Teaching engagement: Reflections on sociological praxis

Sociology has a long history of engagement with social justice issues, and through concepts like the ‘sociological imagination’ we equip our students with the ability to think through, and ideally work to change, inequities. This engagement is under threat, however, from recent changes in the higher education sector that have shifted the focus from learning experiences to qualifications. There is little room within accreditation frameworks for social justice as an educational goal. This article will place these discussions of engagement and social justice as key outcomes of a sociology degree within the broader context of the changing higher education sector, and will explore how we teach students to use their sociological imaginations outside of the classroom. We recognise that this is a messy process, involving ambiguous learning spaces, sometimes conflicting institutional versions of ‘engagement’ and unforeseen outcomes. Nevertheless, ‘engaged’ sociology should encourage students to exercise their sociological imaginations and their own capacity to act as agents of social change.