Social Psychology and Interaction Commons^™

Preface To The Special Issue, Mary Jo Deegan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Nebraska was a tumultuous new state in 1869, the year its major University was founded. The early sociologists at Nebraska reflected this bumptious and daring spirit This special issue of the Mid-American Review of Sociology explores several facets of the intellectual heritage and institutional foundations of sociology at the University of Nebraska.

Editor’S Introduction: The Social Construction Of A Departmental Heritage, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The creation, maintenance, and diffusion of each academic department's corporate identity is a social project. This is as true for departments of sociology as for any other academic organization. Numerous individuals and organizations -- within and outside a particular institute of higher learning -participate in the constructive, reconstructive, and deconstructive processes that shape the content and character of the institutional heritage passed from one generation of scholars in each department of sociology to the next.

Framing Falls: A Goffmanian Analysis Of Pedestrian Falls And Muffings, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Sociology: A Brief But Critical Introduction, 2nd Edition, By Anthony Giddens, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

As Giddens announces correctly in the preface, "This book differs from most other introductory texts in sociology in several ways" (p. vii). It concentrates on theory, "the core of theoretical concerns which sociology shares with all the social sciences" (p. vii). Giddens asserts, "I do not adopt the usual view that these issues are unimportant to those seeking to achieve an initial acquaintance with sociology. Neither do I accept the equally common idea that such matters are too complex to be grasped before the reader has a mastery of the more empirical content of the subject" (pp. vii-viii). On the …

The Intellectual Legacy Of Nebraska Sociology: A Bibliographical Chronology Of Separately Published Works, 1887-1989, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The ftrst full century of sociological scholarship at the University of Nebraska rests solidly on numerous contributions to the acknowledged pinnacle of academic work: single-author monographs published by scholarly presses. Collaborative works, including jointly-authored monographs and scholarly editorial projects, round out the separately published volumes in the continually growing library of Nebraska sociology. Several works are recognized classics and have been revised and revived in various editions. The sociological work flowing from Nebraska roots is evidenced by inspection of the bibliography below.

If one wished to deftne a "Nebraska school of sociology," one could do worse than look to the …

Roscoe Pound And The Seminarium Botanicum At The University Of Nebraska, 1888-1889, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Roscoe Pound (1870-1964) became one of America's leading legal scholars, but few recall his rigorous training in botany. Those who do most often cite his 1898 joint doctoral thesis (The Phytogeography of Nebraska, co-authored with Frederic Clements), but fail to note his first graduate work of a decade earlier. Roscoe Pound's master's thesis, "The Imperfect Fungi of Nebraska," was researched and written during the 1888-1889 academic year. Although the thesis itself is now lost, its content and the circumstances under which it was written can be established by using archival materials. Pound's role in leading the student botanical club (the …

'Asking Directions’ And Pedestrian Wayfinding, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper reports a study of the social ecology and systemic aspects of "asking for directions" in an urban area. Interviews were conducted with 100 randomly selected pedestrians at spatially stratified locations representing a variety of urban environments in Lincoln, Nebraska. The interviewer, posing as a "lost" pedestrian, asked respondents to give directions to local landmarks and then unobtrusively recorded their responses on a concealed tape recorder. Respondents generally provided accurate, distance-conserving directions with low levels of spatial complexity. Responses were friendly and often tailored to the unique environmental attributes characterizing each location. An outline of the process whereby a …

Novels, Thought Experiments, And Humanist Sociology In The Classroom: Mari Sandoz And Capital City, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Based upon teaching Mari Sandoz' allegorical novel, Capital City, as part of Introduction to Sociology for three semesters, this report outlines the characteristics of sociologically useful novels from a humanist perspective. A key characteristic is the extent to which novelists not only conduct thought experiments but also stimulate student thinking and research. The pedagogical dimensions of thought experiments are explicated and the positive outcomes of using a novel-and group study projects based on a novel-are reported.

