Providing tough intellectual challenges: The issue of quality training

Sociological training is not sufficiently demanding, at either the graduate or the undergraduate levels, and thus we do not attract high-quality students. We need to build more tough intellectual experiences into our graduate programs at several points, not merely at the dissertation stage. Six specific suggestions are made, most of which emphasize the importance of theoretical work, syntheses and careful analyses of existing theories, and advanced methodological work. He most recently has authoredConceptualization and Measurement in the Social Sciences andBasic Dilemmas in the Social Sciences, and is coeditor (with Frederick Campbell and Reece McGee) ofTeaching Sociology: The Quest for Excellence.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Suicides by Jean Baechler. Philosophical Disputes in the Social Sciences, by S. C. Brown (ed.) Social Research and Royal Commissions by M. Bulmer (ed.) Official Discourse by Frank Burton and Pat Carlen The View from Goffman by Jason Ditton (ed.) Greek Homosexuality by K. J. Dover The Sociology of Rock by Simon Frith Marx and Mead: Contributions to a Sociology of knowledge by T. W. Goff Crime and Conflict in English Communities, 1300–1348 by Barbara A. Hanawalt Demystifying Social Statistics, by John Irvine et al. (eds.) For Science in the Social Sciences, by David Papineau Marxism and Class Theory, by Frank Parkin The Material Word: Some Theories of Language and its Limits by David Silverman and Brian Torode Ethics and Society in England: The Revolution in the Social Sciences, 1870–1914 by Reba N. Softer Street Ethnography by Robert S. Weppner (ed.) On Clichés by Anton C. Zijderveld     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article Sociology in Action: A Critique of Selected Conceptions of the Social Role of the Sociologist by Christopher G. A. Bryant The Sociology of Leisure by Stanley Parker New Directions in Sociology by David C. Thorns (ed.) The Use of Models in the Social Sciences by Lyndhurst Collins (ed.) Escape Attempts: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Every-day Life by Stanley Cohen and Laurie Taylor Language, Schools and Classrooms by Michael Stubbs Elements of Sampling by V. Bamett Deciphering Data by J. Silvey Experiments in the Social Sciences by G. Brown, D. H. Cherrington and L. Cohen A Critical Introduction to Organisation Theory by Bruno Lussato Roscher and Knies: The Logical Problems of Historical Econotmcs by Max Weber (translated with an Introduction by Guy Oakes) The Organisation and Impact of Social Research by Marten Shiptnan (ed.) Introduction to Empirical Sociology by R. Mayntz, K. Holm and P. Hoebner Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 7 & 8 by T. Jefferson (ed.) The Labour Party and the Working Class by Tom Forester Gambling, Work and Leisure by D. M. Dowries, B. P. Davies, M. E. David and P. Stone The Latin American Peasant by Andrew Pearse Economic Calculation and Forms of Property by Charles Bettelheim Class, Race and Gold by Frederick A. Johnstone Value jor Money in Health Services by Brian Abel-Smith The Comparative Study of Political Elites by Robert D. Putnam Language in Culture and Class: The Sociology of Language and Education by A. D. Edwards     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Modern Italian Social Theory Richard Bellamy Philosophy and the Human Sciences R.J. Anderson, John A. Hughes and W.W. Sharrock, Croom Helm Thinking about Social Thinking - The Philosophy of the Social Sciences Antony Flew The Nature of Historical Knowledge M. Stanford Theories of Social Change Raymond Boudon The Urbanisation of Capital: Studies in the History and Theory of Capitalist Urbanisation David Harvey Islam and the Destiny of Man G. Eaton, Allen and Unwin Turkey in the World Capitalist System H. Ramazanoglu (ed.) Women in Nineteenth-Century Egypt J.E. Tucker Class, Politics and the Ecorwmy Stewart Clegg, Paul Boreham and Geoff Dow Social Mobility and Social Structure Bogdan Mach and Wlodzimierz Wesolowski, Routledge & Kegan Paul Research Methods for Elite Studies George Moyser and Margaret Wagestaffe (eds) Women's Work, Class, and the Urban Household: A Study of Shimla, North India Ursula Sharma Unemployment under Capitalism: the sociology of British and American Labour Markets D.N. Ashton Young Adults in the Labour Market D.N. Ashton and M. J. Maguire with the assistance of D. Bowden, P. Deliow, S. Kennedy, G. Stanley, G. Woodhead, and B. Jennings The Experierwe of Unemployment Sheila Allen, Alan Waton, Kate PurceU and Stephen Wood (eds) The Future of Democracy Norberto Bobbio Models of Democracy David Held Democratic Socialism in Jamaica: the Political Movement and Social Transformation in Dependent Capitalism Evelyne Huber Stephens and John D. Stephens, Macmiilan New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change J.A. Beckford (ed.) Sport, Leisure and Social Relations, Sociological Review Monograph 33 John Home, David Jary and Alan Tomlinson (eds) Language and the Nuclear Arms Debate: Nukespeak Today Paul Chilton (ed.)     

