2010-2011 Grant Proposals

Patricia Leavy
Eastern Sociological Society Conference
Pedagogy Travel Grant

Project
The funds will purchase travel to and participation in the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) Conference that will be held February 24-27, 2011 in Philadelphia. My regular academic development funds will have already be used for travel to a regional conference, as well as maintaining my professional memberships so in order to attend this event on pedagogy I need these funds.

These meetings contain the largest number of sociology pedagogy sessions and workshops at any regional conference. I want to attend sessions that will enhance my teaching of both department requirements as well as my elective courses. I plan to fill my time at the conference attending two kinds of sessions.

First, this conference hosts a very extensive range of sessions on sociological theory. I would like to attend several sessions on teaching sociological theory including "new voices in theory". I have been responsible for teaching my department's required theory course to minors and majors every semester for the eight years I have been at Stonehill. Therefore, this is a large part of my departmental teaching. Like most faculty, I have not taken a theory course since the beginning of graduate school. I want to attend sessions that will teach update me with respect to both content and pedagogical approaches to teaching theory. This will directly benefit 50 Stonehill students per year.

Second, I would like to attend sessions on innovative approaches to teaching sociology. I have a sustained commitment to keeping my teaching fresh (as evidenced by consistent participation in teaching conferences as well as a teaching and learning strategies seminar). In particular I would like to attend sessions on teaching intersectionality (which will impact students in my elective gender and popular culture courses), expanding the boundaries of curriculum (including how moves towards public sociology impacts the teaching of sociology and how globalization can be incorporated into sociological teaching), challenges and opportunities in teaching sociology (including innovative approaches to teaching methods, which I am also responsible for each semester in my department) and a seminar on creative pedagogy.

Benefit
My participation in this conference will benefit my teaching. As noted above, I am specifically interested in updating my sociological theory course which serves all sociology minors and majors. I hope to update my syllabus according to new learning. I am also interested in attending a range of sessions that will give me new teaching tools for all of my courses. Sociology is growing and changing rapidly due to theoretical developments, globalization, and moves towards public sociology and community engagement. I want to stay on top of these changes in the classroom. Attending this conference will assist me.

Community Outreach Plan
In addition to revising my course syllabi for the benefit of my students, I share my learning with my department during a department meeting.

Budget: $750
Membership/registration fees: $115.
Hotel (for 3 nights with conference rate) $585
Travel: $50