American Sociologists 1

Albion SMALL (1854 – 1926) “School of Chicago”  A way of thinking from the University of Chicago This brought the United States to a prominent position in the world of sociological thought Introduction to the Science of Sociology (1890) Founded the American Journal of Sociology in 1895 2

Robert PARKS (1864 - 1944) Chicago School of Sociology Journalist in Chicago Founded the American Sociological Society Urbanization Discord Disintegrating effect (becoming less integrated into society) Crime rates Isolation of communities and the need to integrate people into society in a better way 3

Jane Adams (1860 – 1935) Active sociologist Founded the Hull House for the Poor Published hundreds of articles in the American Journal of Sociology Hull House Maps and Papers (1893)  Research methodology Nobel Peace Prize laureate 4

George Herbert MEAD (1863 - 1931) Socialization: Interaction creates a concept of the self Social interaction through symbols, words, gestures, and body language The Symbolic Interactive Perspective Hated writing: After his death, his students published his book based on class notes Mind, Self, and Society, 1934, University of Chicago Press 5

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868 - 1963) Founded the NAACP in 1909 “Pen pal” with Albert Einstein, who called racism “America’s Worst Disease” Political activist Visited Germany in 1936: Called the treatment of Jews an “attack on civilization” Directed the Encyclopedia Africana in Ghana in 1961 6

Talcott Parsons (1902 - 1979) Structural functionalist Family is the most important institution for the survival of society (Different from Jean Jacques Rousseau) The “traditional” division of labor in the family cell Man  Physical and economic needs Woman  Expressive needs Other institutions (welfare, school, social services, etc.) are meant to assist the family meet its needs 7

Robert Merton (1910 - 2003) Structural functionalist Behavior: Manifest consequences (intended) Latent consequences (unintended) In business, there are negative and positive consequences A dysfunctional consequence weakens the social bonds and produces a negative societal effect Social Theory and Social Structure (1968) Influenced Herbert GANS:  The Positive Functions of Poverty (1972) 8

C. Wright MILLS (1916 - 1962) The Sociological Imagination (1959) “Vocabularies of motive”  People are not interested in real motives, but rather in the way they are expressed and justified Position at Columbia University in 1945 even though he was often criticized because of unconventional views Conflict theorist accused of being a Marxist “White Collar”  elite, high social status “Power Elite”  a small group of business men, generals, politicians, media moguls, and bank owners who structure the entire country in order to suit their own desires 9

References Pictures of sociologists taken from www.wikipedia.org (All others) www.thesocietypages.org (C. Wright MILLS) 10