As generative artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize the social world, it is imperative to rethink how universities approach both learning and teaching in the college classroom (Balmer, 2023). With that in mind, this course seeks to make experiential education, and more specifically project-based learning, the foundational cornerstone of the introductory sociology course by incorporating applied qualitative and quantitative research methods. Our course will lean heavily on the field of digital sociology (Daniels, 2016) and emphasize digital ethnographic approaches (alternatively known as virtual ethnography or online ethnography) while teaching introductory sociological content.

Ultimately, instead of having students write traditional research papers or take exams, this course design hopes to bring sociology “to life” by having students apply the discipline’s concepts outside of the classroom and in the real, and increasingly, virtual world through project-based learning. For example, students might conduct a small-scale “sample” content analysis of platforms like Reddit to better understand the role of aggregate discussion and news sites in reflecting and shaping current attitudes about the family, marriage, and partnerships to explore how those attitudes have shifted over time. Alternatively, students might engage in a digital auto-ethnographic project where they examine their own algorithmic feed on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to better understand topics like 1) capitalism (including consumerism, consumption, and marketing, 2) gender norms and roles in relation to identity development, 3) anti-blackness and surveillance through biometric technology, 4) data analytics. Rather than resisting the changes wrought by generative AI, this class intends to use open AI like ChatGPT as a tool in the sociological classroom for students to examine, use, and explore in an effort to better understand its role in the contemporary classroom.