While a growing body of research indicates the severe ecological and social costs of biofuel production worldwide, the U.S. government continues to promote the expansion of this fuel sector. Recent congressional testimony regarding the promotion of biofuels via the renewable fuel standard (RFS) offers a strategic research site for sociological…

The writings of Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803) foreshadowed several of the dominant theories of sociology, social psychology, aesthetics, linguistics and literary theory. His ideas impacted generations of thinkers, but today he is uncelebrated, mostly unknown. His writings on populism, expressionism, and pluralism are relevant to contemporary…

The current call for public scholarship and community engagement by universities and disciplinary organizations has created opportunities to develop innovative ways to integrate research, instruction, and outreach. This article discusses a collaboration among scholars at the University of Kentucky and alternative agrifood movement organizations…

The effects of highways on transforming human society and promoting population change have been investigated in several disciplines, including geography, sociology, economics, and planning. Currently, the primary highway construction activity in the nation is highway expansion; however, this expansion has not been the focus of much of the existing…

Rural sociologists figure prominently in the move towards public sociology. The paper takes up Michael Burawoy's call for public sociology and discusses what rural sociologists have to offer to publics and how we stand to gain as a discipline in working with publics. The paper argues that rural sociologists' ability to adopt a cosmopolitan view…

Provides author and subject indexes to 1,782 articles published in "Rural Sociology" from 1936-85. Unites articles to current subject headings and cross-references. Cross-references multiple author entries from senior authors to other contributors. Does not index obituaries. (LFL)

Human ecological theory may provide a conceptual framework in analyses of socioeconomic impact. This potential was demonstrated by examination of: (1) congruence between basic concepts, premises, and research processes; and (2) utility of the human ecological framework for explaining and integrating impact research findings and analyses. (DS)

Analyzes two recent controversies in the sociology of agriculture--one dealing with the adoption of agricultural innovations and the other with the energy intensity of farming--from an environmental sociology perspective. Illustrates sociology's entrenched habit of ignoring the physical environment, and the pitfalls of doing so in research on…

Paper (1) explains the absence of a unifying conceptual framework for study of human ecology in rural areas; (2) proposes outline for such a framework with emphasis on its format, scope, and principal concepts; and (3) demonstrates the utility of the proposed framework for current areas of rural sociological research. (Author/DS)

The article traces evolution of diffusion theory; illustrates undesirable consequences in a cross-cultural setting, reviews criticisms of several scholars; considers distributional effects and unanticipated consequences for potential ameliorative impact on diffusion theory; and codifies these factors into a framework for research into consequences…