Sociology Commons^™

George Herbert Mead And Social Reform: His Work And Writings, Mary Jo Deegan, John S. Burger

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

There are two popular myths concerning the eminent philosopher and social psychologist George Herbert Mead: that he published little during his lifetime and that Mind, Self, and Society is his most important sociological work. This misrepresentation of Mead's contributions is partially grounded in the neglect of his work and writings on social reform. The misrepresentation of the significance of the almost seventy articles Mead wrote during his lifetime distorts the meaning of his concepts and has profound implications for symbolic interactionists who claim Mead as one of their founding fathers.

American Drama And Ritual: Nebraska Football, Mary Jo Deegan, Michael Stein

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Football is a major sport in the United States because of its dramatic enactment of social values of violence, bureaucracy, sexism, and commercialism. The spectators of this game are particularly enthralled in the state of Nebraska. Here, a state with a large geographical area and a small, predominanty rural population, the ~' fans have elevated Nebraska football to a significant ritual and source for identification. As avid supporters they dress in the team colors, red and white; participate in pre- and postgame celebrations; travel great distances; and emotionally express their loyalty and dedication to "Big Red."

By combining the dramaturgical …

Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status As Determinants Of Social Participation: A Test Of The Interaction Hypothesis, J. Allen Williams Jr., Louis St. Peter

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The burgeoning research in recent years on participation in voluntary associations has led to a generally consistent, cumulative literature. From these studies we now know a great deal about who affiliates with what kind of organizations and why. As with most areas of inquiry, however, certain issues remain unresolved. With respect to minority participation, an important and unanswered question has been: Do black Americans have a higher or lower rate of social participation than their white counterparts? Although seemingly a simple question to answer, contradictory findings have led to considerable, and sometimes heated, debate which has lasted for many years. …

Comments On Jackman's "Political Elites, Mass Publics, And Support For Democratic Principles", Louis St. Peter, J. Allen Williams Jr., David R. Johnson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Whereas classical political theory indicates that widespread public support for democratic principles is necessary for the maintenance of a democratic society, research evidence has almost universally shown a difference between the general public and the elite with the latter being more supportive. Many contemporary observers, in contradiction to classical theory, have explained this difference in terms of an independent politically active stratum, differing from the mass public not only in terms of generally higher social status, but also by a unique socialization process. An article published in the Journal of Politics by Robert Jackman has challenged this interpretation by purporting …

On Political Tolerance: Comments On "Origins Of Tolerance", Harry J. Crockett

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The continued scalability of a set of attitude items used in national sample surveys separated by 19 years is a remarkable and useful result. In a discipline lacking valid measures of socially important attitudes, such an outcome merits close study and wide dissemination. But exhibiting the stability of Stouffer's tolerance scale is not the prime end of the Williams et al. paper; they pursue an accounting of the "origins of tolerance." Nor is it the prime interest of the larger research from which their paper arises. Our concern in the larger study is with the political tolerance of the American …

"Origins Of Tolerance": Reply To Crockett, J. Allen Williams Jr., Clyde Z. Nunn, Louis St. Peter

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Professor Crockett has described portions of our article as "conceptually barren" and the findings are said to represent "serious distortions" which, if accepted, will lead to "serious misunderstandings." Coming from a respected colleague, these strong words cannot be taken lightly. Nevertheless, after carefully examining his criticisms, we feel they are misplaced.

Origins Of Tolerance: Findings From A Replication Of Stouffer's Communism, Conformity, And Civil Liberties, J. Allen Williams Jr., Clyde Z. Nunn, Louis St. Peter

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This report presents findings from a nationwide replication of Stouffer's classic study of attitudes toward civil liberties. Central to Stouffer's interpretation of the origins of tolerance is his idea that exposure to social and cultural diversity encourages an appreciation of the importance of civil liberties for democracy. Trends in the 1950s suggested that Americans would increasingly be exposed to diversity with the result that the population would become more tolerant in the future. These propositions were examined using education, city size, region, exposure to mass media news, gender, and occupation as indices of exposure to diversity. With the exceptions of …

Invited Response To James J. Kilpatrick’S “And Some Are More Equal Than Others”, Mary Jo Deegan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

It is difficult to take Mr. Kilpatrick's column seriously. Not only is it written in a light-hearted vein, like many remarks written on minority groups and women, but also it takes an illogical and indefensible position. Somehow, I gather, the reader is supposed to feel that women should not be in half of the illustrations relating to society. In "reality" they are 51% of the population, so perhaps Mr. Kilpatrick is referring to a different reality than the one where women live. It would be interesting to know where this" reality" exists. In an additionally inexpicable manner there is supposed …

The Culture Of Poverty Debate: Some Additional Data, Barbara E. Coward, Joe R. Feagin, J. Allen Williams Jr.

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In this paper we briefly review relevant research on the culture of poverty and set our findings within the general context of culture of poverty arguments. Data from a community survey in a Southwestern city are analyzed using Oscar Lewis’ four major culture of poverty dimensions: 1) the individual, 2) the family, 3) the slum community, and 4) the community’s relation to society. In our study a sample of 271 black respondents was divided into two groups, here termed the “poor” and the “non-poor.” In noting all the broad traits studied in all dimensions taken together, some support for Lewis’ …

Black Family Structures And Functions: An Empirical Examination Of Some Suggestions Made By Billingsley, J. Allen Williams Jr., Robert Stockton

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Andrew Billingsley in Black Families in White America has criticized much of the previous research on the black family, saying that social scientists have ignored the structural variation among families and have focused on a very limited number of family functions. To correct what he believes to be a distorted picture of the black family, he has suggested a typology of family structures and a large number of family functions which should be taken into consideration. This paper, based upon data collected from 321 black households, uses Billingsley’s typology to examine the association between family structures and functions. It is …

Ritual Appraisement In White Singles’ Bars: From A Woman’S Perspective, Mary Jo Deegan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Singles bars provide a unique opportunity to observe sexual norms and mores in action. This set of expectations is particularly visible in these spots because they accentuate the mobility and "meat market" aspects of selection of dating partners. The meat market bargaining process is an important part of this ritual introduction, and it is a major organizing concept in the analysis.

Negro College Students' Participation In Sit-Ins, Ruth Searles, J. Allen Williams Jr.

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Socioeconomic and legal changes in the position of southern Negroes have been accompanied by a changing pattern of race relations and a new attitude on the part of Negro leaders. Data from a closed-answer questionnaire administered to students in three Negro colleges in North Carolina support the hypothesis that sit-in protests are less indicative of social alienation among Negroes than of their identification with or positive reference to the white middle class.