The Sociology And Experiences Of Pedestrians, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper introduces the sociological and experiential studies included in this special issue of Man-Environment Systems. Sociological and experiential perspectives and their interconnections are briefly explored. A sociology of sociology perspective is adopted and argues that architects, planners, engineers and other managers of vested, status guo interests fail to systematically incorporate the burgeoning social scientific work on pedestrianism due to the inherent and unavoidable political character of walking.

Bomb Talk: Framing The Unthinkable, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Our cultural apparatus appears ill-equipped, if not unable, to conceptualize or frame the present nuclear reality in a way that lets us effectively come to grips with it as it really is: a deployed, targeted, industrialized capacity to instantaneously annihilate all human life. This paper demonstrates that we key or transform our nuclear reality in virtually every conceivable way, thus normalizing it and treating it culturally the same as any other phenomenon, including the most mundane. I argue therefore that we have before us the immense and challenging task of finding a way – working with flawed and inadequate intellectual …

Physically Disabled Women And New Directions In Public Policy, 1977-1987., Mary Jo Deegan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Women with physical disabilities now demand new directions in public policy. Starting a mere decade ago, in 1977, a driving momentum redefined the self-concepts, expectations, and united actions of disabled women. This burgeoning social movement is documented here through the geometric growth of writings articulating the vision of a more active and independent group. An overview of this Iiterature and its policy implications is provided.

Preface, Mary Jo Deegan, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

To us, as feminist professors, the structural inequality of women is obvious. To our nonfeminist students, however, this inequality is often invisible. They believe, optimistically, that all women's problems have been solved or will be by the time they complete their undergraduate education. They are firm believers that American society is egalitarian and radically different from the world of ten or twenty years ago. This book is oriented toward our students and our vision. We, too, believe that people are flexible and can change, and that the United States Constitution guarantees equality for all citizens. We know, however, that women's …

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Several Forms Of Parenting: Mother, Genitrix, And Mater, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Melissa Stern was born March 27, 1986, in New Jersey. For one so young, she has experienced or been the subject of interstate flight and fugitive hegira, legal battles involving her own court-appointed attorney, social controversy, the voracious attention of an insensitive media industry, and a place in history as the famous Baby "M". Judge Sorkow (1987: 26-27), in his opinion awarding custody of Melissa to her genetic father and terminating all parental rights of her genetic mother, notes professional evaluations indicating Melissa to be a "a mellow, alert, easy-to-care-for child who is blessed with a 'sunniness of disposition that …

"Martha's Rules": An Alternative To Robert's Rules Of Order, Anne Minahan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

For several years I have been teaching a social work course on how social workers can make their employing organization more responsive to consumers. We study how decisions are made in organizations. The students and I have become intrigued with the use of consensus decision-making in some organizations. Many—but by no means all—of these organizations are feminist organizations that wish to put feminist beliefs and philosophy into practice within organizations and to avoid structured administrative hierarchies for decision making. In their study of consensus decision-making organizations, students have reported that some participants are impatient with the time required by the …

Sexism In Space: The Freudian Formula In "Star Trek", Mary Jo Deegan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

These words, spoken at the beginning of each televised "Star Trek" episode, set the stage for the fantastic future. Although the "Star Trek" series was cancelled in 1969 after only three years of production, it generated a large cult following that flourishes still today. One reason for the series' remarkable longevity is its depiction of the future as a Freudian fantasy. This Freudian vision draws on cultural myths embedded in the patriarchal dominance of men over women characteristic of Western civilization.

According to Freud, both sexes are driven by three instincts --- sex, aggression, and the death wish---but men have …

Spatial Structure In Pedestrian Route Choice, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Aggregated pedestrian trip lengths typically follow gravity model predictions. Given this, the present research asks which route will a pedestrian choose when confronted by two or more distance-minimizing routes of equal length. Ethological, questionnaire, and interview data reveal the spatial structure of pedestrian route choices in terms of spatial complexity measures. Route complexity is found to vary by age and gender. The study is based on data collected in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Review Of Accommodating The Pedestrian By Richard Untermann, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Untermann undertakes to provide design professionals and other decision makers with a down-to-earth, practical guide for converting existing automobile-dominated urban areas into bicycle and pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and cities. Based primarily on his personal observation, experience, and professional predilections, Untermann lists the presumed "needs" of pedestrians/bicyclists and presents a brief, uneven description of the "characteristics" of walking. A separate chapter, not well-integrated with the rest of the book, focuses specifically on bicyclists and bikeways. The second half of the book addresses specific improvements-primarily for pedestrians suggested by the author for older neighborhoods, downtowns, and suburban communities respectively.

