In the summer of 2006, several major news outlets gave prominent coverage to a sociological study with a grim message: Americans' social isolation had increased radically since the 1980s. Whereas in 1985, Americans reported that, on average, they had 2.94 friends or family members with whom they discussed important matters, by 2004 that number had…

The author describes her choice of sociology as career brought about by involvement in the feminist movement and growing concerns for social injustice. She advocates sociologists' active involvement in social causes and community education to fight inequality and social division.

Robert N. Bellah turns 80 early next year, and Duke University Press is honoring him with "The Robert Bellah Reader," edited by Bellah, an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, and Steven M. Tipton, a professor of sociology at Emory University. The book, just published, presents a selection of…

The author highlights key points in his professional development in the field of sociology. He offers a discussion on sociological research methods, the essentialness of sociology for the understanding of the social world, and expresses the desire for cooperation between the American school of sociology and sociologists from other nations.

Summarizes conflicting charges of plagiarism and data theft against sociology-department faculty at Texas A&M University over the past four years that have resulted in three dismissed lawsuits and investigations by the university, American Sociological Association, and the National Science Foundation. The accused have neither been found guilty…

The importance of gender-related issues in present-day sociological studies is discussed. Topics analyzed include the evolution of sociology and sociological research brought about by the feminist movement and the study of gender relations as an integral part of sociology.

This Cuban-born author presents a narrative on the social events in the United States that marked his life as he embarked on a career in the field of sociology in the 1960s and 70s. He advocates for sociologists' awareness of social realities and the evolution of sociological studies from a socially-conscious perspective.

Harvard professor, Orlando Patterson has received awards for his controversial writings on slavery, conceptualized as a global institution, and on personal freedom in western society. He is hailed as an intellectual leader in a variety of disciplines. A central interest is exile and alienation. (MSE)

This article outlines the evolution of sociology as a science in the American university from the 1800s to the present. Topics discussed include social and academic attitudes towards sociology and influences of social movements on the study and teaching of sociology and sociological research.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Choosing the textbook for an introductory course can be a frustrating, haphazard, and time-consuming process. This year, members of the sociology department at Mercy College tried a selection process that eliminated at least the first two of those three problems. To begin, the department sent…

A day-long prison simulation for a Wheaton College sociology class, held in a county jail that is generally used to house inmates while they are waiting to appear in court, is described. The course, which focuses on prisons, homelessness, and AIDS, aims to increase students' empathy for others. (MLW)

Literary "discourse theories," increasingly applied to history and society in recent years, are losing favor among conservative and liberal scholars as focusing too narrowly on the role of language. These poststructuralist theories hold that language and knowledge are slippery, that words and cultural texts rarely mean what they appear…

"On the occasion of the American Sociological Association's centennial, The Chronicle asked seven sociologists to discuss what attracted them to the field, what they consider to be the discipline's fortes and failings, and where they'd like to see it go from here." The author of this article describes the concerns that led her to choose sociology…

The science-studies approach seeks to go beyond a history of scientific concepts and their developers; rather, its practitioners want to unravel the cultural and ideological influences that shape the content of those theories. A new science-studies program was initiated at the University of California at San Diego. (MLW)

Author discusses the course that led him to the field of sociology. He argues that sociologists' strength is their immediacy to the subject studied, the social world, and their weakness, sociologists' propensity towards moralism and social ideology. Author advocates detachment for a full understanding of how the social world functions.