[CITASA] Take two-Will the real sociology of technologies stand up?

[Earl Babbie]

> 1.  Is the sociology of technology an umbrella term? discipline?  
> That others
> fit inside? If so, what fits inside?

Whenever I've taught Intro Soc or something similar, I tell
students that if they imagined all the disciplines making
up the liberal arts as a bunch of eggs, Sociology is the
carton they come in.

I have always felt Sociology was more powerful as a
context than as a content. Those times when I felt my
Sociology was giving me special insights in an applied
situation (e.g., politics), I rarely thought about what
Durkheim or Weber had said, but I knew they were
shining a light on things for me.

If we were holding this discussion in the Catskills, we
might say, "Sociology is like a glass of tea." But
realize that Sociology is the glass, not the tea.

Sociology is like the Confucian model of leadership:
when the job has been accomplished, the people
say, "We did it." We are not necessarily the "Decider"
--that's been done--but our function is often one
of leadership in a subtle yet powerful way.

But, I could be wrong.

~earl



----------------------
Earl Babbie, Chapman University                       Tel: 501-922-6418
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http://www.chapman.edu/~Babbie/                   http://ebabbie.net
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