Teaching

When leaving the classroom, my students can critically analyze sociological processes influencing everyday life. I facilitate the cultivation of these skills by analyzing empirical examples during class and assigning independent qualitative field research. In my courses, I also use various forms of media, such as YouTube videos, articles, interviews, podcasts, and viral social media content, to illustrate how sociological concepts introduced through course readings emerge in empirical examples. After developing the skills in the classroom, I assign an ethnographic project which encourages students to observe situations in familiar environments to problematize the taken for granted and explain it anew from a sociological perspective.

Teaching Evaluations Overview

Introduction to Social Psychology Reviews

The overarching goal of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of social psychology and to stimulate an interest in ourselves, the world around us, and the connections between the two. This is a course about how we become who we are – how our selves are shaped by others, the groups we belong to, the social structures around us, and our interactions as social beings. Because interaction is a process between entities, a two-way street, the course is not only about how the world around us shapes who we are but also about the potential that we have to shape the world we live in.

Course Syllabus:

Van Ness, Justin. Introduction to Social Psychology. Fall 2016_Soc20722_2

Microsociology is concerned with human consciousness, agency, and social interaction. In this course, we will explore the intellectual history of the field of microsociology. Then we will dive deeply into social interaction, reviewing research on non-verbal communication, gestures, facial expressions, emotional displays, and the complexity of co-present interaction. We will then cover the study of emotions, cognition, conversation, motivation, the self. A wide range of audio and visual materials will be analyzed in class, including radio call-in shows, televised political debates, face-to-face violence, riots, and religious rituals.

Course Syllabus:

Van Ness, Justin. Microsociology. Course Syllabus.

This course introduces students to the sociological study of organizations. The goal of the course is to gain understandings of the origins, structure, and dynamics of organizations and their relationships to their environment. Organizations are everywhere, permeating our everyday life in seen and unseen ways. This course will provide a broad overview of the theoretical and empirical developments in the study of organizations. We will also take an in-depth look at a variety of empirical cases, ranging from organizations like Google and Apple, to elite consulting firms, your local microbreweries, and onto labor unions and social movement organizations.

Course Syllabus:

Van Ness, Justin. Sociology of Organizations. Syllabus.

This course introduces students to the sociological study of collective behavior, social movements, and protest. Through these three venues we will discuss the mechanisms and processes which generate social, cultural, and political change. By analyzing the main theoretical traditions and concepts, students will answer questions such as what are social movements? Under what conditions do social movements emerge, thrive, and decline? Why do some people but not others participate in activism? How do social movements spread? What is the relationship between collective action and repression? In what ways does social media influence activism? We will also emphasize the microsociological processes of culture, emotions, and identity. We will cover important cases such as the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, the Klu Klux Klan, LGBTQ movement, and theWomen’s Movement, among others.

Course Syllabus:

Van Ness, Justin. Social Movements and Collective Behavior. Syllabus.

This course introduces students to the sociological study of religion. We will first explore how classical sociological thinkers understood religion. Then, we will move onto areas such as recruitment, conversion, charisma, and ritual to build our analytic toolkit. Next, we will discuss new religious movements before beginning a case study on one of the most well-known UFO “cults” – Heaven’s Gate. Following an extensive case study, we will discuss areas such as religious extremism, holy terrorism, and martyrdom. We will close class by understanding the role of religion in social and cultural change, followed by a focus on paranormal beliefs, evangelicalism, and atheism. Through this course, a wide range of audio and visual materials will be analyzed in class, including radio call-in shows, mass conversions, televangelists, political debates, and an eclectic mix of religious beliefs and rituals.

Course Syllabus:

Van Ness, Justin. Sociology of Religion. Syllabus.