In this article, we utilize national survey data to assess the professional status of full-time sociology faculty in community colleges. Traditionally, sociologists have argued that for a particular type of work to be conceptualized as a profession, it must meet certain criteria, such as: esoteric knowledge and skills, high levels of workplace…

Presented in this address by the recipient of the American Sociological Association's award for contribution to undergraduate education are reflections on teaching and a personal biography. Social relationships in academe are also discussed. (Author/RM)

Explores current concerns about the quality of undergraduate education and examines three strategies for improving its quality: (1) providing more opportunities for faculty development, (2) modifying the culture of universities to encourage greater commitment to teaching, and (3) changing the norms of academic disciplines to enhance the status of…

Examines the working lives of faculty and describes what it means to be an academic professional in present-day U. S. institutions of higher education. Describes assumptions which have typically defined academic scholarship and presents elements for a new conception of the profession. (Author/JDH)

Examines some of the behavioral aspects of teaching sociology in professional schools. Maintains that teaching in a professional school means that one's scholarly accomplishments must impress two different audiences with distinctly different values and expectations. By-products of this situation are overspecialization and a sense of intellectual…

Reviews the assumptions, objectives, approaches and impact of the American Sociological Association's Projects on Teaching Undergraduate Sociology which set out to improve the teaching of sociology and enhance the status of the teacher. Explores the relationship between teacher effectiveness and contextual factors related to faculty development,…

Reviews issues and problems in conceptualizations of the academic profession, particularly division of labor into teaching and research, and describes the emergence of the modern American professoriate. (Author/JDH)

Presents the remarks of fourteen distinguished sociologists as they react to the papers of Eugene Rice (SO515235) and Shirley Clark (SO515236).

Examines the professor's role and the current institutional context of teaching in U. S. colleges and universities. Maintains that as teaching becomes increasingly judged by output and efficiency, the professor moves from an academic status to an employee status. (Author/JDH)

Contrasts the culture and social structure of research and teaching; demonstrating significant differences in these two spheres of academic work. Explores the question of how scholarship related to teaching can be fostered in a fashion similar to research and identifies six strategies for making gains in this endeavor. (JDH)

Presents the reactions of 14 distinguished sociologists as they react to the papers of Han Mauksch (SO 515 238) and Paul Baker (SO 515 239). (JDH)

Describes a research project which examined the perceptions of junior college instructors toward the sociology profession. Questionnaires were sent to 72 institutions in the United States. Results indicate that the discipline of sociology is not meeting the needs of instructors who are acutely aware of their professional loneliness. (RM)

Maintains that many of the professional development skills needed to survive and prosper in academia are learned through contacts and activities within professional organizations. Describes a workshop given to graduate students to promote membership in these organizations. Includes a list of 25 professional organizations in sociology. (MJP)