Wo sind die Bachelorabsolventen heute und wie sehen sie ihr Studium?

The paper is based on a survey of graduates of the BA course Social Sciences at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf. The course, which is a combination of Sociology, Political Science and Communication and Media Studies, was set up in 1999. In 2002 the first students completed the course. Therefore, the BA course Social Sciences is one of the BA courses with the longest experience in Germany. Four graduate years were interviewed for the survey. The aim of the survey was to find out where the graduates now stand and how they judge the course in retrospect. The results show that half of the graduates currently have an occupation, slightly over a third is doing a Master’s degree and about 10 % are in a temporary situation or performing other activities. Overall, the graduates are satisfied with the course. The evaluation of the individual course elements shows the strengths and weaknesses of the course.     

Is there a role for artificial intelligence in sociological theorizing?

This article discusses the role artificial intelligence techniques can play in developing sociological theories. First, artificial intelligence is briefly introduced, and key features that distinguish this from other computing approaches are identified. Then several recent attempts to employ artificial intelligence programming strategies to assist in theory construction in sociology are described to illustrate the variety of contributions artificial intelligence can bring to sociological theorizing. Finally, some of the future prospects for artificial intelligence and sociological theorizing are discussed. Edward Brent is associate professor of sociology and family & community medicine and director of the Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems Special Interest Group at the University of Missouri—Columbia. He has developed expert systems to assist with sociological research and teaching, and he currently is studying the impact of computers on faculty work. He has co-authored a book,Computer Applications in the Social Sciences, with Ronald Anderson that will be published by Random House.     

The desire to date and remarry among older widows and widowers

This study explores gender differences in older widowed persons' interest in dating and remarriage, and the implications of these desires for psychological adjustment to loss. Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples study (N = 210). Men's interest in dating and remarriage is conditional upon the amount of social support received from friends. Six months after spousal loss, only those men with low or average levels of social support from friends are more likely than women to report interest in remarrying someday. Similar patterns emerge for interest in dating 18 months after loss. Persons who both want and have a romantic relationship report significantly fewer depressive symptoms 18 months after loss, yet this relationship is attributable to their greater socioeconomic resources.     

Personal psychological resources,resilience and self-efficacy and their relationship with psychological distress in situations of unemployment / Los recursos psicológicos personales,resiliencia y autoeficacia,y su relación con el malestar psicológico en situaciones de desempleo

