scholarly journals Where do Latinas and Latinos earn social science doctorates?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Frank Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Hispanic Serving Institutions ◽  
Baccalaureate Degrees ◽  
The Social ◽  
Undergraduate Institutions ◽  
Hispanic Serving ◽  
Doctoral Universities ◽  
Research Intensity

It is a national imperative to increase the percentage of Latinas and Latinos who earn doctorate degrees in the social sciences and who enter into faculty positions. For the purposes of this study, I focus on whether Latinas and Latinos earned their doctorates at the nation’s most research-intensive universities because those schools are uniquely equipped to prepare doctoral students for careers in academia. I find that more than 40% of Latinas and Latinos who earned social science doctorates did so at universities with lower research profiles. I also test whether there are relationships between Latinas’ and Latino’s undergraduate institutions (e.g., community colleges and Hispanic Serving Institutions) and doctoral universities (classified by research-intensity). I did not find a relationship between attending community college and the type of university where a Latina or Latino social scientist earned the PhD. However, I found that Latinas and Latinos who earned baccalaureate degrees from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) had higher relative risk of earning doctorates from less research-intensive universities. This institutional pathway may be beneficial for increasing the number of Latinas and Latinos who earn social science doctorate degrees; however, it may be problematic for preparing future faculty members. I discuss implications for supporting the Latina-Latino pathway to the PhD. 

The Bureaucratization of Anthropology in AID

1980 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-63
Author(s):  
Peter Benedict
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fiscal Austerity ◽  
Intellectual Challenge ◽  
Development Capability

In an AID conferences paper prepared over three years ago ("Social Analysts & Analysis in the Near East Bureau"), there were eventual limits to the successful institutionalization of a social science concern within AID. Since that date, a number of changes affecting the way in which the Agency conducts its business have, I believe, posed new challenges to a relatively nascent social science enterprise. Many changes are a result of external pressures of fiscal austerity which have led to the attrition of needed technical personnel as well as increased difficulties in recruiting qualified talent to maintain an in-house" development capability. Other changes relate to the embeddedness of the foreign aid program within official political foreign policy, a relationship in which one can readily see the primacy of achieving the objectives of promoting short term economic and political stability. This hitter presents an intellectual challenge to the systematic process of analyzing societal change and in designing well-targeted interventions to affect the welfare of the poor. The former poses a familiar problem of how to do more with less—a process which is changing the role of the social scientist from analyst to that of a broker soliciting external skills.

The Social Science of Democracy?

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-370
Author(s):  
Jill Locke
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
First Century ◽  
Alexis De Tocqueville ◽  
Main Task ◽  
The Social ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Right ◽  
Political Thinker

Alexis de Tocqueville, the First Social Scientist. By Jon Elster. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 212p. $80.00 cloth, $22.99 paper.Alexis de Tocqueville is surely one of the most widely cited, discussed, and celebrated political theorists in the world. Jon Elster's book, Alexis de Tocqueville: the First Social Scientist proceeds from a provocative premise: that Tocqueville's major works were lacking in “system” and were “hugely incoherent,” and that Tocqeuville himself “was not a major political thinker” (xi). Elster argues that instead Tocqueville ought to be viewed as a penetrating historical sociologist and an exemplary social scientist who might well be considered the first true social scientist. Elster's argument is important for at least two reasons: first, because it offers a striking and challenging reading of Tocqueville; and second, because it expands on Elster's own contributions in the philosophy of social science, and develops interesting understandings of “causal mechanisms,” methodological individualism, and social explanation more generally. As Elster writes in his Introduction, “the main task of this book is to argue for the relevance of Tocqueville for social science in the twenty-first century (p. 5).” The purpose of this Perspectives symposium is to assess Elster's argument in broad terms. What are the strengths and limits of Elster's reading of Tocqueville? How ought we to assess Elster's understanding of Tocqueville's deficiencies as a “political theorist?” What is the relevance of Tocqueville for contemporary social science? And, most importantly, what are the challenges and possible trajectories facing social science in the twenty-first century, and to what extent does Elster's essay point us in the right direction?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor

scholarly journals The Use of Drones in the Spatial Social Sciences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ola Hall ◽  
Ibrahim Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Good And Evil

Drones are increasingly becoming a ubiquitous feature of society. They are being used for a multiplicity of applications for military, leisure, economic, and academic purposes. Their application in the latter, especially as social science research tools has seen a sharp uptake in the last decade. This has been possible due, largely, to significant developments in computerization and miniaturization which have culminated in safer, cheaper, lighter, and thus more accessible drones for social scientists. Despite their increasingly widespread use, there has not been an adequate reflection on their use in the spatial social sciences. There is need a deeper reflection on their application in these fields of study. Should the drone even be considered a tool in the toolbox of the social scientist? In which fields is it most relevant? Should it be taught as a course in the universities much in the same way that geographic information system (GIS) became mainstream in geography? What are the ethical implications of its application in the spatial social science? This paper is a brief reflection on these questions. We contend that drones are a neutral tool which can be good and evil. They have actual and potential wide applications in academia but can be a tool through which breaches in ethics can be occasioned given their unique abilities to capture data from vantage perspectives. Researchers therefore need to be circumspect in how they deploy this powerful tool which is increasingly becoming mainstream in the social sciences.

