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Each chapter in Sociology of Families opens with a photographic
essay that allows students to "see" the phenomenon being
discussed. While the power of the photographic essay is in its visual
representation, it is equally important that a sociological context
be provided to help students understand how these photographs relate
to the larger social world. Thus, both visual and textual cues help
students understand and appreciate how private experiences (depicted
in the photos) are related to broader cultural and social forces.
The photographic essay is an exciting and effective pedagogical
technique that is ideally suited for Sociology of Family courses.
After all, many students already have available rich photographic
data (i.e., family albums). When students use their own family photos
as "data," they are required to step outside their intimate,
personal space and consider how their lives and family experiences
have been shaped by social forces. By looking at familiar photographs
with a sociological eye, students can begin to understand how demographic,
racial, economic, and religious influences, among others, have shaped
their lives.
Many students enjoy analyzing their own family photographs, but
they should also be given the option of gathering their photographic
data from other sources. These may include books, magazines, the
Internet or a variety of other sources. Although the use of such
sources may make the experience less personal for some students,
it is equally effective in helping students think about and visualize
how the private and public spheres are connected. For instance,
analyzing photographs of daycare centers, even if the centers and
children within are unfamiliar, requires asking deeply personal
and sociological questions: What social changes have given
rise to greater reliance upon non-parental care? In what ways has
my life and expectations been shaped by these social forces? What
is the current availability and affordability of quality daycare
in the U.S.? What is the experience of children within different
types of daycare settings? How do these experiences relate to changing
socio-historical conceptions of children? What barriers to having
quality childcare am I likely to face if I have children?
Another alternative is to have students identify a research question
(e.g., the teenage experience in the family; division of labor)
and take their own photographs to document the situation. For example,
one student in my sociology of family course took "time-lapsed"
photography of her parents on Thanksgiving day. Starting at 7 a.m.
(when her mother was preparing the turkey and her father was still
in bed), she took photographs of her parents every two hours until
10 p.m. (after her mother had cleaned up after the meal and her
father had taken a nap).
In short, there are a variety of ways to engage students in photographic
essays, all of which help them understand how their own personal
experiences are shaped by larger social forces. Most students thoroughly
enjoy working with visual data and seeing sociology in a new way.
For instructors, photographic essays provide an additional and interesting
way to assess students' sociological imaginations.
The photographic essay assignment is grounded in the tradition
of visual sociology. For further information about visual sociology
and ideas for class projects, see Douglas Harper's "Visual
Sociology: Expanding Sociological Vision" (American Sociologist,
Vol. 19: 54-70, 1988 ), Richard Chaflen's Snapshot Versions of
Life (Bowling Green: Bowling Green University, 1987) or Erving
Goffman's Gender Advertisements (NY: Harper Colophon Books,
1979).
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