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A variety of assessment tools have been proposed to evaluate the sociology curriculum. This article analyses the validity of assessment tools and their impact on the quality of assessment. An alternative to formal tests is the use of a bachelor's paper as the assessment tool. Here the author proposes that such a paper is an appropriate means of assessment for the individual sociology student and for the program as a whole. The bachelor's paper is simply the student's attempt to use the theoretical and methodological tools of his or her discipline to address a substantively important topic. This can help in realizing the areas of the curriculum that need reforms. The bachelor's paper has several advantages as an assessment tool. First, if critical thinking and the ability to conduct and combine library and empirical research are goals of the program, a cumulative research experience is sensible. The second advantage of the bachelor's paper as assessment is that greater depth of theoretical knowledge can be encouraged in a paper than in most test formats.

A bibliography on the subject of sociology is presented, which includes the books "Texting Toward Utopia: Kids, Writing, and Resistance," by Ben Agger, "Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life," by Nancy Tatom Ammerman, and "Meanings of Audiences: Comparative Discourses," edited by Richard Butsch and Sonia Livingstone.

The article presents a list of publications related to contemporary sociology. It includes "Institutional Interaction: Studies of Talk at Work," by Ilkka Arminen, "Children in the Global Sex Trade," by Julia O'Connell Davidson, and "Studying Human Rights," by Todd Landman.

There is a growing awareness that the condition of the built environment has a substantial impact on health. Systematic housing conditions surveys are a method for developing information about the physical condition of housing. This paper introduces the Center for Economic Information's (CEI) Neighborhood Housing Conditions Survey (NHCS). We discuss the history and implementation of the NHCS in light of other academic and civic housing conditions surveys. The paper also reviews the history and method of the NHCS. We find that housing conditions surveys are generally designed from scratch for each new research program, translating survey results into policy remains underdeveloped in the scholarly literature, and heterogeneity between surveys reduces the ability to compare observations across space and time. The NHCS may address some of these issues, suitable as an "off the shelf" template, adjustable to suit programmatic needs, and providing a baseline consistency across space and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bibliography on the subject of sociology is presented which includes the books "Terror Post-9/11 and the Media," by David L. Altheide, "South Asian Media Cultures: Audiences, Representations, Contexts," edited by Shakuntala Banaji and "Native Acts: Law, Recognition and Cultural Authenticity," by Joanne Barker.

This article provides sociology instructors with some useful tips for constructing an activity log, which directs students from point to point in the process of writing a sociologically oriented term paper. According to the author, papers written for sociology courses must incorporate principles of sociological theory, concepts and methodology. Therefore, in guiding students through a step-by-step developmental process for writing a sociological term paper, various objectives should be taken into consideration. The paper should engage students in exploring ideas and materials taught throughout the term. It should expose students to social reality and enhance their familiarity with the application of sociological concepts. It should teach students how to apply principles of sociological theory and methods to the social phenomena being explored and encourage students to formulate propositions that make sense of facts and that can be applied to their own experiences. The paper should also expand the knowledge of students beyond the frame of the assigned readings and enhance their writing creativity.

An alphabetical list of various received sociology publications is presented.

The article presents a list of periodicals about sociology including "Class Questions: Feminist Answers," Joan Acker.

The article presents several publications received by the journal, which include the book "Living in the Crossfire: Favela Residents, Drug Dealers and Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro," by Maria Helena Moreira Alves and Philip Evanson, "Conversations With Landscape," edited by Karl Benediktsson and Katrín Anna Lund, and "The Hidden 1970s: Histories of Radicalism," edited by Dan Berger.

A directory of publications received for the current issue of Contemporary Sociology is presented.

A bibliography on the subject of sociology is presented, which includes the books "Against Fairness," by Stephen T. Asma, "Courting Kids: Inside an Experimental Youth Court," by Carla J. Barrett, and "Musicking Bodies: Gesture and Voice in Hindustani Music," by Matthew Rahaim.

A bibliography on sociological topics is presented which includes the books "The Making of a Generation: The Children of the 1970s in Adulthood," by Lesley Andres and Johanna Wyn, "News Online: Transformations and Continuities," edited by Graham Meikle and Guy Redden, and "Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing," edited by Harvey Molotch and Laura Noren.

The article presents several books and publications on contemporary sociology, including "Urban Place: Reconnecting With the Natural World," edited by Peggy F. Barlett, "Media & Minorities: The Politics of Race in News and Entertainment," by Stephanie Greco Larson and "Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy," edited by Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel.