Value judgments in social science

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom L. Beauchamp
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Political Values ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Leading theorists in the social sciences have insisted that value judgments should be strictly separated from scientific judgments, which should be value-free. Yet these same thinkers recognize that social scientists are often committed to values in carrying out their work and may be motivated by moral goals of removing or remedying social conditions. From this perspective, scientific conclusions (one sort of fact) and moral commitments (one sort of value) are intertwined in scientific practices, and the question arises whether a social scientist qua scientist makes value judgments or only makes such judgments in a nonscientific capacity. Related questions concern the role played by moral, social, and political values in the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the impact of these values on scientific theories and methods.

The Social Science of Democracy?

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-368
Author(s):  
Aurelian Craiutu
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
First Century ◽  
Alexis De Tocqueville ◽  
Main Task ◽  
The Social ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Right ◽  
Political Thinker

Alexis de Tocqueville, the First Social Scientist. By Jon Elster. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 212p. $80.00 cloth, $22.99 paper.Alexis de Tocqueville is surely one of the most widely cited, discussed, and celebrated political theorists in the world. Jon Elster's book,Alexis de Tocqueville: the First Social Scientistproceeds from a provocative premise: that Tocqueville's major works were lacking in “system” and were “hugely incoherent,” and that Tocqeuville himself “was not a major political thinker” (xi). Elster argues that instead Tocqueville ought to be viewed as a penetrating historical sociologist and an exemplary social scientist who might well be considered the first true social scientist. Elster's argument is important for at least two reasons: first, because it offers a striking and challenging reading of Tocqueville; and second, because it expands on Elster's own contributions in the philosophy of social science, and develops interesting understandings of “causal mechanisms,” methodological individualism, and social explanation more generally. As Elster writes in his Introduction, “the main task of this book is to argue for the relevance of Tocqueville for social science in the twenty-first century (p. 5).” The purpose of this Perspectives symposium is to assess Elster's argument in broad terms. What are the strengths and limits of Elster's reading of Tocqueville? How ought we to assess Elster's understanding of Tocqueville's deficiencies as a “political theorist?” What is the relevance of Tocqueville for contemporary social science? And, most importantly, what are the challenges and possible trajectories facing social science in the twenty-first century, and to what extent does Elster's essay point us in the right direction?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor

scholarly journals Carl Dawson and the Research Ideal: The Evolution of a Canadian Sociologist

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-73
Author(s):  
Marlene Shore
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Sociology Department ◽  
University Of Chicago ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Divinity School ◽  
The University

Abstract Carl Dawson's development as a sociologist reflected a general trend in sociology's evolution out of theology and social work. Trained as a minister, Dawson rejected the religious vocation at some point after World War I to become a social scientist. Appointed to McGill in 1922, he strove to establish research as the foundation for understanding society, questioning the efficacy of social reform. His convictions stemmed from his Maritime Baptist background, wartime experience and education at the University of Chicago. In 1914, Dawson left the Maritime region where he had been born and raised to attend the divinity school of the University of Chicago. In so doing, he was following a well travelled route: poor economic conditions drove numerous people out of the Maritime provinces between 1910 and 1929, and the lack of doctoral programmes in Canada compelled many students to attend American graduate schools. With its strong reputation for research, the University of Chicago was a popular choice. Its divinity school, a Baptist stronghold, was attractive to adherents of that faith. That a number of its faculty members were Canadians also attested to the institutional ties that had long linked Baptists in Canada and the northern United States. In 1918, Dawson recessed from graduate studies for war service and resumed his studies in 1919 - his interests now sharply turned towards sociology. This shift was partly influenced by the Chicago divinity school's close ties with the sociology department - a result of the historic link between the social gospel and sociology generally - but was also the product of the school's position as a leader in liberal and radical theological doctrine. The modernists within the institution stressed that all studies of society, including religion, must accord with modern empirical methods. That, in addition to their acceptance of the ideas of John Dewey and the Chicago School regarding social development, led some to the conclusion that religion itself was but a form of group behaviour. In reflecting all those currents of thought, Dawson's Ph.D. thesis, "The Social Nature of Knowledge," hinted at the reasons for his departure from the ministry for a career in social science. Showing that all culture and knowledge, morals and ideals had social origins, Dawson concluded that even fact was not fixed truth but represented the decision of individuals to agree on certain points and issues. This explained why Dawson believed that research - a collection of facts - would aid in understanding society. The thesis was also marked by an opposition to social action, stemming from what Dawson had witnessed during the war and the upheaval which followed, but also, it must be argued, from the antiauthoritarian and antihierarchial strain in the Baptist faith. The fact that Dawson eschewed social action in much the same way as did Harold Innis, another Baptist educated at Chicago, suggests that there exists a tradition in the development of Canadian social science quite different from the one which Brian McKillop has traced in A Disciplined Intelligence, and it was that legacy which Dawson's brand of sociology represented.

