Address: Where Are We and How Did We Get Here? A Brief Examination of the Past, Present, and Future of the Teaching and Learning Movement in Sociology

The teaching and learning movement in sociology in general and within the American Sociological Association specifically has a surprisingly long history. This history can be divided into three periods of activity: early efforts (1905 to 1960), innovation and implementation (1960 to 1980), and the institution-alization of gains (1980 to 2009). Beginning in the first period, sociologists interested in teaching and learn-ing focused cycles of attention on the introductory sociology course in higher education, high school sociology courses, and the formation of sections within the American Sociological Association. Hans Mauksch led a period of significant innovation in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of those gains were then insti-tutionalized under the leadership of Carla Howery beginning in the 1980s. Publication related to teaching and learning, which was once spread throughout numerous outlets has, over time, become focused in Teaching Sociology. This article presents an investigation of the past and present of the teaching and learning movement in sociology and offers some suggested direction for the movement’s future