PA Charter Member Robinson featured by CBSHS on Teaching

Post date: May 02, 2020 2:51:40 PM

Clemson, South Carolina - Dr. Kenneth Robinson, (Royal Octad, Spr 1982) was featured in a posting recently posted on CBSHS social media about his teaching at Clemson.

The posting about Brother Robinson's teaching philosophy and the new Sociology/Pan African Studies

W. Du Bois course. It was recently highlighted (April 11, 2020) by Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

from the Facebook posting:

Kenneth Robinson is an associate professor in Clemson Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice as well as an extension specialist for the Sandhill Research and Education Center. He feels this dual role strengthens his abilities in the classroom; complementing his teaching and research with outreach and service activities better equips him to bring real-world examples to class and better prepare him to help students bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Robinson is trained as a social scientist, and he often falls back on the concept of the “sociological imagination” with students. The sociological imagination challenges familiar understandings of ourselves and of others so that we can critically assess the truth of commonly held assumptions. Robinson believes everyone—not just students—must constantly challenge themselves to question assumptions if they expect to contribute to finding solutions to poverty, income inequality, and the other issues that confront all people.

Robinson enjoys engaging in semester-long service-learning projects in both SOC4590/6590 Community and SOC4010/6010 Human Ecology, which require students to interact with development stakeholders on and off-campus. Students gain hands-on experience conducting a community profile or social impact assessment while assisting and supporting residents confronted with development and change. This approach facilitates student learning, contributes to students’ willingness to explore ideas contrary to their own, and encourages them to acquire information and data relevant to an issue.