The Contribution of the Undergraduate Sociology Department to Education for Social Work

Abstract

SOCIOLOGISTS in undergraduate departments of southern colleges and universities have continually been making contributions to education for social work. During past twenty-five years social work pattern in South has undergone revolutionary changes. As a result of lack of an adequate number of professionally trained social workers, early sociologists in undergraduate departments were forced into positions of leadership to assist in formulation of welfare programs. Fortunately, most of these sociologists were aware, as Lynd says, that within each single culture, people tend to learn from each other many common ways of interpreting experience and defining situations ... and thus learned in any geographical location, to assume a pattern -tight or loose, clear or blurred, but none less a pattern of sorts.' It was their task to help form this new pattern of social work which was to evolve from changing social scene and demands of people. Since few laymen understood cultural lags of South, it was necessary for sociologists to explain regional and community deficiencies and to fit social work ideals into framework in which they were teaching. Some of these early teachers of sociology were well aware of philosophical backgrounds of old South which were later so excellently clarified by Dr. Howard W. Odum in Southern Regions. Almost daily in their student and lay contacts, they realized that such philosophies which have since been explained as the dominance of few commonly assumed to be superior; resulting responsibility for welfare of dependent; religious coloring of action and policies, stern hard doctrine of punishment for criminal; and ideologies of self-righteousness ;2 could not fail to come into conflict with new progressive welfare programs. They accepted part of task for interpreting new order not only to their students but to laymen and legislators. They attended state conferences of social work, recognizing them as almost exclusively civic conferences but knowing that through them much needed social legislation could be promoted. These earlier sociologists in undergraduate departments watched with delight introduction of and recognition of professional worker in southern region. In many instances they were called upon to contribute to training of first filId workers. There were first civilian social workers of Home Service Department of American Red Cross. These were for most part local young people who had to be trained for rural as well as urban work. Six-week and threemonth institutes for training were established and sociologists were called upon to lecture before these groups. From these Red Cross beginnings, some few private family welfare agencies developed, but for most part communities returned to their pre-war patterns. There they remained until depression forced them to recognize relief needs and Federal Government entered scene with tremendous Emergency Relief Administration program. This was in early thirties when social welfare situation was chaotic. Thousands of workers were needed and each state, in fact each county, chose its workers in its own way. Personnel varied from relief client investigator in many backward counties to professionally trained workers in urban centers. Some sociologists were drafted for service by their states not only to assist in training program of workers but for actual administrative work in state and county offices. Colleges assisted by offering special training courses for these workers and many of better prepared workers were sent to professional schools. From this Emergency Relief Administration program there finally emerged permanent Federal Social Security program which was eventually adopted by all of states. Through this program, state departments of public welfare were more or less standardized and specific standards suggested * Read before Sixth Annual Meeting of Southern Sociological Society in Atlanta, Georgia, April 4, 1941. 1 Robert S. Lynd, Knowledge for What (Princeton University Press, 1939), p. 54. 2 Howard W. Odum, Southern Regions of United States (University of North Carolina Press, 1936), p. 137.