Teach Softly and Debunk with a Big Stick: A Response to 'Evolution, Biology, and Society--A Conversation for the 21st-Century Sociology Classroom'

This article presents the author's response to "Evolution, Biology, and Society: A Conversation for the 21st-Century Sociology Classroom" by Richard Machalek and Michael Martin. Their work serves as a reminder that the discipline is diverse and dynamic. The author appreciates the effort to urge sociology teachers to include genetic concepts in lower-division courses, but he does not share the enthusiasm for sociobiology. The author suggests that the call to include genetic principles in the sociology curriculum is part of a historic effort to discuss social patterns in terms that are individualistic. He offers his views on the role of freshman-level courses in an academy where the boundaries of fields are shifting.