Abstract
The focus of this reflective commentary is the use of banned and challenged books as the key reading assignment and pedagogical tool in teaching SOC 101, Principles of Sociology. Although it is estimated that the number of book challenges decreased between 2023 and 2024, there has been a significant increase since 2020, with many of the challenged books portraying issues central to the field of sociology. Starting in the fall 2024 semester, I have incorporated challenged books into my SOC 101 courses, with over 100 students being in those sections during the 2024-25 academic year. In this paper, I provide some background on book challenges, outline how the books are incorporated into the class, discuss connections between teaching the class with this approach and Marianist educational values, and share student reflections on their learning through the challenged books.
Recommended Citation
Holcomb, Jeanne
(2025)
"Teaching with Challenged Books: Connections with Marianist Values,"
Research and Reflection on Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Vol. 3, Article 5.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/rrlthe/vol3/iss1/5