The Importance of Public Sociology

The Importance & Accessibility of Public Sociology

Public Sociology is defined in the text Public Sociology: Research, Action, and Change as "the most recent movement to connect sociology to the interests, needs, and concerns of organizations, communities, and individuals outside the university" or in short, "engaged scholarship outside of the university" (Hossfeld et al. 2012:1) Hossfeld and her colleagues go on to define the concept of public sociology, explaining that "[i]nsofar as sociologists who have done [research on topics that 'are of considerable relevance to various groups outside the university'], write op-ed columns for local newspapers, testify at government hearings, speak to community groups, consult with organizations about their work, or report on their research through blogs, web pages, and other Web-based media, they are engaged in a form of public sociology" (Hossfeld et al. 2012:2).

I believe that public sociology is important for several reasons, however in this post I will focus on how it works to inform news media by supplementing articles with statistics and information based on research. This is important because this supplemental research works to support claims written in articles by making them stronger, which can prevent the perpetuation of false or inaccurate claims in popular media sources.

Patricia Hill Collins, a prominent sociologist who has focused on issues of race, social class, sexuality, and gender has written about the importance of the activism carried out by academics in her piece, "Truth-Telling and Intellectual Activism." In her article, she emphasizes how academics who engage in "political" work are often seen as less scholarly. However, she contends that this work is necessary because those in society who "who lack literacy, work long hours, and/or consume seemingly endless doses of so called reality television" don't often have the opportunity to hear "new ideas that challenge social inequities." Therefore, I agree with Collins that it is the job of sociologists and other intellectuals to engage in public sociology in order to speak to power and to act as a voice for individuals who lack the means to hear ideas that challenge social inequities.

Collins implicitly notes that sociologists' voices are lacking in the public media and in the realm of policy makers. Orlando Patternson emphasizes this disparity when comparing the presence of economists' voices in public debates with those of sociologists' over important social issues such as gang violence, high school drop out rates, incarceration, unemployment, and other issues. He implores sociologists to make their voices heard in these public spaces because these topics are heavily studied by sociologists, and like Collins has argued, sociologists have the knowledge and expertise to speak on these subjects and further influence social change. These are all reasons for why it is important for social scientists to find ways to connect with public audiences and make social science research more accessible and relevant to public discourse.

Should Social Scientists Practice Public Sociology in Terms of Their Research Questions & Designs?

The text Public Sociology: Research, Action, and Change defines organic public sociology as “a more collaborative approach to [sociology] research in which boundaries between researcher and practitioner, scholar, and activist, or university and community are more permeable” (Hossfeld et al. 2012:4). The authors of this text further delineate this concept, stating “[i]t is in concert with publics that some of sociology’s most valuable contributions to the broader society can be enhanced” (Hossfeld et al. 2012:4). Therefore, organic public sociology is a subfield in which academics work with the community, researching some aspect of society in order to draw conclusions and answers regarding a social problem in the hopes that the research will be used to solve that social problem.

Traditional public sociology is defined in the same text as "scholarship and professional activity that is driven by interests and priorities of the discipline. Although not done in conjunction with any organizations or movements, the products of such scholarship may have significant relevance for those outside of academia."

I think that it is not necessarily important for social scientists to practice public sociology in terms of their research questions and designs, because public sociology can be practiced within the scope of one's research question, or even outside it. I think it depends on the research design that is being utilized in a particular study and the kind of public sociology that is being practiced. Some research designs are more conducive to organic public sociology than others.

For example, secondary data analysis, which requires that researchers analyze a set of data that has already been collected, would not be conducive to organic public sociology, however it could be conducive to traditional public sociology. This is because organic public sociology entails researchers working directly with the public in some capacity and analyzing data does not require this. However, once the data is analyzed and conclusions are drawn, researchers could practice organic public sociology by writing op-ed columns, contacting news media, and making their research widely available and accessible in order for it to be used for social science such as to support claims made regarding social science in the news media. This would mean then that social scientists weren't practicing organic public sociology in terms of their research design, but maybe in terms of their research question.

In contrast, a complete participant or even a participant observer observational study, or an interview would be much more conducive to organic public sociology and still relevant to traditional public sociology. This is because they would involve direct contact with the community impacted by the study, which would mean that scholars are practicing public sociology in terms of their research questions and designs. As you can see, public sociology can be practiced within one's research directly, or even outside in different capacities. That is the beauty of public sociology. It can serve difference purposes and therefore be useful in different ways.

Was this class, and this line of questioning, useful to you? How or how not?

This class, Sociology 475: Senior Seminar, was very useful to me. It taught me about a whole new subfield, public sociology, and how I can utilize the skill sets I have acquired during my time at SUNY Potsdam in the real world. I didn't realize there was such a thing as public or applied sociology. I even read about some job opportunities in the textbook required for class, which I found to be very helpful. The article posted on Moodle called "What is Applied Sociology?" by Dr. Zuleyka Zevallos I found to be of extreme use. I was unaware of the fact that a substantial amount of job listings which sociology students are qualified for are not listed under the term "sociology." They are instead often listed under terms such as "professional workers," "technical workers," "systems analysts," "writers/editors," "public relations specialists," "statisticians," "statistical clerks," and "urban planners" and "regional planners." I thought that the class discussions that we had were very constructive and I liked how students could share their opinions without fear of being criticized in a non-constructive way and without fear of being ostracized.

I found the line of questioning this blog is based upon (Sociological Considerations) to be very useful. It helped me to think critically, and in doing so (by comparing different articles I had read and drawing from them) I learned a considerable amount. I really appreciate the questions that were asked and the thought that was put into them. I very much enjoyed discussing the cultural products because I felt that these were very though-provoking topics that were very interesting to discuss. I very much enjoyed the freedom to write on topics of my choice, because this really compelled me to write much more as a result of being passionate about certain topics. I would say, in a sense, these blogs were cathartic for that reason and therefore much needed. I believe that what I have learned in this class will be very useful to me in my future; in which I hope to apply what I've learned for the greater good! I love the concept of public sociology and think it is a fascinating form of public discourse. I hope that in the future, it becomes more widely practiced and accepted in academia.

References

Hossfeld, Leslie, Gwendolyn Nyden, and Philip Nyden. 2012. Public Sociology: Research,
Action, and Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.