Introduction: Members of the Sociology Department at a local college are brainstorming about the course offerings for next semester. Steve: That was a great brainstorming session. And I really want us to now get down to the business of coming up with specific courses that we’re willing to eliminate and that we’re willing to add. We need to balance off the integrity of our department and our offerings with the needs to bring in more students and the need to develop a stronger curriculum. Trevor: But we don’t want enrollment to dictate, you know, what Teacher: Right. Ellen: Oh, here we go. Here we go. Trevor, you need to look at the numbers. It’s indicative of Trevor: I understand that. Ellen: certain trends of the student population. And I think we need, right now is the time to address these things. Trevor: I’m not advocating Teacher: Speaking of trends, Ellen, Trevor, I have an exciting idea. I think we should teach a course and I’ve already set up all the entire coursework of the sociology of time. Sociology of time, the understanding of time as a commodity, the understanding of an individual’s strive and drive Trevor: That’s the Dearborn book? Teacher: Exactly. The Dearborn book that you gave me Ellen: Oh he is brilliant. Trevor: It’s very interesting, but I don’t know that Teacher: [indiscernible] acceleration of time in history? Trevor: I mean, you have a reading list or anything in mind? Teacher: Yep, yep, entire reading list, of course starting with Dearborn’s book. It’s a phenomenal piece of work. It really builds upon the foundations of the institution and trying to remain on the edge, trying to lead the pack of [indiscernible] sociology. As everybody knows, our numbers have been down in a number of the courses. That’s why one of the reasons we’re here is to decide which courses we should possibly move away from or evolve into something else. Ellen: Which is going to be a difficult task. Teacher: Yes. Trevor: But I think this is premature as far as that particular course goes. I mean, we’d have to think that through. Ellen: Well, think about it because students from other concentrations might very well be attracted Teacher: Exactly. Ellen: to that concept. Teacher: Exactly. Ellen knows what I’m talking about. Trevor: And I appreciate and respect what, you know, your thinking is here. But, I mean, we don’t want enrollment or trying to bring in more majors to drive Ellen: Try to be open to a new idea. Steve: I’m going to ask everyone to sort of step back from what they might be feeling in the moment and consider the bigger picture. The bigger picture is we have to add and eliminate courses. We have to attract students. And we have to deepen our curriculum. So how are we going to do it? Ellen: Attracting students, that is key. Steve, I think we could do that by offering a course on the sociology of time. Trevor: If we want to run with that, then we’re going to have – we .

1. Introduction: Members of the Sociology Department at a local
college are brainstorming about the course offerings for next
semester.
Steve: That was a great brainstorming session. And I really
want us to now get down to the business of coming up with
specific courses that we’re willing to eliminate and that we’re
willing to add. We need to balance off the integrity of our
department and our offerings with the needs to bring in more
students and the need to develop a stronger curriculum.
Trevor: But we don’t want enrollment to dictate, you know,
what
Teacher: Right.
Ellen: Oh, here we go. Here we go. Trevor, you need to look
at the numbers. It’s indicative of
Trevor: I understand that.
Ellen: certain trends of the student population. And I think we
need, right now is the time to address these things.
Trevor: I’m not advocating
Teacher: Speaking of trends, Ellen, Trevor, I have an exciting
idea. I think we should teach a course and I’ve already set up
all the entire coursework of the sociology of time. Sociology of
time, the understanding of time as a commodity, the
understanding of an individual’s strive and drive
Trevor: That’s the Dearborn book?
Teacher: Exactly. The Dearborn book that you gave me
Ellen: Oh he is brilliant.
Trevor: It’s very interesting, but I don’t know that
Teacher: [indiscernible] acceleration of time in history?

2. Trevor: I mean, you have a reading list or anything in mind?
Teacher: Yep, yep, entire reading list, of course starting with
Dearborn’s book. It’s a phenomenal piece of work. It really
builds upon the foundations of the institution and trying to
remain on the edge, trying to lead the pack of [indiscernible]
sociology. As everybody knows, our numbers have been down
in a number of the courses. That’s why one of the reasons
we’re here is to decide which courses we should possibly move
away from or evolve into something else.
Ellen: Which is going to be a difficult task.
Teacher: Yes.
Trevor: But I think this is premature as far as that particular
course goes. I mean, we’d have to think that through.
Ellen: Well, think about it because students from other
concentrations might very well be attracted
Teacher: Exactly.
Ellen: to that concept.
Teacher: Exactly. Ellen knows what I’m talking about.
Trevor: And I appreciate and respect what, you know, your
thinking is here. But, I mean, we don’t want enrollment or
trying to bring in more majors to drive
Ellen: Try to be open to a new idea.
Steve: I’m going to ask everyone to sort of step back from what
they might be feeling in the moment and consider the bigger
picture. The bigger picture is we have to add and eliminate

3. courses. We have to attract students. And we have to deepen
our curriculum. So how are we going to do it?
Ellen: Attracting students, that is key.
Steve, I think we could do that by offering a course on the
sociology of time.
Trevor: If we want to run with that, then we’re going to have –
we should – we should identify a course to cut really.
Ellen: Well, I’m glad you brought that up because these
numbers here speak for themselves.
Steve: Let’s keep the numbers question in perspective.
Trevor: Yes, absolutely.
Steve: It is a bottom line thinking
Teacher: That’s true, Steve.
Steve: that may get in the way of our brainstorming and making
this work.
Ellen: I don’t think so, Steve. I think it paves the way for the
future. And I think we need to be attentive to it. We have
ignored it. And the culture of consumerism is a primary course
to deliberate about.
Trevor: Okay. All right. I suspected that’s where you were
going.
Ellen: Well, let’s examine it. That’s all I’m saying.
Trevor: You know
Georgia: You guys, we can do this without an argument

