Trails: The ASA's Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology

02/25/2025

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/crime-and-criminology

02/18/2025

In this syllabus, Sheri-Lynn Kurisu invites students to exercise their sociological imaginations by using the lens of a zombie apocalypse to critically examine social institutions and social structures.
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/zombie-sociology

02/11/2025

What is My TRAILS?
TRAILS subscribers each have a personalized page called "My TRAILS." This page allows you to see how many days are left on your subscription and track resources you’ve submitted for publication as they move through the editorial process. If you are an ASA member, you will also be able to see the newest featured resources in the areas of interest you specified on your ASA Membership Information Form.

02/04/2025

Jacqueline Zalewski created "Verbal Social Media Posts Assignment" to get students to reflect on and discuss current social issues in a conversational “town hall” format. The assignment is designed to strengthen students’ sociological perspective and critical thinking skills.
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/verbal-social-media-posts-assignment

01/28/2025

What is TRAILS?
TRAILS utilizes peer-review for selecting effective pedagogical content as reflected in the submission acceptance criteria. The database includes assignments, assessments, essays, class activities, syllabi, and multimedia files on a broad range of sociological topics. Each resource in TRAILS is accompanied by learning goals and goals assessments to help users understand the purpose of the teaching resource and gather evidence about its effectiveness. https://trails.asanet.org/about

01/21/2025

In this activity, Angel Navarro and Kristen Discola utilize an online discussion board to enhance students' understanding of how social positions influence individual interpretation. Students analyze a single image from the perspectives of two contrasting social categories, fostering perspective-taking and the sociological imagination. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/shifting-lenses-invoking-the-sociological

01/14/2025

In this activity, Zach Rubin has students create or are assign them to “families” tasked with creating a budget that allows them to either survive, or thrive, based on their family income. This is updated from Dr. Tracy Ore’s “Life Happens” activity (2015).
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/life-still-happens

01/09/2025

Today would be a good day to add climate change to your spring sociology course. Here are some resources to help:

The climate crisis is a major contemporary problem that affects all of us. Some of us are teaching in places seeing direct impacts via more extreme "natural" disasters. While others may be located in places where the impacts are less direct or obvious. Regardless, sociology instructors should strive...

01/07/2025

TRAILS turns 15 this year! In celebration we will make posts reviewing what TRAILS is all about and how to get involved!
First, what is TRAILS? The Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS) is an online, searchable database that aids in the creation and dissemination of peer-reviewed teaching resources. It facilitates instructors’ ability to update teaching materials with new empirical and theoretical advances in the discipline and it provides access to cutting-edge innovations in teaching and learning. TRAILS’ development rests on the philosophy that good teachers are not born; people can learn to be good teachers if they have access to effective teaching techniques and materials. https://trails.asanet.org/about

12/31/2024

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/career-readiness-and-getting-jobs

12/24/2024

Happy Holidays!
Here are some resources relating to the holidays times and consumer behaviors.

In this class activity, Marybeth C. Stalp demonstrates how holidays are gendered in both expected and unexpected ways.
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/gender-family-and-us-holidays

In this syllabus, Jan Phillips provides an opportunity to, collaboratively, examine the place of goods and commodities in social life, moving beyond the narrow economic aspects of purchasing consumptive items to exploring the value of activities surrounding these goods for sociability, identity formation, and political-cultural expression.
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/sbs-399-this-consuming-life-culture-and

In this syllabus, Lisa Peñaloza develops student understanding of consumer and organizational buyer behavior.
https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/mktg-3250-buyer-behavior

12/17/2024

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/using-fiction-in-the-classroom

12/16/2024

We are still accepting applications for new editorial board members.

Want to support teaching and learning at ASA? Join the TRAILS Editorial Board. ASA is now accepting applications for Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS) editors. Review submissions and mentor authors through the publication process! TRAILS editors are a crucial to ASA’s commitment to promoting innovative teaching techniques and developing sociology teachers. Applications are due December 2, 2024. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3uKmr4a.

12/10/2024

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/22

12/03/2024

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/a-sociologica-ear-listening-and

11/26/2024

https://trails.asanet.org/issue/view/community-engagement

11/25/2024

ASA TRAILS is now also on Bluesky:

The Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS) is an online searchable database that aids in the creation and dissemination of peer-reviewed teaching resources. It is managed by the American Sociological Assocation. trails.asanet.org