PRACTICING RADICAL PEDAGOGY - BALANCING IDEALS WITH INSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS

Radical pedagogy requires adopting alternative grading practices, cult ivating classroom dialogue, relegating, considerable power to students , and promoting social activism as parr of class expectations. An over view of ''Teaching Sociology'' indicates that probably only a small mi nority of sociology teachers fully practice radical pedagogy. it is ar gued that college professors are free to teach radical theory, but tha t radical pedagogy is hindered by institutional constraints. The drama turgical perspective is used to highlight same of the implications of different strategies radically inclined teachers may adopt in order to resolve the competing demands of their institutions and philosophical leanings, it is concluded that radically inclined teachers and their students may benefit from balancing and tempering their commitment to radical pedagogy within the confines imposed by their institutions.