Journal of Applied Social Science

For three days after the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of angry suburbanites gathered to surround and lay siege to the bounded neighborhood hosting the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Illinois. I concluded from a two and one-half year ethnographic study of the post-9/11 experience of Arab Muslims in metropolitan Chicago that the underlying sociological conditions giving rise to these post-9/11 events were racialized and nativist understandings held by a significant proportion of southwest suburban whites that positioned Arab and Muslim Americans as cultural threats to their communities. Armed with this knowledge, I designed a research project, outlined here, that included a social action component with the objective of expediting the social and civic integration of Arab and Muslim Americans in metropolitan Chicago.

This paper focuses on the image and the role of higher education and the university in an increasingly globalized context. The recent popular book by Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat, provides an opportunity to apply a growing literature on “globalization ” to raise questions about the traditional view of the university as an ivory tower, or an institution elevated and separate from the community and the society it serves. Specifically, the paper explores a perspective of applied sociologists who have long been concerned about the implications of the ivory tower model for higher education and for applied research and related activities.

The Commission on Applied and Clinical Sociology (CACS) has emphasized the importance of using theory in sociological practice. Achieving this goal requires an approach to teaching that transforms theory students from passive learners to active users. This change can only occur if instructors are willing to entertain teaching methods that increase the likelihood that students will apply what they learn beyond the confines of the classroom. In addition, students must be able to demonstrate how theory can inspire problem analysis and intervention. This paper explores teaching approaches that support a more applied teaching-learning environment. Literary or media-oriented case studies, integrating research into the course, use of collaborative teaching methods, life-histories, and diaries can provide the foundation for enhancing a student's capacity to think critically and apply theory to everyday contexts. Furthermore, integrating students directly into field settings through organizational case studies and service learning allows them to see how theory can be used to ameliorate problematic situations.

Sociology has a long history of applying social theory and methods to the identification of the causes and consequences of social problems. Although several well-known sociologists have advocated for greater involvement in civic discourse, Public Sociology is often criticized for being unscientific. In this commentary article, the author defines Public Sociology as the production and application of theoretically grounded and empirically sound knowledge that facilitates social change. He concludes that Public Sociology is and has always been an important part of the discipline. By not embracing Public Sociology, along with Applied/Clinical, Policy, and Critical sociologies, the knowledge we produce will continue to be underutilized and irrelevant to those we seek to help.

In an article in this journal, Rhineberger, Hartmann, and Van Valey (2005), discussed the mixed methods approach known as triangulation, arguing that the meaning and uses of triangulation need to be consistently applied and more adequately described in published articles. The authors presented two models of triangulation found in their extensive literature review. In this paper, I review triangulation designs used in applied research and propose a third and distinct model called the “iterative model.” This model employs triangulation to gain increasing clarity and understanding of the complex issues involved in applied social research. Clearly defined and collectively understood models of triangulation help applied researchers better integrate triangulated sources and convey their methods across disciplinary boundaries.

This article proposes that occupational rituals are an important part of social life for long-term care workers. Using 40 biographies, autobiographies, and research monographs to examine nursing homes, it reviews various symbolic themes expressed through daily work rituals in nursing homes. The themes involve concepts related to the culture of bureaucracy. This includes staff separation, rules, documentation, efficiency, and meetings. Using structural ritualization theory, we suggest that certain ritualized symbolic practices that express these themes influence the behaviors of nursing home employees shaping the thoughts and social interaction of nursing home staff members, creating occupational ritualization. Ritualized symbolic practices also contribute to the unintended maltreatment of residents. However, we believe alternative policies can generate work rituals with the potential to replace or offset the negative impacts of bureaucracy on maltreatment.