Public Sociology : Research, Action, and Change

by Philip Nyden

• ISBN13: 9781412982634
• ISBN10: 1412982634
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-04
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

This book highlights the variety of ways in which sociology brings about social change in community settings, assists nonprofit and social service organizations in their work, and influences policy at the local, regional, and national levels. It also spotlights sociology that informs the general public on key policy issues through media and creates research centers that develop and carry out collaborative research. The book details a broad range of sociology projects. The 33 case studies are divided into 8 sections. Each section also includes sidebars of include non-sociologists writing about the impact of selected research projects. In some cases these are interdisciplinary projects since solutions to social problems are often multifaceted and do not fit into the disciplines as defined by universities. Further, it emphasizes actions and connections. This is not armchair sociology where self-proclaimed public sociologists just write articles suggesting what government, corporations, communities, or others #xE2;#xAC;Sought to do.#xE2;#xAC; The authors are interested in the active connections to publics and users of the research, not the passive research process.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. x
Foreword	p. xii
Foreword	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Public Scholarship, the Sociological Imagination, and Engaged Scholarship	p. 1
Sidebar: Expert Testimony	p. 2
Crossing Boundaries in 21st-century Research: Sharing Knowledge and Collaborating Between University and Community	p. 12
Sidebar: Setting a Graduate Education Path for Public Sociology	p. 20
Sidebar: Developing Student Commitment to Public Sociology	p. 26
Starting Up and Sustaining Public Sociology Projects	p. 33
Sidebar: Working With the Academy: A Community Perspective	p. 35
Career Guide for Public Sociologists	p. 49
Sidebar: Enjoying Success Outside the Academy	p. 61
Sidebar: Public Sociologist as Teacher First	p. 62
Sidebar: Learning Is a Two-Way Street	p. 65
Equitable Community Development	p. 68
Sidebar: Partnerships From the Perspective of the Community	p. 69
Educating About Homelessness: A University-City Government Research Partnership	p. 72
The Differential Impact of Gentrification on Communities of Color in Chicago	p. 77
Research in Action: The Case of InnerCity Entrepreneurs	p. 84
Art and Equitable Community Development	p. 89
Environmental Issues	p. 96
Public Sociology for Environmental Health and Environmental Justice	p. 97
Learning From Disaster: Documenting the Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on Displaced College Students From New Orleans	p. 106
Working for Global Environmental Justice: Channeling Privilege, Producing New Knowledge	p. 112
Sidebar: Testimonial From "Briana"	p. 116
Regional Research and Data Collection to Enhance Public Knowledge	p. 120
Neighborhood, Region, and Place: The Chicago Experience	p. 122
The Sacramento State Annual Survey of the Region	p. 134
Reducing Hunger in Oregon	p. 138
Povertyeast.org: Providing Information to Help Communities Address Critical Needs	p. 143
Sociology in Public Service	p. 147
Inequalities of Race, Class, and Gender	p. 154
Bringing Feminist Sociology to Smart-Girl: Building a University-Nonprofit Partnership	p. 156
Sidebar: Public Sociology as a Foundation for a Counseling Career in Education	p. 157
Feminist Research in Action: An Intersectional Approach to Girlcentric Programming	p. 164
Youth Participation in Community Research for Racial Justice	p. 169
Building Resources to Create and Maintain Stable Diverse Communities	p. 176
The Media	p. 183
The Media, ACORN, and Presidential Politics	p. 185
Pressuring Alcohol Companies to Reform Marketing Practices	p. 194
The Reel Girls Project: Self, Image, Adolescence, and Filmmaking	p. 200
The Internet as a Leveler Between Advantaged and Disadvantaged Communities	p. 205
Health	p. 211
Teen Pregnancy Prevention	p. 213
Doing God's Work and Doing Good Work(s): Unique Challenges to Evaluation Research in Ministry Settings	p. 219
Feast on the Southeast: Creating a Sustainable Local Food System in Southeastern North Carolina	p. 224
Sidebar: Doing Public Sociology	p. 228
Challenging Discrimination Against Women, Minorities, and the Sick in Health Insurance	p. 231
Tobacco Use Prevention in Montana's Frontier Communities: Developing New Rural Strategies	p. 237
Crime, Reducing Violence, and Promoting Justice	p. 243
Forty Years of Codifying and Mapping Homicides in Chicago: Impacts on Policing, Research, and Community Well-Being	p. 245
Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice in Wisconsin: Analysis, Graphs, and Engagement	p. 251
The Role of Relationship Building in Research Partnerships	p. 256
Sidebar: The Process of Partnering Is as Essential as the Final Product	p. 262
Hate Crime Motivation: The Practical Consequences of an Offender Typology	p. 265
Community Organizing	p. 271
Cultivating Public Sociology From the Classroom: The Case of a Student-Organized Tenants Union	p. 273
Sidebar: The Power of Community Organizing	p. 274
The Unity of Theory and Practice: The U.S. Social Forum and Movement Building for Social Transformation	p. 280
When the Community Leads	p. 286
The "Third Place" Project	p. 292
Conclusion: The Case for the New, Engaged 21st-century Scholarship	p. 298
Index	p. 301
About the Editors	p. 310
About the Contributors	p. 311
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