4. happening.
Trevor: Georgia, I appreciate that. But I’ve been teaching that
course for almost 20 years now.
Georgia: It’s a great course.
Ellen: So it’s time to
Trevor: The curriculum committee’s not going to be behind
cutting that. That, I mean, yeah, enrollments are down. But
enrollments have been down in other courses that go up and
down. Look at the Af-Am program. If we
Georgia: That’s true.
Trevor: based our offerings on enrollment, student numbers, we
wouldn’t have an Af-Am program.
Ellen: Oh, Trevor, stop living in the past.
Trevor: Aw, you know
Ellen: Look to the future.
Trevor: I am.
Steve: Just hold on a second here. I want us to keep the bigger
picture in mind and to recognize the integrity of each person’s
position.
Trevor: Thank you.
Steve: So what that means is that we need to look at what the
goal is, the bigger goal. And that bigger goal means that we
offer our students what they really need, and we create

5. something that is attractive and meaningful.
Teacher: Steve, what better way to grow on that than offering a
new and exciting subject that, one, builds on the integrity of
what everybody has done here, I mean, you’ve been offering
that course for 20 years now. Let that course evolve into
something that is more exciting and will draw people from other
curriculums
Ellen: Exactly.
Teacher: into the sociology department.
Georgia: It is, it’s exciting, it’s exciting
Trevor: This is not the course to cut. I mean
Steve: Well, let’s again, let’s keep some perspective on this.
Trevor: We’re talking about being relevant, I’m sorry. We’re
talking about being relevant. How, I mean
Ellen: Relevant and vital and rigorous. Does it fulfill those
three objectives?
Trevor: We’re talking about bodies the classroom, is what we
seem to be talking about.
Teacher: And students have been voting with their feet.
Copyright (c) 2007 Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2007 Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Introduction: A group of community residents are meeting for
the first time to discuss raising funds for a neighborhood
playground.

6. Betty: I’m Betty. Hi. Betty Wilson. Hi David.
Phil: Phil Farmer.
Betty: Hello.
Phil: Hello.
Betty: Hi, Betty.
Aisha: Hi, Betty. I’m Aisha.
Betty: Aisha.
Aisha: Nice to meet you.
Ray: Hi. Ray Wentworth.
David: Hi.
Ray: I’m a teacher. David, Phil, Alicia?
Aisha: Aisha.
Ray: Aisha? Aisha?
Aisha Aisha. Yeah, like I-esha.
Betty: I’m new here. My kids just started. We moved to, in
over the summer, and so
Aisha: Congratulations.
Phil: Oh. Welcome.
Betty: I try to be helpful here, but I just joined to meet people,
really.
David: Well, I think that’s great. But I think why everyone
else is here is for this meeting on the playground. And we’re
here to come up with a way of funding that. And maybe we can
start with coming up with a budget. Does anyone have an idea
as to how much to spend?
Aisha: Just after hearing that this was going to be discussed
tonight, I did a little bit of research online. For a very basic
playground is 5,000 and it goes all the way up to 50,000. And
when I looked at the apparati that I thought would be good for
kids K through six, I think 35,000 would be a good target
budget.
Phil: Well – go ahead.
Ray: I was just going to say, I’ve looked around a bit, and 35, I
don’t know. I guess that’d be good, but I think we should just

7. aim as high as we can.
Phil: Okay. Because I was – I was thinking the opposite, kind
of, that we should aim lower, you know, aim for functionality,
safety of course.
David: Well, Phil, I think that you’re right that we certainly
need to make it functional and a safe place and a fun place, as
well. And maybe for the time being I think that there’s a
middle ground. Let’s start out with a-a target budget of maybe
35,000, as Aisha described.
Aisha: Okay, great.
David: If that’s okay.
Betty: Yeah.
Phil: Sure.
David: Let’s move on to the second big issue why we’re here
and that’s to come up with the $35,000. Does anyone have any
ideas?
Aisha: Like fundraisers, obviously.
David. Yes. Betty?
Betty: Well, it worked at our church in the other town where I,
we lived. We had a great bake sale twice a year. It raised quite
a lot. So I could organize that. Usually, you know, it’s a big
success.
Phil: Like, you know, cupcakes and cakes and
Betty: Oh, anything.
Phil: Bake sale.
Betty: Yeah.
Ray: That’s great. It really is. But I just don’t know if it’ll
raise enough. Will it?
Phil: Yeah, probably not.

8. Ray: You know? I mean, not to
Phil: Yeah.
Ray: come off with any [indiscernible].
Aisha: Okay, well, so there, are there other things?
David: In my experience in working with the school committee,
in past committee work that I’ve had is that we’ve done grant
proposals for things that we’re involved in.
Aisha: Foundations.
David: Or approach – exactly. Approaching foundations.
Aisha: Does anybody know, do any of us here know anybody
on a foundation possibly?
Betty: Well, and this is total long shot, but I have an old friend
who is a member of a family. Her name is Wendy Clark and we
go way back.
Aisha: The Clark Foundation.
Betty: Yes. You know it?
David: With Clark Furniture.
Betty: Yes. Yes, yes. Well, they’re old friends. And I mean,
I’d be happy, if it’s of any help at all, to give her a call and see
if this would maybe fit in their guidelines?
David: Betty, this would be phenomenal.
Aisha: This is great, right?
Phil: That is a great idea.
Ray: No, that’s definitely, maybe she could help out with the
bake sale? Joking.

9. Betty: I’m the baker.
Copyright (c) 2007 Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2007 Pearson Education. All rights reserved.