Networks of citations among the papers on a research topic reflect the structure of scholarship on that topic. Reference-network data for research areas from several disciplines show substantial variation in the structure of scholarship, ranging from the frequent and disproportionate citation of recent work to the frequent and disproportionate citation of foundational documents. The variation is inconsistent with the pattern expected of a simple physical sciences-behavioral sciences-humanities dimension. Citation-context analyses of references in the networks of various fields suggest that variation in network structure is due in part to differences in why authors cite their colleagues' work: Disproportionate citation of foundational documents occurs when authors cite papers as examples of perspectives or general approaches rather than as support for specific points. Differences in use patterns for citations can help us understand other differences among scholarly communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sources cited within this issue are presented including "Religion in the Contemporary World: A Sociological Introduction," by Alan Aldridge, "Buying Into Fair Trade: Culture, Morality, and Consumption," by Keith R. Brown, and "Cult of the Will: Nervousness and German Identity," by Michael Cowan.

An index of authors for the book "Contemporary Sociology," is presented.

A list of received publications related to sociology is presented, including "Cities, Cultural Policy and Governance," edited by Helmut Anheier and Yudhishthir Raj Isar, "Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts," edited by Sara Arber and Virpi Timonen, and "The Militarization of Childhood: Thinking Beyond the Global South," edited by J. Marshall Beier.

A list of publications received by "Contemporary Sociology," is presented, including "Women, Pleasure and the Gambling Experience," by Emma Casey, "Skintight: An Anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery," by Meredith Jones and "Standardized Testing," by Richard P. Phelps.

The sources cited within this issue are presented including books about contemporary sociology such as "Dream Notes," by Theodor W. Adorno, "Rethinking Expertise," by Harry Collins and Robert Evans, and "Security Technology in U.S. Public Schools," by Julie Kiernan Coon.

A list of books about sociology is presented including "World Religions and Multiculturalism," edited by Eliezer Ben-Rafael and Yitzhak Sternberg, Mark Stranger, and Robert N. Bellah.

A bibliography on the subject of sociology is presented which includes the books "African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game," by Peter Alegi, "More Perfect Unions: The American Search for Marital Bliss," by Rebecca L. Davis, and "Invitation to Law and Society: An Introduction to the Study of Real Law," by Kitty Calavita.

This commentary reflects on the strengths of the paper by Warde et al. entitled "Situated drinking: the association between eating and alcohol consumption in Great Britain". It suggests that practice-theoretical approaches towards studying contemporary connections between foods, food events and alcoholic drinks provides an excellent basis for overcoming the analytical limits of fields such as food studies, drinks studies, alcohol studies and related areas. This is especially so if Warde et al.'s quantitative methodology were to be yoked to two further sources of inspiration, namely Mary Douglas's structuralist analysis of food combinations within food events and Stephen Mennell's utilisation of the concepts and concerns of Norbert Elias to produce a systematic historical sociology of food. An extended inter-paradigmatic approach to the study of how alcoholic drinks relate to foods and eating practices emerges as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of books on contemporary sociology including "Site Fights: Divisive Facilities and Civil Society in Japan and the West," by Daniel P. Aldrich, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics," by Joe Bien, and "Essays on Professions," by Robert Dingwall.

The sources cited within this issue are presented including "Surviving Dictatorship: A Work of Visual Sociology," "Art and Social Movements: Cultural Politics in Mexico and Aztlan" and "Cities Full of Symbols: A Theory of Urban Space and Culture."

The article comments on film-making process. The film-making process requires that a person reduce an abstract idea to a visual form. One must be able to visualize people doing something and then capture that on film. In one sense, film-making is a test of the hypothesis that sociology is a behavioral science. Students should learn how to make theoretically based films for these and the additional reason that thus they can better learn their discipline. By writing a paper, the good student learns his subject. He learns the ideas and that he can control them. But, in writing, he often learns to become a manipulator of words and loses any concern about the behavioral reference they may or may not have. In making a film, however, the student does come face to face with connecting his ideas to human behavior. In film-making, one can delineate a set of roles which, taken together, result in the finished product. There is the producer, the person who has the ultimate responsibility for the film, the one who, nominally at least, has the concept of the entire production.

This article presents information on the periodical, Sociological Methodology. Sociological Methodology is a journal that seeks to publish excellent contributions to each and every one of the many and diverse research methodologies that sociologists use in their research,or that they would want to use, if they knew of these methods or how to adapt them to sociological analysis. Many think of sociological methodology as a synonym for statistics or quantitative research methods. These Pavlovian responses are unfortunate. The editors of Sociological Methodology have consistently sought outstanding papers on all sociologically useful methods, including those that are generally perceived to be non-statistical and non-quantitative. Sociological Methodology is a refereed journal. The editor picks referees to render opinions on papers,makes editorial decisions based substantially (but not entirely) on referee reports, protects reviewers' identities from wounded authors,and does his best to protect authors from unfair, incompetent, or simply mistaken reviews. The editor also does his best to protect authors from his own errors by attending carefully to the comments of reviewers and by honoring any reasoned request for reconsideration and re-review. The system works on a web of redundant checks and balances,overseen by the editor.

