Activities of Interest to Members of the SPPS Section

Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Reception
Time: Mon, Aug 10 - 6:30pm - 8:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

MEETINGS

Spivack Program in Applied and Social Research Advisory Panel

Time: Sat, Aug 8 - 2:30pm - 4:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Orientation for New Section Officers

Time: Mon, Aug 10 - 8:30am - 10:10am

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Section Officers with the Committee on Sections

Time: Mon, Aug 10 - 10:30am - 12:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Business Meeting

Time: Tue, Aug 11 - 11:30am - 12:10pm

Place: Parc 55 Hotel

 

 

SESSIONS

 

Regular Session. Public Sociology

Sun, Aug 9 - 8:30am - 10:10am,

Parc 55 Hotel

Session Organizer: April Linton (Univ of California-San Diego)

Presider: April Linton (Univ of California-San Diego)

Can Sociology Contribute to Social Service?

Shana Cohen (University of Sheffield)

Imagining Empirical Programs for Public Sociology

Stephen Paul Smith (University of California, Berkeley)

Making the Intangible, Tangible: Subjugated Knowledges and Struggles for Dignity

Jordan Thomas Camp (University of California, Santa Barbara)

Sociologists in public: two views of policy and politics

Karim Murji (The Open University)

Discussant: Hayward Derrick Horton (SUNY-Albany)

Contradictions in Service Learning and Community-based Research

Mon, Aug 10 - 2:30pm - 4:10pm,

Parc 55 Hotel

Session Organizer: Randy Stoecker (University of Wisconsin)

Presider: Randy Stoecker (University of Wisconsin)

Session Organizer: Jose Zapata Calderon (Pitzer College)

Presider: Jose Zapata Calderon (Pitzer College)

Panelist: Randy Stoecker (University of Wisconsin)

Panelist: Philip Nyden (Loyola University Chicago)

Panelist: Rose Brewer (University of Minnesota)

Discussant: Jose Zapata Calderon (Pitzer College)

Abstract:

For more than a decade, there has been much written and said about the great service that universities have been providing to excluded communities through service learning and community-based research. Nevertheless, an ugly underside is beginning to emerge of academics building their careers and students building their resumes with little success to show in reversing the ravages of disinvestment. This panel will explore the contradictions of academy-based service learning and civic engagement as part of considering whether it is living up to its rhetoric.

Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Paper Session. Practicing Sociology for Community Change

Tue, Aug 11 - 8:30am - 10:10am

Parc 55 Hotel

Session Organizer: Jeffry A. Will (University of North Florida)

Presider: Jeffry A. Will (University of North Florida)

Access and Utilization of Free Health Care Service: Findings from Community-Based Research

*Byron K Thomas (Indiana University), *Oren Pizmony-Levy (Indiana University), Bryce A Wininger (Indiana University), Abagail M. Shaddox (Indiana University - Bloomington)

Building Community, Struggling for Justice: A Community-Based Approach to Migration Research

Leah Caroline Schmalzbauer (Montana State University), Bethany Lyn Letiecq (Montana State University), Kim Abbott (Montana Human Rights Network), Katie Gray (Coalition of Resource Organizations), Mayra Gutierrez (Coalition of Resource Organizations)

Feasibility of Adding Health-related Services to Free Produce Distribution Sites: Participant Perspectives

*Maryann Mason (Northwestern University), Katherine Kaufer Christoffel (Northwestern University/Children's Memorial Research Center), Lara Jones Jaskiewicz (Childrens Memorial Research Center)

Abstract:

In this session, panelists will present papers on community based research and public sociology in local community settings. Papers will focus on practical uses of sociology to promote community change. Panelists may discuss research or public action designed to involve local communities in social change efforts. Change may be considered in terms of local policy, community organizing, programs to address social problems, public practices such as mobilizing the populace around elections, and other areas. Please consider both the theoretical grounding of your research or practice, and the ways your work draws on the fields of sociological practice and public sociology

Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Invited Session. Applying Sociology and Engaging Communities

Tuesday Aug 11 . 12:30 -2:10

Parc 55: Sociological Practice in the Private Sector.

