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In the interest of continuing the push toward understanding the status of sociology in high schools, this research note reports some results from the first national study of high school sociology to be carried out in more than 25 years. It is also only the second national study to ever be conducted. Specifically, the author examines the prevalence of sociology courses in American public high schools, as well as analyzes the importance of two predictors of sociology's existence: geographic region of the country and size of the student body. The author concludes with a discussion of the results and recommendations for future research. (Contains 2 tables and 2 footnotes.)

Many sociologists now seem to assume that most, if not all, sociology students enter statistics courses full of anxiety. The problem is that this assumption is based solely on anecdotal and informal evidence. The present study seeks to correct this problem. The author begins by examining the nature and quality of the evidence that sociologists have offered for the existence of statistics anxiety. He goes on to offer the first empirical assessment of the extent of sociology majors' anxiety. His results show that sociologists' assumption that an overwhelming majority of students are anxious is not quite accurate. They also demonstrate that females and students who expect lower course grades are significantly more likely to report feeling anxious on the first day of class. In conclusion, he outlines a research agenda for studying both the extent and causes of statistics anxiety, and possible treatment options for it. He also discusses three potential negative consequences for students of continuing to assume high levels of statistics anxiety among sociology majors. (Contains 3 tables and 5 footnotes.)

There has been renewed interest over the past 5 years among sociologists in empirically examining the status of sociology in high school. The few studies that have recently been conducted, however, have focused almost exclusively on high school sociology teachers. The nature and structure of the courses themselves have been largely ignored. Given the American Sociological Association's recent attempts to develop and implement an Advanced Placement course, it seems especially important to examine the characteristics of existing sociology courses. This paper uses the results of a national mail survey to describe and discuss three aspects of the nature and structure of a random sample of sociology courses that were offered during the 2005-06 school year: instructional materials and pedagogical resources, teaching techniques, and course content. I demonstrate that these aspects of the courses look remarkably similar across the country: Teachers rely overwhelmingly on standard introductory textbooks to structure their courses. They are also apt to utilize supplemental materials from textbook publishers and from newspapers and newsmagazines, and to use a combination of lecture and discussion in their sociology classes. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research.

Since academic sociology's birth in this country, sociologists have not been shy about publicly praising and ridiculing the discipline. Though sociologists have been the primary participants in the seemingly endless debates about sociology's proper subject matter, methods, and purpose, there is another group that has also struggled over the past 95 years to formulate a conception of the discipline--high school sociology teachers. At this point, we know virtually nothing about what the thousands of high school teachers who offer sociology each year, actually think about the discipline. This paper uses questionnaire and interview data collected from high school sociology teachers to examine their thoughts on four topics: (1) sociology's strengths, (2) its weaknesses, (3) whether high school students are capable of understanding the discipline, and (4) appropriate course objectives. The results indicate that high school teachers view sociology quite differently from academic sociologists, and that their conceptions are based primarily on "textbook sociology." I conclude by discussing the far-reaching implications of teachers' current thinking about the discipline.

The role that the American Sociological Association (ASA) has historically played in reforming high school sociology courses has been alternately apathetic, active, or antagonistic. Apathy marked the time period between 1905 and about 1960, and again during most of the 1970s and 1980s. The Association played a much more active role during the New Social Studies movement of the 1960s, and has also been actively involved since the late 1980s. But even in its activity, the ASA has been antagonistic toward high school courses and teachers. During the 1960s, and again since about 1989, the ASA has pushed solely for the teaching of sociology as a scientific discipline. This approach has proven problematic for two reasons. First, it directly contradicts the traditional objective of the social studies curriculum--citizenship education. Teachers are much more concerned about molding good citizens than exposing students to the nuances of scientific inquiry. Second, it ignores the well-documented fact that high school sociology teachers typically have little training in, exposure to, or experience with formal, academic sociology. For that reason, they have had great difficulty satisfying the demands made by academic reformers. I conclude that the ASA must address these two issues and several others if it is serious about improving secondary sociology courses.

This article reviews the documentary motion picture The Virgin Diaries. The Virgin Diaries opens with a conversation between a young Muslim woman named Fatiha and a Moroccan taxi driver. The motion picture has many shortcomings. The first problem is the narration, the narrator is not always able to censor her own attitude or behavior. Many things happen in the documentary that are not fully explained. The film provides very little context for understanding events and behavior as they occur. It is difficult for the viewer to understand fully why and how people act and speak. The lack of sociological analysis in the film is most obvious during interviews with various people in Morocco and the Sahara. The film is probably not a worthwhile addition to an introductory course. Too much background preparation and too many conceptual and substantive leaps would be required of the students. However, the film may be well used in upper-level courses. Students may have acquired some ability to analyze the action from a sociological perspective and some familiarity with the subject matter. It may be useful to send students away immediately after watching the film, with the task of formulating sociological questions about it.

This article reviews the documentary film Brotherhood of Hate. The film documents the life and crimes of Chevie Jehoe and the events leading up to the murder of the Mueller family. From a sociological standpoint, the film's most important contribution lies in its emphasis on the importance of socialization processes on a young man. The film provides an abundance of additional material for sociological exploration and analysis. The narrative deals with issues of crime and law, the Christian Identity and patriot movements, the social problems of violence and racism, and aspects of the family. The film is a fruitful teaching tool for a variety of courses, including criminology, social movements, introductory sociology, social problems, race, and the family. Because of its 55 minute running time, one might have to devote an entire class period to showing the film, and delay the discussion of it until the next class meeting. This may actually be a more effective approach, since it will give students some time to mull the film and to consider its sociological insights and significance. Brotherhood of Hate is a quality film recommended as a teaching tool for a variety of courses. However, the film contains some obscene language, and graphic scenes and descriptions of the murder of the Mueller family that may be objectionable to some students.