Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Are They Dying? An Exercise In Social Analysis And The Formation Of Social Policy, Rudi Volti

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

In the spring semester of 1985 I began to teach a seminar on sociology and public policy. When I met the class for the first time, I had two general goals. First, I wanted to create a classroom environment in which there would be a substantial amount of discussion, questioning, and joint effort, along with the inculcation of a problem-solving spirit. Second, since the course met only once a week, I could not be content to offer the standard first-session fare: handing out a syllabus, taking roll, going over readings and assignments, and generally setting the stage for the real …