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SOCIOLOGY AS A CAREER
Excerpted from "Careers In Sociology" and reprinted
with permission from the American Sociological Association.
There
are three major areas in which sociologists can find employment:
Teaching
Research
Sociological
Practice
Teaching
A substantial majority of sociologists teach in one setting or
another-high schools, two-year colleges, four-year colleges, or university
graduate departments. Sociology is a rewarding field to convey to others.
It combines the importance of social relevance with the rigor of a
scientific discipline. It includes a broad range of subject matter, since
all forms of social behavior are potential objects of sociological study.
Sociology is not only being taught to future sociologists and to
undergraduate students as part of their liberal arts or vocational
education, but it is also included in the programs of many professions,
such as law, education, business, medicine, engineering, social work, and
nursing. In addition to the standard college and university courses,
sociology courses are frequently offered in adult and continuing education
programs and are increasingly prominent in the nation's high schools.
Teaching sociology is not the same in every setting. It is one
thing to give a general introduction to a class of high school students and
quite another to give a specialized course to college seniors. Both of
these are different from leading an advanced research seminar for graduate
students who are well along toward the Ph.D. In each case there are rewards
and frustrations. For many persons, teaching seems a desirable occupation
which provides considerable job security and the satisfaction of providing
knowledge and stimulation to students who respond with respect and
appreciation.
Research
Research is second to teaching as the most common career
option within sociology. Note, however, that there is not necessarily a
choice between teaching and research. Many teaching positions, particularly
in universities but also in four-year colleges, require research
activities. This is the basis for the academic cliché: “publish or
perish." Like most clichés, this one has some truth and a good deal of
distortion. While it is certainly true that publishing books or articles is
the foremost route to job security and promotion and salary increases in
most universities, this requirement applies more in settings where original
scholarship is highly prized and supported. Many institutions, however, put
varying degrees of emphasis on research or teaching as the primary route to
advancement. Some value one over the other; many institutions are
attempting to achieve the optimum balance between research and teaching.
One
can do research in a variety of employment settings-in a university, a
public agency at the federal, state, or local level, a business or
industrial firm, or as a staff member of a research institute in the
non-profit or advocacy sector. Some are self-employed, and head their own
research or consulting firms. It should be emphasized, however, that given
the usefulness of their methods and perspectives, sociologists have helped
develop and have branched out into many fields and career paths that utilize
research but go well beyond the research function. These career activities
are known collectively as sociological practice.
Sociological Practice
This broad category of career activities refers to positions
that involve "applied" or "clinical" sociology. Applied
sociology is knowledge directed to understanding immediate problems and
their solutions. Clinical sociology, also concerned with the application of
sociological knowledge, extends into involvement in the world by
intervening in social settings using a wide range of techniques to help
guide the process of change. Clinical sociologists may carry out
interventions at the individual, group, organizational, community and/or
societal levels. They are experts in counseling, social and environmental
impact assessment, evaluation, facilitation, and mediation and techniques
of conflict resolution (between couples, ethnic groups, communities, even
nation-states). These approaches all have one thing in common they help
citizens, groups, organizations or government to identify problems and
their deeper causes and to suggest possible strategies for solutions.
There are a number of options for sociological practice. These
include:
POLICY MAKING AND ADMINISTRATION
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IN GOVERNMENT
OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSINESS
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