The article invites research papers on the topic of sociological aspects of individual workplace, and one new organizational spaces within work, for the special issue of the journal, the papers from the field of sociology, anthropology and industrial relations could be submitted at the journal.

The article focuses on students as theorists in a criminology course. Teachers of sociology should help their students to understand the sociological perspective and the concepts, theories and research findings of the field. Teachers also should ask students to inquire, to think critically and to endeavor to explain social phenomena systematically. In the introductory criminology course, students learn some of what sociologists know and think about crime and criminal behavior, but generally they experience the study of criminology as spectators rather than as participants. This paper describes an assignment with which teachers encourage students to take an active role in understanding and explaining the causes of crime. The assignment has three main pedagogical objectives. One is to motivate students through active involvement. The second is to encourage a deeper understanding of criminological theories and their implications. The third is to promote critical thinking and higher order cognitive skills such as application, analysis and synthesis.

This article presents a list of books received, but not reviewed, by the publication. Among them are "An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis," by Alan Agresti; "Biology Unmoored: Melanesian Reflections on Life and Biotechnology," by Sandra Bamford; "The Human Experience: Description, Explanation, and Judgment," by Elizabeth Depoy and Stephen French Gibson; and "Understanding Evil: Lessons from Bosnia," by Keth Doubt.

Merton proposed middle range theories, not as ends in themselves, but as bases for a consolidation to explain broader phenomenon. More than a half century has passed since Merton's consolidation proposal and in that time a number of experimentally tested middle range theories have been developed. Certainly, the next step should be a consolidation. Yet, to our knowledge, no one has previously offered a consolidation of experimentally tested theories and applied it for explanation. This paper offers a consolidation of middle range theories formulated to explain the rise of the pristine state. Two theories of this consolidation, Status Characteristics Theory and Elementary Theory, form the core of what Analytic Sociologists have called a toolbox of theories. Our toolbox forms an integrated consolidation in two ways. First, the social structures modeled by the theories form a path-dependent process of increasing benefits gained by the elites of the structures. Second, the end conditions of each step of the process are the initial conditions of the next. Whereas the theories in our toolbox have previously been seen as applying exclusively to microstructures, we have encountered no difficulties in scaling them up to apply to macrostructures. While we hope the consolidation has validity in explaining the occurrence of pristine states, this paper's significance lies in its demonstration that today social theories can be consolidated and applied for explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to comprehensively examine the effects of societal and individual characteristics on work-related attitudes, specifically work commitment and work orientations, using a single dataset and comparable models. It also seeks to relate these attitudes to classic theories and understand how societal factors shape work-related attitudes. The analysis is based on data collected by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in its work orientations survey. Data is analyzed using factor analyses, correspondence analyses, and multilevel regressions. The paper provides an overview of work-related attitudes at the country level and a detailed analysis of societal and individual variables that shape these attitudes. The results indicate that individual attitudes reflect large societal trends and developments, which are discussed with reference to current studies and classic theories. This paper contributes to understanding work-related attitudes by offering a comprehensive analysis of the effects of societal and individual characteristics, using a single dataset and comparable models. It also relates these attitudes to classic theories and discusses how societal factors shape work-related attitudes. The findings also have policy implications, particularly in the recruitment and retention of highly qualified and motivated workers in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on American Sociological Review (ASR) policies and the philosophical assumptions that underlie them. Most "revise and resubmits" result from our judgment that the problems in the paper have at least a chance of being fixed. If the paper is "marginal" we generally think it is because the author didn't do something that would make the paper better, so we ask for a revision. My personal perception is that ASR is so much in need of interesting papers that we bend over backwards to "bring papers along" if they have a good idea and defensible empirical materials. The most common case, however, is that there are many issues some raised by one reviewer, others raised by a second, still others by the editor or a member of the editorial group. Some issues are clear, others more an expression of uneasiness. Usually, we send the revision of such a paper back to one or two "old" reviewers and also send it to one or two new reviewers. Our experience is that "old" reviewers tend to look at their notes to see if the author has responded.

The article contains list of books that are to be reviewed by the journal "Review of Religious Research." "Millennium and Charisma Among Pathans," by Akbar S. Ahmed, "Fundamentalism," by James Barr, "The Fancies of the Church," by William Basset. "Shaping the Coming Age of Religious Life," by Lawrence Cada and Raymond Fitz, "Growth Counseling," by Howard Clinebell, "The Sociology of Hope," by Henri Desroche, "The Two Marxisms," by Alvin W. Goulder, "The Church and the Older Person," by Robert M. Gray and David M. Moberg, "Christian Ethics and the Community," by James F. Gustafson, "Moral Development, Moral Education and Kohlberg," edited by Branda Munsey, "Journey to the Inner Space," by Rodney R. Romney, "The Concise Dictionary of Christian Ethics," edited by Bernard Stoeckle and many others.

