Abstract
T HIS paper ventures a definition of sociology as reflected in the courses which are offered in the subject at representative American Universities for the academic year of I93 I-I932. The forty institutions whose catalogues were studied represent not only geographic divisions but also state and privately endowed universities. Of this number two universities offer no sociology, three have departments combined with economics, two with anthropology, one with social technology, and there is one where sociology is sandwiched in between economics and government,-all three being in one department. The faculties of these universities count among their number the leading American sociologists. The total of some 803 courses offered by these faculties of sociology provides a wide and varied range of study. It is from the courses which are offered by ten or more universities that a definition of sociology has been made. Sociology is a discipline embodying a set of theories and principles (Introductory courses-38; Social Theory-35; Recent or Contemporary Theory-io; Principles of Sociology-I,) which studies normal social phenomena (Social Control -i8; Community Organization-I3; Family-z6; Rural Sociology-zI; Urban Sociology-I7) as well as pathological social phenomena (Social Pathology-zz; Child Welfare-I9; Criminology-35; Immigration-I5; Population-z5; Poverty-I3) with some attention to anthropological and psychological implications (Anthropology-Io; Social Psychology-i5) and which offers a method of dealing with the material (Methods of Social Research -I8; Statistics-I4; Social Work-z3; Case WorkI5) in which research and direction are carried on. Such is sociology when the most typical courses alone are considered, but it is scarcely a true picture of sociology as it is taught in American Universities. When all the offerings in the subject are considered, sociology appears to be some kind of glorified Irish stew in which are found liberal amounts of the usual ingredients and also a surprising conglomeration of other materials to give it variety and a spice to suit anyone's taste. In order to support this contention, lists of the courses are arranged in the frequency of their occurrence.
Published Version
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