According to Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory (1989), psychological resources such as resilience and self-efficacy could mediate the effects of unemployment on well-being. The objective of this study is to analyse the mediating role of self-efficacy and resilience on the relationship between the amount of time unemployed and psychological distress. A sample of unemployed persons from the Region of Murcia was used (N = 280). With a transversal design and using the macro PROCESS for SPSS (2013), a multiple mediation model is proposed which analyses the mediating role of psychological resources in relation to the amount of time unemployed and self-perceived health. The explained variance of this model is 23.79%. The results show that only self-efficacy partially mediates in the relationship between the two variables (β = .18, SD = 0.06, p < .01). The main contribution of this article is showing that personal psychological resources are an effective tool to cope with life stressors, such as, in this case, unemployment.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Structralism: a Reader edited by Michael Lane. Ethics, Politics, and Social Research edited by Gideon Sioberg. Remara: A Community in Eastern Ruanda by Pierre Bettez Gravel. Planning Local Authority Services for the Elderly by Greta Summer and Randall Smith. Paterns of Urban Life by R. E. Pahl. Florian Znaniecki on Humanistic Sociology edited by R. Bierstedt. Reflections on the Problem of Relevance by A. Schutz. Theodor Geiger on Social Order and Mass Society edited by R. mayntz. Men, Money and Medicine by Eli Ginzber with Miriam Ostow. Politics and the Social Sciences edited by S. M. Lipset. Objectivity in Social Research by Gunnar Myrdal. I Freud: Political and Social Through by Paul Roazen. II The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx by Shlomo Avineri. Mr. Martins' review of Avineri's book has been delayed by pressure of work, Ed.) The Sociology of Protestantism by Roger Mehl (tr. James H. Farley). Immigration and Integration: A Study of the Settlement of Coloured Minorities in Britain by Clifford Hill. The Sociology of Grass Roots Politics by David Berry. The Growth of White-Collar Unionism by George Sayers Bain.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Robert Maclver on Community, Society and Power, selected writings edited and with an introdution by Leon Bramson. Longitudinal Studies and the Social Sciences by W. D. Wall and H. L. Williams. Crime, Police, and Race Relations: A Study in Birmingham by John R. Lambert. Family, Class and Education: A Reader edited by Maurice Craft. Family, Class and Education: A Reader edited by maurice Craft. Social Mobility and Political Change by Ioan Davies. Social Stress edited by Sol Levine and Norman A. Scotch. Sociology in Britain: A Suvey of Research by Ernest Krausz. Polls, Television, and the New Politics by Harold Mendelsohn and Irving Crespi. Social Work and the Sociology of Organizations by Gilbert Smith. The Sociology of Progress by Leslie Sklair. The Legacy of Max Weber by L. M. Lachmann. The Moral Development of Children by N. Williams and S. Williams. Rationality edited by Bryan R. Wilson. Adolescent Needs and the Transition from School to Work by Joan Maizels. Sociology in its Place and Other Essays by W. G. Runciman. Sociology and Social Work: Perspectives and Problems by Brian J. Heraud.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Public Accountability and the Schooling System: A Sociology of School Board Democracy by William Bacon The Alternative in Eastern Europe by Rudolph Bahro (translated by David Fernbach A Sociology of Industrialisation: An Introduction by David Brown and Michael J. Harrison Farm Life m Northeast Scotland, 1840–1914: The Poor Man's Country by Ian Carter. Pp. xiv + 258, John Donald Computer Models in the Social Sciences by R. B. Coats and A. Parkin Deviant Interpretations by David Downes and Paul Rock (eds.) Poverty and Social Change by Kirsten Grobjerg, David Street and Gerald D. Suttles Main Currents of Marxism by Leszek Kolakowski (translated by P. S. Falla Class and Status in France: Economic Change and Social Immobility Ideology and the Labour Movement by David E. Martin and David Rubinstein (eds.) Property, Paternalism and Power: Class and Control in Rural England by Howard Newby, Colin Bell, David Rose and Peter Saunders The Making of Symbolic Interactionism by Paul Rock Land, Labour and Economic Discourse by Keith Tribe     

Book reviews

Profiles and Critiques in Social Theory Anthony Giddens Critical Hermeneutics John B. Thompson Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences Paul Ricoeur (edited and translated by John B. Thompson) Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language: An Elementary Exposition Saul A. Kripke. Social Inequality: Comparative and Developmental Approaches Ed. Gerald Berreman with the assistance of Kathleen M Zaretsky. Rethinking Social Inequality D. Robbins et al. (eds). Documents of Life: An Introduction to the Problems and Literature of a Humanistic Method Ken Plummer. The Anti-Social Family Michele Barrett and Mary Mclntosh. The Father Figure Ed Lorna McKee and Margaret O'Brien (eds). Mothers and Fathers: A Study of the Development and Negotiation of Parental Behaviour Kadiryn C. Backen. Capitalism and the Construction of Old Age Chris Phillipson. Ovmer Occupation in Britain Stephen Merren with Fred Gray. Routledge & Kegan Pkul Ethnic Segregation in Cities C Peach, V. Robinson and S. Smith (eds), Croom Helm The Police: Autonomy and Consent M. Brogden. The New International Division of Labour Folker Frobel, Jurgen Heinrichs and Otto Kreye. The Political Economy of Underdevelopment Amiya Kumar Bagchi. Cheats at Work Gerald Mars. The Sociology of Food and Eating Anne Murcott(ed). The Fabrication of Virtue: English Prison Architecture 1750–1840 Robin Evans.     

