OSU Journals (Oklahoma State University)
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Problems real and imposed in the discipline of sociology
Get PDFAccording to some, sociology is in deep trouble (Cole 1994; Coughlin 1992; Horowitz 1993; Kantrowitz 1992; Marsland 1988). While the dtscipline has undergone metamorphoses offonn and substance in the past decade, many sociologists and nonsociologista are concerned that sociology is endangered as an academic discipline, or, at the very least, is declining in quality of scholarship, graduate reauitment and training, and inpact on policy. At first glance, the current state of sociology seems a rather confusing mixture of good and bad news. Some measures Indicate that the discipline is thriving while other accounts say that sociology has serious problems. The mixture of messages can be understood in light of sociologists having been convtnced by anti-sociologists the we are doing a poor job. Moreover, a false negative imagery comes from a comparason of sociology to other academic disciplines tn which sociology is described as comtng up short and in which sociologists are described as nonscientists. The authorscontendthatmanyofthe criticismsofsocio~ are not valid and are not different from those that could be levied against any scientific discipline. Recommendations to abrogate criticisms of sociology are offered
Finding ourselves in each other: Barney and the other-directed child
Get PDFThe currently popular children's television program, Barney and Friends, is utilized as a vehicle for illustrating what Riesman saw as a shift toward other-direction in American society. Barney programs and merchandise demonstrate that the emphasis on peer group socialization is occurring in the preschool marttet. Changes in parenting practices, education, and politics, demonstrate that Barney and Friends illustrates a larger social shift toward other-direction. It is argued that this shift leads to a packaging of friendships and emotions, and ultimately a loss of individuality and self-awareness
Voluntary serfdom: An ideological journey into dualclass labor conflicts, and possible workers’ solutions
Get PDFThis article identifies my paradigm shift toward greater acceptance of conflict and alienation sociologies from Marx and from Seeman. Having never been a follower of their sets of ideas, ample evidence has been found in recreational and sociological literatures, and at work, to support the contention that they are more important that I had previously thought. This conclusion is derived from reviewing a variety of novels, poems, a travelogue, sociological findings on dual- and antagonistic-class structures, data about alienation, and putting a theoretical twist to Merton's goals-means model of adaptation
Movement professionalization: A positive force for the Grassroots SMO?
Get PDFThe professionalization of a social movement has been a much debated issue among movement analysts. In this work I analyze a grassroots movement, Solutions to Issues of Concern to Knoxvillians (SICK) that has endured for over 19 years with professional leaders working in conjunction with a grassroots membership. McCarthy and Zald (1977) asserted that professionally led movements gain their support from outside sources and have a membership base that is disconnected from the roots of protest. For SICK, this is not the case. While the organization does receive the majority of its funding from large foundations, the membership base remains grassroots (i.e. directly impacted by the issues). My investigation reveals that professional staffs aid the organization in 3 ways: strengthening the grassroots membership base; building budget stability and growth, and generating public appeal for campaign issues and increasing the number of campaigns promoted and initiated. In sum, this study shows that movement professionalization and grassroots involvement/ membership are not necessarily mutually exclusive
Predicting methamphetamine and other drug offending: Evidence from a rural country drug court
Get PDFArrests resulting from drug-related offending from January through December2007 were compared between an urban and a rural county, both in the Midwest. Marijuana and methamphetamine were found to explain significantly more drugrelated arrests in both counties with methamphetamine accounting for a significantly higher percentage of rural than urban drug arrests after controlling for the differences in total population sizes of the two counties (x²= 10.26, 2 df, p < 0.01). A descriptive parsimonious socioeconomic and demographic profile was established for the typical methamphetamine/mral drug offenders