Teaching

Teaching Interests

Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Education, Social Stratification, Race/Class/Gender, Family, Methods, Qualitative Methods, Statistics, Social Problems, Sociology of Volunteering

Teaching Awards

2020    Tanner Teaching Assistants Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, UNC-CH​

2020    Wilson Teaching Award, Department of Sociology, UNC-CH

2019    Graduate Contributions to the Sociological Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, ASA Section for              Teaching and Learning

2019    SAGE Publishing Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award (category: experienced)

Teaching Publications

Gillis, Alanna, and Laura M. Krull (equal authorship). 2020. “COVID-19 Remote Learning Transition in Spring 2020: Class Structures, Student Perceptions, and Inequality in College Courses.” Teaching Sociology: Online First.

Gillis, Alanna. 2019. “Reconceptualizing Participation Grading as Skill Building.” Teaching Sociology 47(1): 10-21.                [Link and PDF]

Gillis, Alanna, and Brionca Taylor*. 2019. “Social Networks and Labor Market Inequality: A Role-Playing Activity to

     Teach Difficult Concepts.” Teaching Sociology 47(2): 148-156. [Link and PDF]

Gillis, Alanna. 2018. “School Choice and Inequality: Choosing Schools Activity.” Class Activity published in TRAILS:

     Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC:  American Sociological Association.

      [Link and PDF]

            *8th most downloaded resource in TRAILS in 2018

Gillis, Alanna. 2018. “Class School Board Debate Activity: Should Tracking Be Reformed?” Class Activity published in

      TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC:  American Sociological

      Association. [Link and PDF]

Teaching Experience

Courses: 

  • Introduction to Sociology (101)

  • IntroSoc: Inequality 

  • Sociology of Education 

  • Sociology of Family with Community Based Learning 

 

Course Modalities:

  • Face-to-face

  • HyFlex 

  • Online

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Selected Teaching Practices

Three innovative teaching practices I use in all of my undergraduate courses: 

  • Role-playing activities and small group discussions

  • Unconventional group final exams

  • Skills-building participation assessment 

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