Steven Michael Gaddis
Ph.D. Student
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Sociology
Teaching:
Sociology 101 - Sociological Perspectives
Taught during Summer 2009, Spring 2010
One of my main goals for this course is to introduce students to sociological topics and concepts in a way that also allows them to connect what they learn in class with their own lives. Previous book assignments have included Griffin's Black Like Me, Ritzer's The McDonaldization of Society, and Gladwell's Outliers.
Sociology 122 - Race and Ethnic Relations
Taught during Fall 2010
Sociology 251 - Measurement and Data Collection
Taught during Fall 2009, Summer 2010
I really enjoy teaching students the basics of research methods. I try to incorporate many hands-on activities to encourage active learning. I also connect the material to applications in real world jobs outside academia.
Selected comments about my teaching and courses
From my Sociology 101 students:
"The format of this course was, by far, one of the best I have experienced here at Carolina. Each topic, and the assignments that went with them, was concise and helped me to learn the material. Overall, this is a great class!"
"I came into this class hating group work, now I can appreciate it."
"I thought you did a great job providing relevant examples that were important to students."
"My writing is much improved after taking this class."
"I've had a lot of teachers over the years, and your obvious enthusiasm for teaching was fantastic. I enjoyed the class!"
From my Sociology 251 students:
"I really enjoy this course. Your teaching style is enjoyable and I feel as though I am learning a lot."
"Awesome class! Awesome teacher! I really expected this class to be boring but you made it good."
"Only 8:00 class I've ever liked, which is especially interesting as I thought this class would be a drag."