Walking Straight Home From School: Pedestrian Route Choice By Young Children, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Unobtrusive observations of 50 randomly selected pedestrian youngsters were made after the children had been dismissed from elementary schoois in Lincoln, Nebraska. The results demonstrate that (a) 88 percent of the students walked directly to a residential dwelling: (b) 98 percent chose a least-distance path from their school to their residence or other destination: (c) the majority of students (62 percent), by choosing to minimize distance, found their route choices reduced to a single route option:' and (d) when faced with the choice between two or more distance-minimizing routes, the children in this study selected structurally more complex routes than …

Hegemonic Life-Worlds: A Discussion Of The Phenomenology Of Routes And Connectivity In Planning And Design, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

I. Introduction

II. The Social Context of Spatiality

I I I . Class-Ernbedded Descriptions of Routes: A Personal Example

IV. Designers and Hegemony

A. Life-World Hegemony

B. Hegemony and Opposition

E. An Example of Gender-Specific Hegemony

D. Access, Disability, Physical Design and Collective Responsibility

V. Positivist Hegemony and Destruction of Human Values

VI. Positivist Conceptions of Routes

A. Arithmetizing Paths

B. Geometrizing Paths

C. Discussion: The Maze at Hampton Court

VII. Toward the Phenomenology of Routes

A. A Program of Investigation

B. Discussion

On The Possibility And Realization Of Feminist Art, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The focus of this paper is the possibility and realization of feminist art. I will move directly to the central arguments--outlining the case against and the case for the possibility of feminist art. I will argue that a sociological perspective leads one inexorably to the firm possibility of feminist art. Finally, I will open discussion toward the realization of feminist art and invite you to begin with me an exploration of sociology’s potential contributions to the realization of this feminist project.

Intellectual Violence, Democratic Legitimation, And The War Over The Family, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper presents a view of democratically rationalized repression as a framework within which to discuss Brigitte Berger and Peter L. Berger's recent anti-feminist, bourgeois apologetic: The War over the Family: Capturing the Middle Ground. The Bergers' book is presented as an example of intellectual violence, a ruthless attempt to legitimate continuing patriarchal dominance through perverted appeals to "democracy" and democratic principles of fairness and consensus.

Review Of Aesthetics And The Sociology Of Art, By Janet Wolff, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In this compactly written and generally accessible monograph, Janet Wolff outlines the contours of reductionism and ideology as central issues in the sociology of art. She provides a thorough critique of contemporary sociological practice, surgically identifying sloppy logic and intellectual imperialism in nearly every recent attempt to solve the "problem" of aesthetics sociologically. Upon completing the book, the reader will no doubt feel greatly informed about a wide range of epistemological, methodological, and ideological issues. At the same time, the reader may feel perplexed in his/her attempt to frame an answer to the question, "What's the next step?" Hence, the …

Selected References On Walking, Crossing Streets, And Choosing Pedestrian Routes, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Studies on the behavior and experiences of pedestrians have continued unabated since the first major bibliography on the subject, was compiled by Dietrich Garbrecht (1971a). Numerous additions were noted in a supplement by this author (Hill, 1976a). The present bibliography summarizes and updates these earlier works. Further, it includes several related references from the environmental design research literature which significantly illuminate the general problem of understanding the pedestrian environment. References on route choice by automobile drivers have specifically been included to encourage comparisons between vehicular and pedestrian transportation modes.

