SOCIOLOGY AND A PEDAGOGY FOR LIBERATION - CULTIVATING A DIALOGUE OF DISCERNMENT IN OUR CLASSROOMS

This paper is based on the modest claim that teaching sociological con cepts and theories can and should be a liberating experience for stude nts and leachers. To support this claim, I address two basic questions : Why is it important that sociology teachers be concerned with develo ping a pedagogy for liberation? and How can we teach sociology in ways that are liberating for students and instructors? To address these qu estions meaningfully teachers must first understand why and how we our selves connect with certain concepts and perspectives. Moreover, we mu st be willing and able to communicate this understanding in ways that challenge and engage our students. The discussion includes examples sh owing how I attempt to engage students with a sense of the social cons tructedness of their lives.