Collections 3 | Simulations

The third in the series of Collections, following Revision and Learning Mats, this gathers together a range of bespoke and third-party Simulations for your classroom pleasure.

While I’d like to say there’s something for everyone here, that’s probably not true. But there are a number of different sims you can use to bring something a little different to the run-of-the-mill classroom experience.

Trial and Error: Take on the role of a Sociological Detective™ and investigate the Research Process.

Hiding in Plain Sight: More Sociological Detective shenanigans, this time around an investigation of Overt Participant Observation.

Be On the Look Out: As above, but this time the investigation involves Non-Participant Observation.

We Have A Situation: How would your students explain the behaviour of “unruly youth” sociologically?

DEA: Become a Sociological Detective™ and use your investigatory powers to explore Differential Educational Achievement.

Sociological Sims from Cengage: 4 sims that, in the words of their publisher “Build the sociological imaginations of your students by showing them how social structures impact others’ realities”. That may be a little hyperbolic, if I’m being honest.

Marxism Sim: Put your students in the role of owners and labourers to experience a range of basic-but-important Marxist ideas and concepts.

Leave Nothing to Chance: Illustrate differential educational achievement through the mechanism of a lottery… 

An Exercise in Inequality: A “hands-on” introduction to education and social inequality.

Beat the Bourgeoise: A 30-minute sim that gives students an up-close-and-personal experience of social inequality.

The Addiction Simulation: An immersive simulation that covers the psychology of addiction.

Cards, Cakes and Class: Giving your students practical experience of social inequality through the medium of cake.

For My Next Trick: Making research methods and research design a little more interesting (as if that could really be possible).

Trial By Jury: Less a simulation and more a template for creating highly-structured classroom discussions.

The Anomie Within: A simple way to introduce the concept of Anomie.

Window Shopping: Introducing students to the rules of everyday social interaction through a simple social observation exercise.

The Art of Walking: As above, this time by asking students to think about with whom and how they walk.

Cultural Deprivation: Language-based sim demonstrating how the differential ability to learn derives from differences in prior experience. You can also use it to illustrate aspects of cultural capital if that’s your thing.

The Urinal Game: A simple but evocative way to introduce ideas about norms and personal space.

Sociological Scenarios: How to create your own Thought Experiments.

Doing Nothing As Deviance: A relatively safe way to simulate deviance. And the weird ways people respond to it.

Sweet Sampling: Using sweets to simulate sampling.

Sociological Dinner Parties: A sneaky way to get students talking about different sociological perspectives on whatever topic you choose.

An End Has A Start: A different way of teaching you might want to think carefully about.

The Structure of Social Action: Teaching Structure and Action can be difficult. This sim should make it easier.

Visualising Social Mobility: Get your students thinking about social mobility in a way that doesn’t include ladders.