Sociology courses, particularly introductory courses, with 200 or more students are increasingly being offered in U.S. colleges
and universities. Within the “mass class” structure, teaching assistants are often utilized to instruct students in smaller
discussion sessions. This creates unique conditions of instruction for both professors and teaching assistants. For instance,
professors are faced with coordinating teaching assistants’ activities, while teaching assistants need to develop skills relating
to provoking discussion. Both must deal with effects of a hierarchy of instruction. After discussing these conditions we present
structured classroom exercises that focus on sociological concepts typically presented in introductory courses to help teaching
assistants create an engaging learning experience, attain teaching skills, and facilitate the professor’s coordination of
instruction.