A one-of-a-kind guide to active, engaging learning strategies for aging studies. Harnessing the proven benefits of active learning strategies, this is the first activity book created for a broad spectrum of courses in aging-related higher education. It features 32 classroom and community-based educational activities for instructors seeking to introduce and/or enhance aging content in their courses. Underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of aging studies, the book encompasses teaching strategies for instructors in such disciplines as Counseling, Family Studies, Gerontology, Geriatrics, Medicine, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health, Nursing, Social Work, Sociology, Speech Pathology, and others. This peer-reviewed collection of hands-on activities is designed by noted educators in aging and incorporates AGHE competencies. It offers clear, step-by-step procedures for implementing each activity including preparation, introduction, the activity itself, discussion/reflection, wrap-up, and assessment. The book also addresses learning outcomes and includes recommendations for number of participants, settings, materials, and time required. Encompassing key, impactful issues affecting older individuals, the text examines Ageism and Aging in the Media, Dementia, Demography, Health Care, Housing, Physical Aging, Policy and Politics of Aging, Positive Interactions with Older Adults, and Spirituality. In addition to its value to students, the book's activities are also beneficial to professionals instructing or participating in staff trainings, in-services, and continuing education. Key Features: Contains 32 experiential learning activities for students in a great variety of aging-related disciplines Designed for activities in the classroom, in the community, on line, and take- home Provides clear, step-by-step procedures for each activity from implementation through assessment Addresses student learning outcomes and includes a glossary Incorporates AGHE competencies

Social Theories of Aging: A Brief Synopsis introduces students to a broad spectrum of social theories on aging. Each theory is categorized as first, second, or third generation according to three theoretical levels: micro-level (individual aging theories), macro-level (societal aging theories), and micro-macro-level (emerging theories). The book provides students not only with a synopsis of key theories but with the agency to create their own knowledge and search for answers within the gerontology discipline. Over the course of six chapters, students explore a variety of generational theories. Each overview presents a theory's level, intellectual origins, and basic tenets. The theories span many fields and subfields of gerontology including social gerontology, sociology, anthropology, public administration, psychology, social work, and geriatrics. Activity Theory, Disengagement Theory, Modernization Theory, Continuity Theory, Exchange Theory, Age Stratification, Social Constructionist, and Transformative Learning Theory are just a few of the theories addressed in the text. Highly accessible and concise in nature, Social Theories of Aging is an ideal textbook for introductory gerontology courses. It can also be used in graduate level courses to remind students of the theoretical underpinnings of gerontology.