The impact of social structure on mate selection: An empirical evaluation of an active-learning exercise

The individualistic orientation of most U.S. college students presents a persistent problem for teaching sociology, especially at the introductory level where many students find it hard to understand social structure and how it shapes their lives. This paper provides an empirical evaluation of whether an active-learning exercise focused on mate selection increases student understanding of the impact that social structure has on marital choice. I fielded the experiment in an introductory sociology course-half the class participated in the active-learning exercise while the other half attended a traditional lecture. Results indicate that those who participated in the exercise were significantly more likely to learn the role that social structure plays in mate selection.