Active and Collaborative Learning in an Undergraduate Sociological Theory Course.” Teaching Sociology 38(3):197–206

In this article, the author describes the use of active and collaborative learning strategies in an undergraduate sociological theory course. A semester-long ethnographic project is the foundation for the course; both indi-vidual and group participation contribute to the learning process. Assessment findings indicate that students are able, through application of theoretical concepts to field observations, to connect theory to the ‘‘real world’ ’ and see the link between theory and methods. Furthermore, students report that they believe the field experience and group interactions are more beneficial to their learning experience than traditional lec-ture alone. Keywords sociological theory, active learning, collaborative learning Many sociology students express frustration with theory and theoretical writing and feel the concepts are somehow above the ‘‘real world.’ ’ Theoretical ideas are cited as being too abstract and generally archaic, lacking relevance to students ’ lives an