to a major sociological concept, the social construction of reality. They experience firsthand the insights and the usefulness of the concept before they have had time to read and discuss any of the course material. The exercise uses lay language and experiences already familiar to students. The third objective is to show students the power of the sociological imagination in understanding their social world.

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