A post on the Contexts blogs includes a discussion of teaching introductory courses as a form of public sociology, prompted by a post on Inside Higher Ed:
In other words, if you really want to be a community organizer or an “organic intellectual,” give up tenure and embed yourself in a grassroots organization for a decade or so. If not, then perhaps a more humble definition of public sociologist is in order. While there are a variety of venues for a modest public sociology, Michael Burawoy has identified a skill that perhaps best suits the vast majority of sociologists seeking a more public voice: “Students are our first public.” Anyone aspiring to be a public sociologist must first dedicate themselves to the craft of teaching as a Weberian calling.
One thing that I have enjoyed about my graduate program is the opportunity to share sociological insights with a wide range of students at a large public university. While I have made a choice to turn away from my large public university in favor of a small private one, a major factor in this decision was the desire to maximize the effectiveness each dose of the sociological imagination.
Memoirs of a SLACer 