"Surprise! From day one, I enjoyed myself," the student noted. "My professor had a style of his own that kept the attention of the class. I had as classmates many different kinds of people: single parents, spouses, rebels, poor people, rich people, not to mention people of different races, religions and nationalities. These differences set up enlightening class discussions that reflected so many different opinions."

But Sernau’s teaching style is more than aural caffeine for the drowsy. In the courses he teaches, ranging from introductory sociology courses discussing race and ethnic relations in America and abroad to a graduate seminar on Nobel laureates, he’s challenged students to connect their personal experiences to social structure and to ask the questions that are still unanswered.

"Genuinely interactive learning requires a respect for students’ ideas, values and opinions," he said, "including those ideas clearly ‘still in progress.’"

He uses community-based learning to persuade his students to "think globally, investigate locally." Each class immerses students in local community involvement–La Casa de Amistad Community Center, the Center for the Homeless, Head Start and off-campus visits, among others.

http://www.iusb.edu/~soc/