Frederique Laubepin

Hometown & State: Vichy, France

Education:

Teaching Experience:
What types of courses & students have you taught? What do you enjoy about teaching?

I have taught a wide range of courses, from Introduction to Sociology, to upper-level classes such as Sociology of Punishment, and everything in-between (Social Problems, Social Psychology, Film and Society, Sociology of Everyday Life, Gender and Society, Sociology of Space, Social Stratification, and Criminology)! I teach in the traditional, brick-and-mortar, university setting, but I also teach courses online.

No matter what the class or the context, what I enjoy most about teaching is to help my students to see and understand the world they live in from a different perspective, and to stimulate their intellectual curiosity.

Career/Research/Other Interests:
What do you want to do when you grow up? What professional or personal/social things do you enjoy?

I've always liked to fly, which basically gives me two career options: pilot, and superhero. I'm going for superhero. Haven't decided on the costume yet.

I enjoy teaching. A lot. But I also enjoy cooking (I am French, after all!), gardening, and woodworking. And recently I have discovered martial arts (fitting for a superhero, no?). I'm learning different kinds, but the main focus is on martial tai chi at the moment. If I'm going to save the world, I'm going to do it gracefully!

Interest in the OLC:
What intrigued you about working on the OLC? Why have you signed up to develop DDLGs?

I think that the concept behind DDLGs is fabulous. It's a way of teaching unlike anything I've ever come across!

Explaining DDLGs:
If you were explaining DDLGs to a friend or colleague, how would you describe them? What would you say their role is/could be for instructors and their courses? What are their benefits? How would you explain what you're developing?

DDLGs are simple exercises that illustrate a concept or a relationship, using basic statistical analyses. They can be used to introduce or illustrate an idea, or to stimulate discussion and to get students to think, not only about concepts, but also about how social scientists gather and interpret data.

DDLGs are a tool to teach students how to think like social scientists

Learning/Experience from DDLG Development:
Was there anything you learned or anything that surprised you during development of content for the DDLGs (perhaps related to teaching, the OLC, ICPSR, etc.)? Do you have plans to use DDLGs in courses you may teach in the future? Has the experience been a rewarding one – if so, in what way?

It takes a long time to write DDLGs! They have to offer an engaging, concise, and teachable message. Creating DDLGs presents some exciting challenges!

I will definitely be using DDLGs in my courses. As a matter of fact, I've already started, and students' reactions have been very encouraging.