Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Sociological Focus

For a Special Issue on
Pedagogy for the Future: Sociology, Innovation, and the Classroom

We have lived in a world permeated with polarization, crisis, fear, and uncertainly.  From one of the most tumultuous elections of our time to living through a global pandemic there is no question that we have changed as a nation and as scholars. As we begin to emerge with a shared sense of responsibility to shaping the lives of those around us, it is important that we create space for dialogue that ignites our intellectual curiosity and encourages our collective voice. This special issue will focus on the ways in which scholars have turned crisis into an opportunity to transform our classroom and develop future leaders.

Sociological Focus invites papers for a special issue entitled Pedagogy for the Future: Sociology, Innovation, and the Classroom. The goal of this special issue is to feature cutting edge scholarship that explores innovative pedagogies, curriculum development, and assessment practices designed to meet the needs of our changing student population and the world, using what we have learned teaching in the “age of crisis” to inform our work. Topics for this special issue could include, teaching Generation Z, how teaching sociology has changed over the last decade, technology in the classroom, teaching sociology in an increasingly polarized society and more. The goal of this special issue is to center sociology as a tool for transformative learning.

Thematic Focus
We are particularly interested in submissions that focus on the transformative classroom. The very foundation of sociology is positioned to ignite students’ curiosity and transform students into the leaders of our future. But how? Sociology offers students tools for understanding a rapidly changing world. How do we ensure that students get those tools? Sociology itself can be a powerful tool in the hands of educators to reimagine their classrooms and radically transform higher education. How have educators done just that? The articles in this special issue will cumulate scholarship that will foster discussion around transformative sociology in the classroom. We encourage articles grounded in sociology and/or interdisciplinary scholarship that uses sociology as a guiding discipline.

Suggested Topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Lesson learned: Teaching in the age of COVID
• Teaching generation Z
• The changing face of sociology
• Technology in the classroom
• Facilitating difficult conversations in the classroom
• Teaching underprepared students
• Assessment in sociology courses
• Community engagement in the classroom
• Inclusive learning environments
• Post Roe: Implications for the classroom
• Educational learning environments/Institutional challenges (online, in-person, HBCUs, community colleges, private and public, higher education politics)
• Public sociology in the classroom
• "Doing sociology" in the classroom
• Activism and change in the classroom
• Demographic cliff - what does it mean?
• Other topics related to transformative learning environments

Submission Type

Authors may choose to submit a manuscript in one of the following formats: original research article, critical commentary/review, or teaching resource.

Original Research Article

Original research articles should not exceed 4000 words and include the following sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion; acknowledgments; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s).

Critical Commentary/Review

Critical commentaries/reviews are designed to be shorter pieces, no more than 1000 words, that focus on topical ideas related to transformative teaching. Here scholars would evaluate teaching practices, tools and/or resources for effectiveness including what was done well and how it can be improved. Examples of resources to evaluate include books, articles, films or other teaching resources. Authors should be sure to include how improvements have been informed by recent transformative events in our world such as the political climate, covid or technology, to name a few. In addition, critical commentaries/reviews could be structured as an essay designed to help us think more critically about pedagogical practices.

Teaching Resource

Teaching resources are designed to help instructors strengthen the classroom and should implore active learning principles. Submission should be no more than 2000 words and include the following sections: introduction/summary of teaching resource, learning objectives, detailed explanation of learning resource, assessments and references. Teaching resources could include but are not limited to: In-class activities, online learning modules, film discussions and more.

To be considered for inclusion in this special issue we invite authors to submit an abstract of 500 words or less summarizing what your proposed submission would encompass. Please be sure to indicate the submission type as a heading.

• Abstracts are due October 1, 2022
• Authors will be notified of their submission status by November 1, 2022
• Invited abstracts will be asked to provide full papers by February 15, 2023

Please send all inquiries and abstracts for review to: [email protected]

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article