Session Organizer and Presider: Jeff Will (University of North Florida)

James D. Wright (University of Central Florida)

Roy E. Feldman (Behavior Analysis In New York)

Marilyn Dyck (The Back Door)

Abstract:

In this session, leaders in the field of Sociological Practice and Public Sociology will discuss how their research centers are engaging communities through Community Based Sociological Research and Public Sociology. The session is organized around the three themes of University, Professional, and Community Based Approaches.

ROUNDTABLES

Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Refereed Roundtables

Tue, Aug 11 - 10:30am - 11:30am

Parc 55 Hotel

Session Organizer: Jeffry A. Will (University of North Florida)

Table Presider: Kathy Shepherd Stolley (Virginia Wesleyan College)

The Public Sociologist as Essayist

*Monte Bute (Metropolitan State University)

Action Teaching and Learning: Four Reasons for Teaching Applied Sociology and Community Based Change

*Marv Finkelstein (Southern Illinois Univ Edwardsville)

From NIMBYISM to YIMBYISM: Effective Strategies for Establishing Immigrant Service Facilities

*Gregory M. Maney (Hofstra University), *Margaret Abraham (Hofstra University)

 

Sociological Practice in Teaching and Learning: Clinical Sociology, Mediation and a Culture of Peace

Tue, Aug 11 - 10:30am - 11:30am

Parc 55 Hotel

Session Organizer: Jeffry A. Will (University of North Florida)

Table Presider: Philip Nyden (Loyola University Chicago)

TITLE

*Jan Marie Fritz (University of Cincinnati)

The Multilevel Processes of Mental Health: Neighborhood Practice for Improving Resident Mental Health

*Megan E. Gilster (University of Michigan)

Social Contexts and Volunteerism: Resources or Constraints?

*Joongbaeck Kim (University of Tennessee-Knoxville), Manacy Pai (Kent State University)

WORKSHOPS

Teaching Workshop. Pedagogy in Practice and Producing Practicing Sociologists

Sat, Aug 8 - 8:30am - 10:10am

Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Nicole T. Carr (University of South Alabama)

Leader: Jammie Price

Abstract:

As teachers of sociology, many of us have a great influence on solving social problems through educating our students. As our students gain the sociological perspective and integrate its practice in their personal and work activities, we can have an indirect positive impact on our communities. The goal of this regular session is to assemble presenters that will focus on approaches to teaching that promote critical thinking and evidence gathering- which are cornerstones of sociology in practice. Presenters will discuss either 1) specific assignments that facilitate active learning and require students to use sociological tools to answer a question or 2) pedagogical approaches to entire courses that engage students in using sociological approaches to study the world around them.

Teaching Workshop. Sociology and Community-based Learning: Integrating Sociology into Internships, Service-Learning, and Practice Experiences

Sat, Aug 8 - 10:30am - 12:10pm

Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Kathleen Lowney (Valdosta State University)

Co-Leader: Kathleen Lowney (Valdosta State University)

Co-Leader: Ginger E. Macheski (Valdosta State University)

Co-Leader: Brenda M. Kowalewski (Weber State University)

Abstract:

With our discipline.s turn toward public sociology/applied sociology, more faculty and degree programs are requiring sociology students to enter and engage with the community. This worthwhile educational goal may be met through internships, sociological practica, or service-learning assignments. Without a focus on the application of sociological knowledge, however, such requirements can too quickly devolve into simply credit hours for volunteering or .just showing up.. Such community-college collaborations are lost opportunities for student learning. This workshop will offer ideas for how to infuse these educational opportunities with sociological knowledge, so that students both help their communities and see sociology in action.

