Instructors Rethink Methods Teaching Amid Crisis
On November 6, 2025, three sociology instructors—Steve McKay, Patricia Richards, and Naomi Sugie—discussed reshaping research methods courses to address generative AI, misinformation, and attacks on higher education. They argued methods should begin by problematizing everyday assumptions, center community co-creation, and train students to be discerning information consumers. The panel emphasized practical course changes to equip undergraduates with research skills and civic-relevant engagement.
Key Points
- 1Emphasize problematizing everyday assumptions to teach situated knowledge and critical methodological thinking
- 2Highlight community co-creation to counter elitism and demonstrate university public value during political attacks
- 3Train students to evaluate misinformation and use research tools to be discerning information producers
Scoring Rationale
Practical teaching guidance and community focus drive usefulness, limited by single-panel perspective and narrow disciplinary scope.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
Practice interview problems based on real data
1,625 SQL & Python problems across 15 industry datasets — the exact type of data you work with.
Try 250 free problems