Book Reviews

Knowledge, Ideology and Discourse: A Sociological Perspective Tim Dent Heterology and the Postmodern: Julian Pefanis A Sociology of Monsters: Essays on Power, Technology and Domination: John Law, (ed.) Max Weber: from History to Modernity: Bryan S. Turner Erving Goffman: Tom Burns Ethnomethodology and the Human Sciences: Graham Button (ed.) Family and the State of Theory: David Cheal Families and Households: Divisions and Change: C. Marsh and S. Arber, (eds) The British Population: Patterns, Trends and Processes: David Coleman and John Salt Eugenics, Human Genetics and Human Failings: The Eugenics Society, Its Sources and Its Critics in Britain: Pauline M. H. Mazumdar Towards a New Sociology of Social Work: Roger Sibeon Corporate Society: Class, Property and Contemporary Capitalism: J. McDermott Deconstructing America: Representations of the Other: Peter Mason Unwrapping Japan: Society and Culture in Anthropological Perspective: E. Ben-Ari, B. Moeran, and J. Valentine (eds) Enterprise and Heritage: Crosscurrents of National Culture: John Corner and Sylvia Harvey (eds) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity: Frank Krutnik Fieldwork in Educational Settings: Methods. Pitfalls and Perspectives: S. Delamont     

Sexual agreements and intimate-partner violence among male couples

Objectives: In the United States, HIV continues to disproportionately affect men who have sex with men. One promising area of research that may inform the development of behavioral interventions among male–male couples is within the realm of sexual agreements. Methods: The purpose of our analysis was to determine whether respondents who report having an open agreement or an agreement breakage also report a higher incidence of recent (within the previous 12 months) intimate-partner violence (IPV) compared to respondents who report having a monogamous agreement or no agreement breakage after controlling for demographic variables. Results: Results showed that men who have an open agreement are less likely to report recent physical IPV. Conclusions: The results highlight the need to develop dyadic behavior interventions that address sexual agreements and stress management.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Campus Power Strggle edited by Howard S. Becker. Theory Construction: From Verbal to Mathematical Formulations by H. M. Blalock. Personality and Religion: The Rôle of Religon in Personality Development edited by William A. Sadler Jr. Social Relations in a Secondary School by David H. Hargreaves. Society and Economic Growth: A Behavioural Perspective of Social Change by J. H. Kunkel. Sociology, Histroy and Education: A Reader edited by P. W. Musgrave. Social Research and Social Policy by Howard E. Freeman and Clarence C. Sherwood. The Emergence of Society by C. K. Warriner. The Philosophy of Social Science by Alan Ryan. Television and Delinquency by J. D. Halloran, R. L. Brown and D. C. Chaney. Foster Care: Theory and Practice by V. George. The Sociological Study of Religion by R. Scharf. Basic Readings in the Sociology of Education edited by D. F. Swift. Social System and Time and Space by J. Kolaja. I Data Bases, Computers, and the Social Sciences edited by R. L. Bisco. II Cluster Analysis by R. C. Tryon and D. E. Bailey. Whose City? And Other Essays on Sociology and Planning by R. E. Pahl.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Self and Social Context by Ray Holland. The Deferential Worker by Howard Newby. Society and Social Policy by Ramesh Mishra. Urban Sociology in an Urbanized Society by J. R. Mellor. Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working ClassJobs by Paul E. Willis. Communication and Learning in Small Groups by Douglas Barnes and Frankie Todd. Work, Race and Immigration by Sheila Allen, Stuart Bentley and Joanna Bornat. Christian Democracy in Western Germany. The CDU/CSU in Government and Opposition, 1945–76 by Geoffrey Pridham. The Sociology of Knowledge:An Essay in aid of a Deeper Understanding of the History of Ideas by Werner Stark. Mining and Social Change by Martin Bulmer (ed.). Clergy, Ministers and Priests by Stewart Ranson. Antonio Gramsci and the Revolution that Failed by Martin Clark. The Social Impact of the Telephone by Ithiel de Sola Pool (ed.). Reconstructing Historical Communities by Alan Macfarlane. Cultural Creation by Lucien Goldmann. The Sociology of Industry by S. R, Parker, R. K. Brown, J. Child and M. A. Smith. Philosophy and Methodology in the Social Sciences by Barry Hindess. Lenin's Political Thought—Vol. I: Theory and Practice in the Democratic Revolution by Neil Harding. The Social Contexts of Method by Michael Brenner. Addendum. Readers should note that Whose Music?A Sociology of Musical Languages by J. Shepherd.     

