The Many Faces of Sociology: Ambivalence and Conflict in Graduate Education

Authors

Victoria J. Godino, University of Missouri
Barbara G. Brents, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1987

Publication Title

The American Sociologist

Volume

18

Issue

1

First page number:

53

Last page number:

57

Abstract

This article addresses how the ambivalence of the discipline of sociology affects students’ understanding of it. We consider this ambivalence as multi-layered. The first level embodies the usefulness of sociology as a discipline and sociologists’ ambivalence toward their profession. The second involves applying a sociological perspective to our everyday lives. We discuss the administrative organization of our department, the examination structure, and the structure of asymetric power relations. We conclude that one possible solution toward resolving ambivalences both in our everyday lives and within the profession is to take our critical theoretical training seriously.

Keywords

Ambivalence; Education; Education; Higher; Management; Perspective; Social structure; Sociology

Disciplines

Higher Education | Liberal Studies | Sociology | Theory, Knowledge and Science

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

Repository Citation

Godino, V. J., Brents, B. G. (1987). The Many Faces of Sociology: Ambivalence and Conflict in Graduate Education. The American Sociologist, 18(1), 53-57.