This bibliography is presented without annotations. However, those seeking a summary …

Exploring Visual Sociology And The Sociology Of The Visual Arts: Introduction And Selected Bibliography, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Visual studies in the social sciences have recently begun to enjoy increased popularity. Like the interdisciplinary excitement which earlier linked. the behavioral and social sciences to problems in environmental design, this event points to yet greater potential for collaboration between the social sciences, on the one hand, and the design disciplines, on the other. Whereas the interdisciplinary environmental design movement tended to focus specifically on the relationship between humans and the built urban environment (although some landscape architects properly extended their investigations to rural and natural environments), the intersection of visual sociology and the sociology of the visual arts encompasses …

Stalking The Urban Pedestrian: A Comparison Of Questionnaire And Tracking Methodologies For Behavioral Mapping In Large-Scale Environments, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Behavioral mapping in unrestricted, outdoor environments raises methodological challenges which have led several environmental behavior researchers to employ questionnaires rather than behavioral observation as the usual method of data collection. This study provides an empirically-grounded comparison of both techniques for recovering data on routes selected by pedestrians as they engage in unrestricted travel from place to place in an urban environment. Mid-trip interception tracking provides expensive but accurate data on partial trips whereas questionnaires provide more easily obtainable data on complete trips but with a lesser degree of accuracy. The reduced level of accuracy for questionnaire data is mild, however, …

Walking, Crossing Streets And Choosing Pedestrian Routes: A Survey Of Recent Insights From The Social/Behavioral Sciences, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Walking at first appears to be a relatively simple, mundane behavior that should pose no great puzzle for the diligent researcher in the social and behavioral sciences. The review presented here of recent studies, however, demonstrates that the behavior and experiences of ordinary pedestrians are filled with opportunities for empirical investigation and intricate theory building. But, why bring these studies together for synthesis in this volume? I suggest here that there are, in fact, several reasons that argue in favor of a timely focus on the apparently simple behavior of the pedestrian.

First, the deceptive simplicity of the pedestrian experience …

Epistemology, Axiology, And Ideology In Sociology, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper (a) presents a systems framework for conceptualizing epistemological issues in sociology, (b) links this framework to axiological responsibilities, and then (c) locates both the epistemological and axiological discussions within the patriarchal ideology and hierarchical power structure of American sociology. I t is argued that adopting an activist, emancipatory ideological position obligates social scientists to critically review their axiological commitments and epistemological premises. Major arguments are set in italics to permit a quick scan of the paper. These arguments form an epistemological position paper for the closing of the Twentieth Century.

The Relative Contribution To Meaning Of Verbal And Nonverbal Channels Of Communication: A Meta-Analysis, Jeffrey S. Philpott

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current study is grounded in the psychological approaches to the mechanics of communication, somewhere between cybernetics and attribution.

The integration of information available in different channels is the focus of the present study. To what extent do people rely on the different channels of communication to assign meaning to their world? More specifically, what is the relative importance of the verbal and nonverbal channels of communication in the meaning creation process?

This question of channel reliance is of central import to the study of the role of information in social/psychological systems. If it can be assumed that meaning is …

The Social Context Of Pedestrians’ Rights, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Pedestrians' rights are now problematic only as a result of the relatively recent socio-technological development of motor vehicles and their widespread socioeconomic adoption as a transportation mode. Prior to the advent of motor vehicles, the “pedestrian problem” as we know it today did not exist, This is not because pedestrians did not exist, but because it was not yet politically necessary to define pedestrians and their behavior as a “Problem”. To drive home the point, a survey of state statutes in this country reveals that the legal definition of a “pedestrian” is uniformly found within the Motor Vehicle Code of …

Review Of Contexts Of Behavior: Anthropological Dimensions, By Robert J. Maxwell, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This book is a massive disappointment. The well-designed dust jacket indicates that Maxwell, "Describes the interaction between humans and their environments, drawing upon a wide range of ethological and anthropological research to form a comprehensive, integrated picture of human cultural ecology." This is only partially true. Maxwell describes a substantial amount of research, but his review is neither comprehensive nor well-integrated.

Maxwell throws out a bibliographic fishing net and cleans his variegated catch in slip-shod fashion. Unfortunately, his net also has gaping, unexplained holes. The best that one can say about this book is that the bibliography would have been …