A unique aspect of the IU sociology program is the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program. It prepares students to be future faculty by training them in teaching and service, as well as providing other professional development opportunities that go beyond research. The PFF program began in 1995 and gained further support in 1997 with a national PFF grant. The original architects were Distinguished Professor Bernice Pescosolido and Rudy Professor Brian Powell. The PFF program is undoubtedly a major reason why Indiana became the only top-ranked Sociology department to ever win the American Sociological Association's Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award in 2001. PFF Founder and current Co-Director Brian Powell also won this award as an individual in 2020.
Preparing Future Faculty Program
The current PFF program features a three-course series on teaching that culminates in a PFF certificate and a PFF conference held every January. This work is supported by a PFF Fellow who helps guide students through teaching their first undergraduate class and chairs the planning committee for the PFF Conference. The PFF program also sponsors ad hoc workshops on teaching-related topics and occasionally coordinates shadowing opportunities at nearby colleges.
PFF Courses and Certificate
Students who complete a three-course series on undergraduate teaching earn a certificate in pedagogy. The courses train students on pedagogy in a variety of settings, including large research universities and small liberal arts colleges. The courses are:
- S506: The Teaching of Undergraduate Sociology. Prepares students to teach their own undergraduate course and is taken while teaching an undergraduate course for the first time. It leads students through all facets of teaching, including how to prepare syllabi, deliver informative lectures, lead effective discussions, and deal with student problems.
- S606: Issues in College Pedagogy. This course covers issues and problems facing higher education today and requires students to reflect on how their own teaching experiences are linked to these larger issues.
- S706: Research in Higher Education. Students connect teaching to research by engaging in active scholarship on teaching and learning. The course requires participation in a collaborative or individual research project that may ultimately be published in journals like Teaching Sociology, the leading pedagogy journal in sociology.
The first course (S506) is required of all students teaching their own undergraduate class as an Associate Instructor for the first time. Students typically are required to teach starting in their third year. So most students must take S506 in the Fall of their third year. (Some students take this course later or not at all if they have alternative sources of funding from research assistantships or external fellowships.)
The other two courses (S606 and S706) are optional. These optional PFF courses are usually offered simultaneously in the same semester every two or three years. Students who want to complete the PFF certificate should enroll in these courses whenever offered. PFF certificates are awarded annually at the Graduate Awards Ceremony.
PFF Conference
A PFF conference is held every January and targets IU graduate students of all career stages and disciplines. The one-day conference features panels and roundtables on career options, pedagogy, funding sources, professional opportunities, and other career-related topics. Panelists usually include professors from IU and nearby colleges who represent a diverse array of disciplines and backgrounds. The Conference is funded by the Graduate School and organized by a Planning Committee comprised entirely of graduate students. The PFF Fellow chairs the Planning Committee and other members are often sociology students.
The College of Arts