Decline of Ideology: A Dissent and an Interpretation

1966 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph La Palombara
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Culture ◽  
Talcott Parsons ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Social ◽  
Literary Intellectuals ◽  
The One ◽  
And Behavior

With increasing frequency and self-assurance, the scientific objectivity of American social science is proclaimed by some of its prominent practitioners. Various explanations are offered for the onset of social science's Golden Age, but central to most of them is the claim that modern social science has managed to resolve Mannheim's Paradox, namely, that in the pursuit of the truth the social scientist himself is handicapped by the narrow focus and distortions implicit in ideological thought. Presumably, the social scientist can now probe any aspect of human organization and behavior as dispassionately as physical scientists observe the structure of the atom or chemical reactions. For this reason, it is claimed by some that the ideologically liberated social scientists—at least in the United States—can expect to be co-opted into the Scientific Culture, or that segment of society that is presumably aloof from and disdainful toward the moralistic speculations and the tender-heartedness of the literary intellectuals.The behaviorial “revolution” in political science may have run its course, but it has left in its wake both obscurantist criticisms of empiricism, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, an unquestioning belief in “science.” Quite often the latter belief is not merely anti-historical and anti-philosophical but also uncritical about the extent to which empirical observations can be colored by the very orientation to values that one seeks to control in rigorous empirical research.The claims of modern social scientists are greatly buttressed by the views of Talcott Parsons.

scholarly journals Methodology of social science research, the case of the sociology of action in relation to values

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hind Lahmami
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Master's Students ◽  
Detailed Explanation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Disciplinary Field ◽  
Shed Light

La investigación en las ciencias sociales sigue creciendo en el mundo académico, especialmente por parte de los estudiantes de Master y Doctorado a quienes se les pide redactar monografías y tesis que deban cumplir con los requisitos metodológicos. El propósito de este artículo es arrojar luz sobre la metodología de investigación en ciencias sociales, poner de relieve la investigación en sociología de la acción desde un enfoque psicosociológico y resaltar los obstáculos que dificultan su uso, especialmente cuando Se trata de valores. Por ello, se propone una explicación detallada de las etapas de investigación en las ciencias sociales, así como las dificultades relacionadas con la naturaleza del campo disciplinario sociológico para definir la posición objetiva que debe adoptar el investigador. Por lo tanto, se requiere distanciarse de los temas de estudio, especialmente cuando se trata de valores. Social science research continues to grow in the academic world, especially for master's students and doctoral students who are called upon to produce dissertations and theses that meet the methodological requirement. The purpose of this article is to shed light on social science research methodology and on research in the sociology of action as a psychosociological approach and the obstacles that hinder its use, especially when it is about values. To this end, a detailed explanation of the stages of research in the social sciences as well as the difficulties related to the nature of the sociological disciplinary field are put forward, in order to define the objective posture that the researcher must adopt. Distancing from the subjects of study is therefore required especially when it comes to values.  

scholarly journals The Use of Drones in the Spatial Social Sciences

Drones ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Ola Hall ◽  
Ibrahim Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
The Social

Drones are increasingly becoming a ubiquitous feature of society. They are being used for a multiplicity of applications for military, leisure, economic, and academic purposes. Their application in academia, especially as social science research tools, has seen a sharp uptake in the last decade. This has been possible due, largely, to significant developments in computerization and miniaturization, which have culminated in safer, cheaper, lighter, and thus more accessible drones for social scientists. Despite their increasingly widespread use, there has not been an adequate reflection on their use in the spatial social sciences. There is need for a deeper reflection on their application in these fields of study. Should the drone even be considered a tool in the toolbox of the social scientist? In which fields is it most relevant? Should it be taught as a course in the social sciences much in the same way that spatially-oriented software packages have become mainstream in institutions of higher learning? What are the ethical implications of its application in spatial social science? This paper is a brief reflection on these questions. We contend that drones are a neutral tool which can be good and evil. They have actual and potentially wide applicability in academia but can be a tool through which breaches in ethics can be occasioned given their unique abilities to capture data from vantage perspectives. Researchers therefore need to be circumspect in how they deploy this powerful tool which is increasingly becoming mainstream in the social sciences.

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