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A Path to Applying Sociology: Career Path or Pathology

A Path to Applying Sociology: Career Path or Pathology. Stephen F. Steele, Professor Emeritus Applied Sociology and Futures Studies Anne Arundel Community College Session 4/Table 4, 2:30-3:30 pm Wednesday, March 28, 2018

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A Path to Applying Sociology: Career Path or Pathology

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  1. A Path to Applying Sociology: Career Path or Pathology Stephen F. Steele, Professor Emeritus Applied Sociology and Futures Studies Anne Arundel Community College Session 4/Table 4, 2:30-3:30 pmWednesday, March 28, 2018 AKD Workshop on Teaching and Learning In Partnership with Cengage Learning “From Initial Design to Final Assessment: Increased Learning through Intentional Pedagogy”

  2. “Applied what?” “Using Sociology: Terminology commonly …” ?

  3. “You’re likely to apply it… like it or not..” ASA, 2008

  4. “You’ll need to craft your own direction” “Top 10 Jobs for Sociology Majors …Some common job possibilities to explore as you think of ways to apply your sociology major to the work world. Guidance Counselors  Human Resources (HR) Representatives Lawyers Management Consultants  Market Research Analysts Media Planners  Policy Analysts Public Relations (PR) Specialists  Social Workers Survey Researchers/Pollsters Sociology Major Skills Sociology Major Skills List” From https://www.thebalance.com/top-jobs-for-sociology-majors-2059633 You’ll need to do this with a grain of SALT • Skills • Articulation • Language • Trends

  5. “What do you bring to the table?... The broader lens” • Expect to find “worlds within worlds” of human interactions and systems. • As the late Carla Howery, the longtime champion of teaching at the American Sociological Association used to say: “sociologists are good at handling ambiguity.” • Tend not to be too “dualistic” that is given an “either/or” question we’re likely to want to know the context and might be willing to offer “both” as an answer. This drives some people “over the edge” and it is not surprising. We figure life isn’t simple. No “magic bullet.”

  6. “Sociology: The Stealth Social Science” Need to tell people what we do… Sociologists • probe and untangle the complexity of social issues to encourage understanding and action. • are “big picture” thinkers, who try to identify and solve problems. We • look for hidden patterns that hold answers • improve lives.

  7. “I’d like a nickel for every time I was identified as a social worker.” • Sociologists are engaged in government, military, business, or other venues as well. • Yet we still looking to the Ivory Tower to find sociology. • While sociologists may look outwardly for lack of recognition a little self-analysis won’t hurt. • How can we improve our standing in policy creation and public awareness? • One obvious problem is that the public may not know what we do. In a lifetime in the field, I’d like a nickel for every time I was identified as a social worker. Social workers important and are solidly linked to the material in the field of sociology (and other social sciences). But “practicing sociology” is not doing social work. OK, so what do you do?

  8. “This is great stuff, but what can you do with it? Put up or Shut Up” “You can do everything,” , …but that is synonymous with saying “We can do nothing.” • Teaching application (applied sociology), intervention (clinical sociology) and practice from end to end in the undergraduate and graduate sociology curricula “Sociology should... be thought of as a science of action—of the ultimate common value element in its relations to the other elements of action.” — Talcott Parsons The Structure of Social Action (1937), Vol. 1, 440.

  9. “Oh (pronounced O),” Doctor. “OH??” This raises another problem. • IN explanations of my professional work over the years the reaction has been everything from • a glazed look to identification as an “Oh (pronounced O),” Doctor. • That is, after my explanation of what I do, respondents say “OH??” (obviously, not in the least aware of just what it is).

  10. You (Sociology) need an “elevator pitch” A speech that gets at the heart of what we do in a fairly easy and clear statement. Sociologists are skilled persons who probe and untangle the complexity of social issues to encourage understanding and action. We are “big picture” thinkers, problem identifiers and problem solvers. We look for hidden patterns that hold answers to our clients’ most pressing questions. Our work shares a simple but compelling purpose: to improve lives.

  11. Toward a Model: Sociological Practice High Low

  12. Notes….

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