Emotional Well-Being Factors Associated with Sexual Dysfunction in Adults with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes: Results from Diabetes MILES—Australia

Abstract

Objective: Diabetes is a chronic health condition that requires daily self-management activities to prevent or delay the onset of serious long-term complications. The two main types of diabetes are Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although both differ in their etiology, they share similar challenges of self-management of blood glucose levels, which, if are persistently high over time can lead to serious long-term complications. Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common complication of both types of diabetes and affects both men and women. Although the physical aspects of SD are established, less is known about the emotional factors that may also impact SD in adults with diabetes. This study explored the emotional well-being factors associated with SD among 3,338 men and women with T1D and T2D. Methods: The relationships between self-reported SD and depressive and anxiety symptoms, and diabetes-specific distress, were examined using logistic regression modelling. Results: SD was associated with depressive symptoms (all sub-groups), anxiety (men/T2D; women/T1D/T2D), and diabetes-specific distress (women/T1D/T2D). Diabetes-specific distress was significantly higher in those with T2D who believed their SD was caused by their diabetes. Conclusions: SD impacts both men and women with T1D/T2D and is associated with emotional distress. Evaluation of SD and emotional problems should form part of routine clinical assessment.     

Entrepreneurial Motivations and Capabilities of Migrant Entrepreneurs in Australia

This article presents findings on immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia. The relationship between the entrepreneurial start‐up motivation, co‐ethnic preferences and entrepreneurial capabilities of established immigrant businesses are explored. We analyse data collected with a self‐administered survey questionnaire from 157 immigrant entrepreneurs in Melbourne's suburbs. Our findings show that immigrant entrepreneurs who report a high level of individual achievement as their start‐up motivation also report high levels of entrepreneurial capabilities in terms of opportunity recognition, managerial innovativeness and proactiveness. Immigrant entrepreneurs who are highly influenced by co‐ethnic preferences on staff employment and customer targeting report higher opportunity recognition than those who have a co‐ethnic preference on suppliers. We provide important insights and explanations for these findings and their implications for Australian immigrant entrepreneurs and policymakers.     

Index for Volume 32

Abstract

College students with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus often ignore the care of their illness. Faced with managing this illness independently for the first time, they lack the knowledge and experience to do so effectively. Their need to establish autonomy often prevents them from seeking the advice of health professionals. In view of this, the author undertook a pilot study to investigate the role of a peer support group on a college campus as a means of improving the diabetic students' management of their illness.

Three closed-membership groups met for 10 weekly sessions. Hemoglobin A_1c (the measure of average blood sugar over the preceding 3-month interval) determinations prior to participation in the group ranged from 4.0 to 11.7, with a mean of 8.16; after participation in the group, the mean hemoglobin A_1c levels of group members dropped to 6.10 (p < .001). (Hemoglobin A_1c measures lower than 6.2 reflect physiologic blood sugar measures of someone without diabetes.)

These results suggest that the peer-group approach may be a viable way to improve the metabolic control of young adults with diabetes at the time in their lives when they are learning to manage their illness independently.