Sociology of Globalization - SOC 164
Sociology of Globalization - SOC 164
Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course
Common Course ID: SOC 164 - Sociology of Globalization
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait
Abstract: This open textbook exercise is being utilized in a sociology course for undergraduate or graduate students by Miguel Ruiz at Sacramento State University. The open textbook provides an exercise on greenhouse gas emissions. The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was to help make college education more accessible for our students. Most students access the open textbook in class during the activity. A PowerPoint slide provided to the students gives detailed information on expectations, assessments, and the different roles played by the students.
Sociology of Globalization - SOC 164
Brief Description of course highlights: Examines globalization and its effect on local societies, including the impact of globalization on local labor and work practices, the social organization of local firms and business enterprises, local social structures such as gender, class, race/ethnicity, and local social patterns such as consumption and leisure activities.
Student population: No prerequisites are required to take the course. Sociology majors and non-majors take Soc 164 because it fulfills a GE requirement at Sacramento State. Students in many diverse disciplines, like sociology, anthropology, political science, and geography, take the class.
Learning or student outcomes:
CO1: Take an active role by analyzing concepts and ideas from the course.
CO2: Evaluate how experiences with globalization differ across racial, gender, and class boundaries.
CO3: Apply theories and ideas related to globalization.
CO4: Develop lifelong learning skills (e.g., teamwork/collaboration, critical thinking/problem solving, written communication).
Key challenges faced and how resolved: Finding quality materials was a bit of a challenge. The process was made easier by my subject librarian who suggested using a different key term. My subject librarian also suggested adding “OR” to combine terms in a single search.
Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Role-Play Exercise
Brief Description: The activity casts students in the roles of various important players in the climate change issue, including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, and industry representatives. By assuming these roles, students must take a position, compromise with others, and decide on a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The activity has the potential to get students more interested in issues related to globalization and climate change as they explore the complexity and subtle aspects of the issues involved. Students also develop skills like taking initiative, communication, problem solving, and working collaboratively.
Please provide a link to the resource
https://oercommons.org/courses/greenhouse-emissions-reduction-role-play-exercise/view
Authors: K.M. Theissen, University of St. Thomas
Student access: Through instructions I provide on a Powerpoint slide.
Supplemental resources: I provide the necessary background information for the activity through my powerpoint slides, which are available for the students before the class begins.
Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook. My ability to use OER materials like the Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Role-Play Exercise keeps the students from having to buy an expensive textbook. The average cost of a new college textbook is $105.37.
License: Open License through OER commons.
OER/Low Cost Adoption Process
Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. I have always used a no cost approach in my classes. In my past courses, the students have reacted positively to no cost options.
How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I consulted the subject librarian for sociology at the Sacramento State library (special thanks to Ben Amata) and browsed OER sites.
Sharing Best Practices: Finding affordable learning solutions can be challenging, but you can't go wrong by making a college education more accessible for our students. Remember also that OER resources can have clear gender, race, class, age, ability, and experience biases. At the very least, we should acknowledge and, if possible, account for these biases.
Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved and lessons learned. The activity casts students in the roles of various important players in the climate change issue, including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, and industry representatives. Given the way the OER exercise was initially set up, not all the students had the opportunity to work on their oral communication skills. Further, the roles had clear gender, race, class, age, ability, and experience biases in terms of their real-world representation. I modified the exercise to acknowledge and account for these biases. Specifically, I included diverse perspectives in my presentation on climate change that preceded the activity.
Instructor Name: Miguel Ruiz
I am a sociology professor at California State University, Sacramento. 
Please provide a link to your university page.
https://www.csus.edu/college/social-sciences-interdisciplinary-studies/sociology/meet-us/
Please describe the courses you teach.
SOC 192 - Sociological Theory: Surveys the history of sociological theory from Comte to the present.
SOC 164 - Sociology of Globalization: Examines globalization and its effect on local societies, including the impact of globalization on local labor and work practices, the social organization of local firms and business enterprises, local social structures such as gender, class, race/ethnicity, and local social patterns such as consumption and leisure activities.
SOC 125 - Social Inequalities: Examination of the ways race, class and gender, as well as the intersection of all three, affects the distribution of valued resources in a society. Other social inequalities such as age, sexual orientation, or nationality, etc. may also be examined. Attention is given to struggles to change or preserve economic and political inequalities.
SOC 130 - Political Sociology: Analyzes political order and change from the viewpoint of cultural values and the institutional structure of societies. Examines group behavior patterns related to ideology, elites, masses, classes, movements, parties, and other power groups. Surveys differing theories and methodologies for the study of political processes across cultures and societies.
SOC 150 - Social Psychology: Examines major principles governing face to face interaction and their application in understanding the student's own experience: creating and preserving meaning, "realities" and selves through dramaturgy, negotiation and power; the relationship between status and intimacy; the impact of status resources (such as race and gender) on the status assignment process; the self concept; the role of emotions in social life.
SOC 120 - Ethnic and Race Relations: Analyzes relations among various racial, religious, nationality, and gender groups as they interact with racism, ethnocentrism and class in the U.S. and the world.
SOC 194 - Special Topics in Sociology: Examines contemporary issues and social developments within the research specialization of department faculty. Provides a forum to discuss and evaluate controversies and advancements in the discipline of sociology, including theory and methodology.
Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching. I believe in teaching students to be critical thinkers. I also want my students to be self reflexive by making sure that they are not perpetuating inequality through gender, race, class, age, ability, and experience biases.