Didactic Seminar. Protection of Human Subjects in the Social Sciences

Sun, Aug 9 - 12:30pm - 3:30pm

Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Felice J. Levine (American Educational Research Association)

Panelist: John M. Kennedy (Indiana University)

Panelist: Thomas L. Van Valey (Western Michigan University)

Abstract:

This Didactic Seminar examines human research protection issues in the design, development, implementation, and review of social science research. The seminar provides sociologists with an understanding of key concepts that inform federal guidelines on human research protection (e.g., consent, privacy and confidentiality, benefits and harms, level of risk) and the tools for assessing best ethical practices in the context of social science research. It also offers guidance on the preparation of protocols and effective communication with Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). In addressing ethical issues in human research, the seminar focuses on a breadth of methodological approaches that are used-often in combination-in sociology and other social sciences (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations, ethnographies, case studies, laboratory and field experiments, secondary analysis of extant data). Attention is paid to human research protection issues involved in data collection, data use, data protection, data reporting, and data dissemination. This three-hour Didactic Seminar is compromised of three major units: understanding key concepts and ethical guidance in human subjects research, putting human research protections into practice in sociological research, and comprehending the IRB process and the role of review. Building upon research examples, the seminar examines how to weigh human research protection issues with varying substantive topics, methods, contexts, and populations under study. A volume of specially prepared readings and background materials is provided, and participants will be asked to complete in advance a brief information form to help structure the seminar responsive to the concerns, interests, and expertise of attendees.

 

 

Research/Policy Workshop. Human Rights Cities - Co-sponsored with Sociologists without Borders

Tue, Aug 11 - 10:30am - 12:10pm

Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Judith Blau (University of North Carolina)

Leader: Judith Blau (University of North Carolina)

Abstract:

Human rights are enshrined in international laws and state constitutions, and they also are the /raison d/'/tre/ of social and political movements, as well as of hundreds of thousands of nongovernmental organizations around the world. Yet for human rights to become embedded in practices and everyday norms, people in communities need to engage human rights and apply these principles to government, social institutions, and economic practices. Several cities in the United States have embarked on this process and sociologists have played key roles. This workshop will draw from their experiences and they will discuss the challenges, setbacks and progress. This workshop exemplifies American sociology at its very best because those involved in these processes are putting sociological tools to work in an area that has never been chartered.

 

 

Professional Workshop. The Rhetoric and Reality of Being an Applied Sociologist

Time: Mon, Aug 10 - 2:30pm - 4:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Joshua S. Meisel (Humboldt State University)

Co-Leader: Christine H. Morton (Stanford University Department of Pediatrics)

Co-Leader: Leora Lawton (TechSociety Research)

Co-Leader: Sabrina S Arredondo

Co-Leader: Judith K. Little (Humboldt State University)

Abstract:

The education literature is replete with accounts of the disconnect between what students learn in the academy and what they encounter in the field. For sociologists who decide to pursue careers doing applied sociological work, there are ongoing tensions over identity, voice, professional development and politics, and disciplinary connections as well as the practical challenges of running a business for those who become consultants. The purpose of this professional workshop is to provide a forum in which workshop leaders and participants can share their experiences doing applied sociological work. Workshop leaders come from an array of work settings as applied sociologists: the academy, private consulting, the public sector, and nonprofit organizations. Participants will become familiar with the challenges and rewards of applied sociological work as well as share strategies for overcoming the tensions identified.

 

 

Professional Workshop. Sociologists as Organizational Consultants: Tips and Techniques for Getting Started (co-sponsored with the Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology)

Time: Mon, Aug 10 - 4:30pm - 6:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Kathy Shepherd Stolley (Virginia Wesleyan College)

Co-Leader: Kathy Shepherd Stolley (Virginia Wesleyan College)

Co-Leader: Kathryn Goldman Schuyler (Alliant International University)

Co-Leader: Leora Lawton (TechSociety Research)

Abstract:

This interactive workshop introduces organizational consulting for sociologists. The content focuses on several basic questions. What do organizational consultants do? How can sociologists re-focus from the classroom into consulting roles, including the transition from academic teaching to practical training? How can sociologists present and market their specific perspective and expertise to prospective clients? How can the sociological perspective contribute to building healthy organizations? This workshop serves as a companion session with the "Using Sociology to Foster Healthy Workplaces" workshop that extends the examination of the fourth question in both depth and direction.

