Seminar puts applied sociology in action

Recently, students in professor Christina DeRoche’s second year Minority Cultures class, had the opportunity to see applied Sociology in action by organizing a food and clothing drive as part of their seminar.

This course focuses on minority groups in society or groups that are placed in minority standing. Two groups of students presented on the topic of the homeless, and how they are characterized as "less than" in society. Each group picked a different theme to explore, race/ethnicity and mental health, while collaborating on the successful food and clothing drive.

The first group focused on how those in Aboriginal groups are often painted with the same brush, depicting stereotypes and conditions that can place them in these homeless positions. The second group used the same ideas and highlighted how the homeless are depicted as mentally ill.

The groups asked that other students in the class bring in a canned good item as well as any clothes, hats and/or mitts to donate to a local food bank and organization that aids the homeless in our community.

“I’m really proud of these students,” said DeRoche. “Students need to challenge mainstream ideologies and stereotypes and create discussion. These two groups did just that: finding that our society often places Aboriginals in low-status positions, blocking them from reaching their full potential. And they discovered that mental illness and addiction rates, although high in the homeless population, can be both the cause and effect of such homelessness. Plus, with the food and clothing drive, they actively engaged in the community to do something positive.”