Alternative Futures for Applied Sociology

Petersen, James C.; Dukes, Duane; Valey, Thomas L. Van

doi:10.1177/193672440800200208

Cited by 5 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…With increased funding in the area of applied work also comes increased prominence of the field (Petersen et al 2008). One sociologist purported, BThe discipline needs to reduce snobbery and acknowledge that careers outside of the academy are not only personally fulfilling, but are crucial to the development of the field^(Spalter-Roth 2007, p. 5).…”

Section: View Of Evaluators In Academicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Universities continually receive less funding from the state and federal government; therefore, faculty have become more dependent on alternative sources of funding such as external grants and foundation funding (Petersen et al 2008;Rossi and Wright 1984). Agencies and universities have since developed relationships for ongoing evaluations.…”

Section: Agency/university Partnerships For Successful Evaluationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the Golden Age of evaluation, as mentioned above, researchers began to take advantage of the funding opportunities for evaluation (Rossi and Wright 1984). Securement of such funding at a university requires both a qualified research faculty and university supports, which are not privy to many universities (Petersen et al 2008).…”

Section: Agency/university Partnerships For Successful Evaluationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Impact of Sociology in My Role as an Evaluator

Sutphin

2015

Am Soc

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The skills gained from an education in sociology make for those of a great evaluator. This article describes how my theoretical and methodological training in sociology has impacted my current position in evaluation at a large research-focused university. In addition to the importance of quality training, I also discuss how universities and agencies can work together to create successful partnerships for program evaluations. My position as an evaluator in the university, however, is not without its challenges. I discuss my views on how evaluators are viewed by other academics and why I remain dedicated to being both a sociologist and an evaluator.BThe philosophers have only interpreted the world in different ways; the point, however, is to change it^ (Marx 1978(Marx [1845, p. 145) As a sociologist out of graduate school, my first position was a research associate, and now a research assistant professor, at a large state university. In my position, I have focused largely on program and training evaluation. As an evaluator, I have shifted my focus from basic sociological research, which I conducted in graduate school, to a more applied approach with program evaluation. In this regard, my sociological training has been invaluable. This paper will address how sociology has shaped my theoretical and methodological approach to evaluations, university and state agency partnerships for evaluation, my role as an evaluator, and my perception of the view of evaluators in academics.

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Section: View Of Evaluators In Academicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Agency/university Partnerships For Successful Evaluationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Agency/university Partnerships For Successful Evaluationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Impact of Sociology in My Role as an Evaluator

Sutphin

2015

Am Soc

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“…Correspondingly, the pressure for sociologists to pursue funding is relatively low compared with disciplines such as biological science and public health, both in terms of number of funded researchers and amount of funding dollars. This is partially due to the fact that most baccalaureate institutions, where sociology is prominent, lack the infrastructure to accommodate the administrative demands of external grants (Petersen et al 2008).…”

Section: Professional Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

How Public Are We? Coverage of Sociology by the Associated Press

Siebel

Smith

2009

Am Soc

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The recent and prolific attention to public sociology has involved a great deal of theoretical debate about its merits, flaws, and potential future within the discipline. Despite the loud call for becoming more public, existing research on the discipline lacks both an empirical understanding of where we are as well as a methodological rubric to guide future inquiry. This project explores one outlet for public sociology-the press-as a starting point for this line of research. Through an investigation of Associated Press stories featuring sociology and sociologists, we seek to provide a baseline for consideration of public sociology efforts by describing the current state of how our discipline and its members are portrayed in the press. Further, based on our findings we provide some insights for future research.

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“…Poverty and Employment Precarity in Niagara (PEPiN) brought together academic and nonprofit researchers to survey workers and produce a report detailing the extent of precarious work in Niagara as well as recommend policies in response to its social consequences. In doing so, we used applied sociology, broadly conceived of as an approach to sociology which aims to address nonacademic concerns and effect social change (Petersen, Dukes, and Van Valey 2008), to understand the impact of precarious labor in Niagara.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on Embeddedness in an Applied Sociology Project in Ontario

Maich

Boggs

Butovsky

2021

Journal of Applied Social Science

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The growth of precarious employment across Canada prompted sociologists and community researchers to understand the causes and consequences of insecure work. However, structural context often leads research organizations’ goals to conflict with those of its members. According to organizational theory, external pressures influence organizational goals and their approaches to problem solving. Thus, the purpose of this article is to illuminate some of the concrete ways that such pressures, known as embeddedness, help to shape research output. We draw on written reflective analyses of our experiences with embeddedness while working in the research organization Poverty and Employment Precarity in Niagara (PEPiN) to highlight the external factors which constrained our data analysis and our final report’s legislative and workplace policy recommendations for relieving the economic and family stresses associated with precarious work. We argue that embeddedness under neoliberal conditions limits the extent of structural critique that research organizations make of working conditions.

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Alternative Futures for Applied Sociology

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

The Impact of Sociology in My Role as an Evaluator

The Impact of Sociology in My Role as an Evaluator

How Public Are We? Coverage of Sociology by the Associated Press

Reflections on Embeddedness in an Applied Sociology Project in Ontario

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