Teaching Page

Electronic Syllabi

Texas Tech University

Spring 2007 SOC 1301-008 Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2007 SOC 1301-012 Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2007 SOC 4311-001 Sociology and the Person
Fall 2006 SOC 5320 Social Psychology: Symbolic Interactionism.
Fall 2006 SOC -1301-005 Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2006 SOC -4327-001 Juvenile Delinquency

Université Paris X - Nanterre

Fall 2007 ePublising http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/schneider2/ePublishing/ePublishing.htm

Texas Tech University original WWW postings removed:

Spring 2006 SOC 1301 Sections 7&8 Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2006 SOC 4311 Sociology and the Person
Fall 2005 SOC -1301-005 Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2005 SOC -4327-001 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 2005 SOC -5325-001 Seminar in Deviant Behavior (link provided)
Spring 2004 SOC 1301 Sections 7&8 Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2004 SOC 4311 Sociology and the Person
Fall 2003 SOC 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 2003 SOC 5325 Seminar in Deviance
Spring 2003 SOC 4311 Sociology and the Person
Spring 2003 SOC 1301 Sections 7&8 Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2002 SOC 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 2002 SOC 5320 Social Psychology: Symbolic Interactionism
Spring 2002 SOC 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 7 & 8
Spring 2002 SOC 4311 Sociology and the Person
Fall 2001 Sociology 5325 Graduate Seminar in Deviance
Fall 2001 SOC 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Spring 2001 Soc 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 7 & 8
Spring 2001 Soc 4311 Sociology and the Person
Fall 2000 SOC 5320 Social Psychology: Symbolic Interactionism
Fall 2000 SOC 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 2000 IS 1100 Freshman Seminar
Spring 2000 Soc 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 7 & 8
Spring 2000 Soc 4311 Sociology and the Person
Fall 1999 Sociology 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 5 & 6
Fall 1999 Sociology 5325 Graduate Seminar in Deviance
Fall 1999 IS-1100 Freshpeople Seminar
Spring 1999 Sociology 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 7 & 8
Spring 1999 Sociology 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 1998 Sociology 5332 Graduate Seminar in Social Psychology: Symbolic Interactionism
Fall 1998 Sociology 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 5 & 6
Spring 1998 Sociology 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 7 & 8
Spring 1998 Sociology 4327 Juvenile Delinquency
Fall 1997 Sociology 1301 Introduction to Sociology Sec 1 & 5
Fall 1997 Sociology 4311 Sociology and the Person

Indiana University

S230 Society and the Individual Spring 1997

S325 Criminology Fall 1996.

S320 Deviant Behavior and Social Control Summer II 1996.

S320 Deviant Behavior and Social Control Spring 1996.

S320 Deviant Behavior and Social Control Fall 1995.

S320 Deviant Behavior and Social Control Summer 1995.

Quantitative Methods.

Micro-Macro Interdependence and the Simulation of Interaction: A Practical Application.

Teaching Ethics and Teaching Experience

My Personal Teaching Ethics

Written guidelines of ethical behavior are binding regulations. I see it as an important aspect of good citizenship behavior to participate in a democratic process that establishes these regulations. However, personal ethics concern extra contractual behavior and, therefore, clearly go beyond institutional regulations. For that reason I see formal regulations as ineffective in the promotion of ethical behavior.

My approach to ethics depends on the morality of the individual who is the sole judge of her own behavior. This is different from an approach where a recipient, or an agency representing the interest of the recipient, creates "ethical" regulations imposed on the actor. My form of ethical thinking is deeply rooted in Kant's idea that moral law cannot be justified by reason, but can only be obeyed for its own sake. Reason is the principle by which policies and regulations for rational bureaucratic organizations are built. Moral action can only be motivated by personal duty and not by institutional reward structure. Owing to these inherit shortcomings of institutional control mechanisms in matters of ethics, teaching ethically is an important task left to the individual.

In this spirit of self-responsibility I see my teaching as leadership by example. I try to demonstrate to students that there is a self-rewarding system of ethical behavior. This philosophy does not restrict myself to be the only model -- quite on the contrary -- others, and especially students, should be encouraged to serve as examples. The encouragement of students to be their own moral judges is a critical mission for me as a teacher. Not claiming a moral monopoly, but instead holding and respecting personal moral values led my students to express very positive remarks about my ability to present and respect a multitude of different standpoints.

Humor is another important aspect of teaching. When the humoristic effect is shared by the audience, then humor becomes an important teaching tool for three major reasons: to motivate the class, to demonstrate abstract thinking and to reveal the nature of social relations. Most teachers are aware of the instrumental use of humor: to "wake up" the class. I go beyond this aspect of humor. Humor is an art of seemingly irrelevant transfer; as such it is an important tool to demonstrate abstract and critical thinking. In sociology humor has an important aspect that was already shown in the 14th century by Till Eulenspiegel. Legends of this medieval jester describe how humor can reveal the mirror that reflects the underlying nature of social relations. This mirror serves as a powerful teaching tool. If this tool is institutionally prescribed, it can only appear as grotesque. Just as personal ethics, humor is an extra-contractual component that has to be implemented by a self responsible person.

Teaching Experiences

Since 1995, I developed 38 electronic syllabi for the World Wide Web. This method of Internet based teaching was widely copied. Copying of good ideas was the basic principle that developed the Internet. I also received formal requests for permission to copy my method from institutions. We do not earn copyrights on teaching techniques, but documentation of my innovation is provided by national and international awards, professional presentations and one publication. Today, the electronic syllabus is a standard teaching tool on the Internet.

Committed to excellence in teaching, I used the student evaluation forms of Indiana University as additional information about the perception of my teaching. Student evaluation forms used until Spring 2001 at TTU basically inquired the attractiveness of the instructor with three questions. These evaluations did not provide helpful feedback for the instructor. In addition, since dissimilarity is generally stigmatized, it discriminated against the diversity that I add to the TTU faculty. I offered my constructive critique and, finally, an evaluation form very similar to the one I used was adapted at TTU.

As a teacher known to be able to connect to our young incoming students and to promote independent thinking, I was suggested teaching the freshman seminar IS1100.

Although I already received intensive training in pedagogy and class management at Indiana University, I appreciated the additional training that we receive on the Junction Campus for the freshman seminar. This was one of the occasions where I presented modern teaching tools to TTU faculty.

I did not contribute to grade inflation but maintained high standards of achievement. In five years, this dedication led to one accepted publication in a refereed journal coauthored by one of my graduate students. Another manuscript with a graduate student as a coauthor is currently under review. Two papers of a graduate student were just accepted at our national association meeting for presentation. One paper I am first author and on the other paper second author. Forced to select one, I opted for the paper where the student is first author. This will be more prestigious for the students who will use the national meeting for meeting the representatives of Ph.D. programs. I also mentored the an undergraduate student who just submitted the product of our independent study class as his single authored manuscript to one of the most widely read peer reviewed journals in sociology.

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Disclaimer: The documents linked to other sources on the WWW, others than http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider/ and its subdirectories, do not necessarily express the views of Texas Tech University or Dr. Andreas Schneider. @Copyright 2002 Andreas Schneider