8/18 SOCI250: Sociological Theory Notes Day 1

Instructor: Jacob Connolly, a graduate teaching fellow (not a professor) and a PhD student who is almost done.
This is his third time teaching sociological theory.
He emphasizes continual improvement: each class could be improved from the last iteration, and he iterates in the next run.

The course is at Ohio State with around $60$ students on the lower end for this class.
The icebreaker is expected to take up the entire first class.
On Wednesday, they will discuss the actual course structure and what theory is; this discussion is expected to take the entire class.

He is from Cleveland, Ohio and references an Ohio context in the room.
He notes that some lines about the flag are playful; he clarifies that the flag idea was not meant literally.
He asks if there are Ohioans in the room.
He mentions his sister's partner from Ohio; there is some playful miscommunication about family relations in the example (sister's sister's boyfriend from Ohio).
Ohio is described as the ninth most populous state.

Official title: graduate teaching fellow; not a professor.
He says you can call him Jacob; calling him Professor Connolly is fine but not necessary. He prefers not to be called professor in casual settings.
He jokes that emailing Professor Jacob would be the worst of both worlds.
He is not a doctor; he is a PhD student.

Undergraduate research on right-wing social movements and misogynistic subculture online.
Master’s thesis on social movement organizations and the factors that lead them to partner with certain partners over others.
Dissertation topic: environmental policy in cities in relation to climate change.

He has taught sociological theory before and aims to improve with each iteration.
He plans to tailor the course to how students learn and what they are interested in.
He will discuss what theory is and what the course will cover; this will be addressed in the upcoming class.

Attendance will be input today; there will be an attendance grade, but he says to ignore that grade.
Attendance tracking is acknowledged as structured but the grade should be ignored in practice.

He asks students to share their preferred icebreaker question and to provide their own answer to the same question.
He asks, Where should we start?
He uses this process to gauge preferences and engagement.

He admits he is not great with names but will try to learn them over the next weeks.
Students are asked to correct him if he mispronounces their name.

He shares informal anecdotes about best friends spelling things a certain way, miscommunications, and casual campus conversations.
He mentions a conversation about favorite places to eat in EW and a moment about potentially switching majors after sociology classes in community college.
He gives a few casual lines from a hypothetical student dialogue (Josh), illustrating typical student conversations about daily life and purchases (e.g., buying shoes) to illustrate student interactions.

The course will begin with an icebreaker that fills much of the first class, followed by a deeper dive into the course structure on Wednesday.
The instructor emphasizes learning preferences and active engagement as key to successful learning.
Be prepared to discuss your preferred question and your own answer, as this will shape how the course proceeds.

Class size (lower end): $60$ students
Time in the doctoral program: $6$ th year
Number reference about Ohio population ranking: $9^{\text{th}}$ most populous state
Number of times teaching theory (so far): $3$ times

Emphasis on tailoring teaching to student learning implies a commitment to accessible pedagogy and inclusive practices.
Acknowledgment of potential misalignment between attendance metrics and learning outcomes reflects a pragmatic approach to grading and assessment.
The icebreaker structure promotes transparency, student voice, and mutual understanding as foundational to the learning environment.