Makes accessible Bourdieu's comprehensive and systematic sociology of French education; which integrates classical sociological theory and statistical analysis. Isolates and explicates key terminology, links these concepts together, and critiques the work from the perspective of the philosophy of praxis. (LHW)

Discusses various aspects of contructivism, focusing on the work of Karin Knorr-Cetina. Indicates that an internal critique of Knorr's arguments for the relativist program in the sociology highlights the role of shared knowledge in science and that Knorr's analysis produces new insights concerning the necessity and nature of scientific consensus.…

Reviews some of the demographics of aging and alcohol abuse among the aged, and offers a theoretical approach from the sociology of deviance literature toward understanding alcohol abuse among elderly people. (Author)

Presents a brief biographical sketch of Edward Osborne Wilson, Jr., who argues that societies evolve to fit their environment, just as individuals do, and that as a consequence social behavior is genetically programed. Highlights his views as presented in his publication "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis." (JN)

Examines the ways in which Parsons's systems analysis of sociology differs from those proposed by personality theorists. Uses analogies from Parsons's systems analysis of society to elaborate the systems analyses of personality. (LLL)

Fifteen National Science Foundation personnel met with Donald Campbell to discuss topics/issues related to an epistemologically-relevant sociology of science. Presented is an edited transcript of this roundtable/discussion (part of a series of roundtables which examined theoretical/practical aspects of how the nature of scientific progress is…

Discusses three central foci that have influenced direction of contemporary sociological scholarship on fatherhood issues in North America. Foci discussed include commentaries on meaning and changing nature of cultural images of fatherhood, efforts to conceptualize and study social psychological dimensions of fatherhood, and empirical studies that…

Sociologists and other scholars have long noted that the relationship of friendship contributes to mental health. Consequently, they have developed various interventions to promote friendship, from describing and quantifying it to designing programs to help the friendless. The background upon which groups were designed to promote the development…

This paper examines the informal economy and its relationship to commonly held theories of industrial development. Evidence is presented which contradicts the prevailing assumption that informal economies will disappear with the advance of modern industrial growth. (Author/JDH)

Describes a "learning by doing" approach to sociological research designed to gather a comprehensive understanding of the Racine, Wisconsin youth gang situation, led to a nontraditional approach to research in typical research methods course. Includes information about student and faculty involvement, the process of research training,…

Explores the social and cultural processes involved in the development of a social system of science in non-Western contexts. Proposes a sociology of science validity program for studying science in varying cultural and civilizational settings. Summarizes science development in China, India, Iran, and Japan. (ML)

Discusses the formative elements of modern science in Japan, examining the feudalistic influence and impact of national events on policy formation and program direction. Also analyzes the cultural and social factors that have changed Japan's approach to science and technology. (ML)

Describes a visual device, borrowed from matrix algebra, which helps students integrate theory, methods, and statistics in sociological research. Data are organized in a rectangular structure, with the columns of variable names representing theory, the rows representing observations whose quality is related to methodological concerns and the need…

Traces the historical events that have influenced the development of science in Iran. Describes the major movements and personages of the Persian Islamic state. Also explores the impact of the religious, social, political, and intellectual forces on the image of science and its role in Iranian society. (ML)

Describes how microcomputers were integrated into a large introductory sociology course to teach basic sociological concepts. Included is a description of the teaching principles which guided the project's instructional design, a description of the formation and operation of the student research teams, and several concrete examples of the problems…