 

 

Research/Policy Workshop. Sociology and Policy: Applying Theory and Research to Public Policy

Mon, Aug 10 - 8:30am - 10:10am

Hilton San Francisco

Co-Leader: Philip Nyden (Loyola University Chicago)

Co-Leader: Leslie H. Hossfeld (University of North Carolina-Wilmington)

Abstract:

The workshop will focus on how sociology gets into play in the policy world. We will cover different types of research from basic research designed as "policy research" from the beginning to translational research that draws from existing sociological research to inform current policy questions. Topics to be covered include: the process of developing policy research projects; effective research design; work with non-academic community partners in the research process; use of the media in disseminating research; other avenues for getting research outcomes into the hands of policy movers and shakers. Examples of different types of successful projects will be presented, partially drawing from an ongoing project of the ASA Task Force on Institutionalizing Public Sociology.

 

 

Professional Workshop. Sociologists and the Media: Developing Positive Relationships Between Journalists and Academia

Tue, Aug 11 - 12:30pm - 2:10pm

Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur (Rhode Island College)

Co-Leader: Scott Jaschik

Co-Leader: Tanya Schevitz (San Francisco Chronicle)

Panelist: Andrew A. Beveridge (Queens College and Graduate Center CUNY)

Panelist: Scott Jaschik

Panelist: Tanya Schevitz (San Francisco Chronicle)

Panelist: Julie Marie Albright

Panelist: Pepper J. Schwartz (University of Washington)

Abstract:

At the ASA meetings in New York City in 2007, panelists discussing academic freedom at a Presidential Panel on Academic Freedom Under Attack spent some time telling the audience about the trials of teaching as a sociologist (particularly a liberal sociologist) in a time when your lectures might end up on YouTube and your reading list in the /National Review/; a time when such publicity can and does lead to restrictions on academic freedom for some academics. At the same time, young academics still in graduate school are sometimes taught that media exposure will detract from their reputations as serious scholars. As one reported attending the panel on academic freedom put it, these fears have lead some academics to be so reluctant to answer reporters. calls that they surrender the dialogue to the other side. Yet in 2009, ASA will return to San Francisco, the same location from which Michael Burawoy in 2004 ushered in the era of public sociology. Many sociologists thus want to find ways to get their research and their message out there in the press, but have not had the opportunity to learn how to do so in a way that will minimize the possibility of being misquoted and maximize their impact. This workshop seeks to provide such tools by presenting a variety of perspectives from journalists and public sociologists with extensive media exposure in an interactive format that will help sociologists learn to work well with the media.

 

 

Professional Workshop. Using Sociology to Foster Healthy Workplaces

Time: Tue, Aug 11 - 2:30pm - 4:10pm

Place: Hilton San Francisco

Session Organizer: Kathryn Goldman Schuyler (Alliant International University)

Co-Leader: Kathy Shepherd Stolley (Virginia Wesleyan College)

Co-Leader: Russ Newman (Alliant International University)

Co-Leader: Carl Mack (Alliant International University)

Co-Leader: Kathryn Goldman Schuyler (Alliant International University)

Abstract:

This workshop shows how the behavioral sciences foster healthier organizations. The leaders are consultants and administrators who will share their experiences of building healthier workplaces. They will interact with the audience on topics such as how a professional organization like the ASA might promote organizational health (looking at what the APA has done in recent years), how interpersonal dynamics impact organizational health, how members of a university community can address a major societal issue (like homelessness) in a way that makes the university healthier, how military organizations address these issues, and what is required if organizational change efforts in this area are to have lasting impact. This workshop serves as a companion session to the workshop on "Sociologists as Organizational Consultants: Tips and Techniques for Getting Started". Participants can expect lively interaction and a chance to ask about anything connected with organizational health.