The 1946 Committee on Contributed Papers of the American Sociological Society, has several suggestions to offer: If sufficient interest is shown in the Section of the contributed papers published in a section of the periodical "American Sociological Review," the section should be continued, since it gives opportunity for younger men and women to appear on the program and become known to the Society. More- over, it stimulates the interest of the younger sociologists in the meetings. This year 20 papers were submitted; last year there were only 8. An opportunity to appear on the program of the Society, together with the possibility of publication in the periodical apparently is desired, as evidenced not only by the number of papers submitted but by the fact that both years every participant, upon the acceptance of his manuscript, has immediately signified his intention of being present to read his paper. It would be well for the Committee to be appointed early enough for it to get well underway in the spring. During the last two years, the Committee has been handicapped by not getting underway until the summer or fall.

Briefly Noted. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews 42(1): 126-138. (Original DOI: 10.1177/0094306112468722In the January 2013 issue, p. 129, column 1, 13 lines from the bottom prior to the footnote, the text should have read “historical economics” instead of “historical ics.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents the history, organization and benefits of The Nebraska Undergraduate Sociological Symposium (NUSS). Colleges, faculty and students can gain many advantages from participation in a symposium. However, the biggest gain is to the discipline of sociology. Forums where sociological issues are discussed increase public knowledge about sociology. As the results of events such as the symposium, colleges are likely to take a greater interest in sociology because they see the program as able to interest a large number of students. Sociology faculty are likely to feel energized by the symposium and to go into the classroom with a greater desire to get students involved. Students' interest can be heightened by an event like the symposium. Through it they can come to understand that sociology is a broad enterprise that extends beyond the walls of their own institution. In some cases, participation in the symposium has been a critical experience in solidifying a student's decision to enter sociology professionally.

The article reports some trends in the relative emphasis devoted to different specialties within the field of sociology in the U.S. since World War II. According to the author, sociology has grown since World War II in the number of courses taught, the number of people who make their living as sociologist and the amount of research done. The field has expanded so rapidly that virtually all special areas of interest within the field have shared in the general growth. As proportions of the total, however, some areas of specialization have gained at the expense of others. In the article sources of information used to asses trends in sociology include fields of interest listed by members for American Sociological Association directory, papers read at annual meetings of the Association, papers published in the journal "American Sociological Review" and course listings in college catalogs. The author states that in analyzing and interpreting the data, he had to make certain assumptions, which may be debatable. The author makes no ambitious claims for the absolute validity of interpretations.

A call for papers on sociology to be published in forthcoming issues is presented.

For some time people have suggested that papers and whole journals ought to be reviewed. Editor Norval Glenn has now experimented with the idea, and his innovation probably will produce similar attempts by others. Editors of refereed journals who maintain the integrity of the process have a limited amount of freedom. Generally, editors can influence the field in several ways. They can exercise their personal judgment when referees seem to be reacting to a paper because, for example, they don't like its methodology, its conclusions, or the ideological implications of the data or findings. There are occasions when an editor rejects a paper, because two or three referees recommended rejection but when the editor ought to exercise the power of the office and accept it in spite of the referees. An editor has very little to do with the manuscript submitted. By the time a paper is received, the topic, methodology, conclusions, and so forth have been determined. Except for those authors who perceive that one or another editor favors certain topics or methodologies and consequently selectively sends papers to particular journals, the main editorial influence on submissions involves informal solicitations and hints that an author ought to consider an editor's journal when the author is ready to publish.

The article presents new plans for papers for the 1949 meetings of the American Sociological Society. It states that by action of the Executive Committee, approved by the Society, a "Committee on Papers for the 1949 Meeting" has been appointed. The chairman of the committee is Paul W. Tappan and its other members are Robert Fans, William L. Kolb and Arnold Rose. Members of the society are requested to submit to this Committee a prospectus or full paper, which they would like to present at the 1949 sessions. This Committee is empowered to receive and examine these papers and submit those approved to the Program Committee and the respective section chairman. From these papers, the Program Committee and section chairmen will make up their programs so far as this is feasible. However, the Program Committee and Section Chairmen are free to request any additional papers they may feel necessary to fill out their plans for the program of the 1949 annual meeting. The Program Committee will attempt to have its plans sufficiently advanced to publish a notice about the general character of the program in the April issue of the journal "American Sociological Review."

The article presents a list of books on sociology. The books include "When Women Come First: Gender and Class in the Transnational Migration," by Sheba Mariam George, "Imperial Nature: The World Bank and Struggles for Social Justice in the Age of Globalization," by Michale Goldman, "Immigrants at the Margins: Law, Race, and Exclusion in Southern Europe," by Kitty Calavita, "Not Monsters: Analyzing the Stories of Child Molesters," by Pamela D. Chultz and "City Baby and Star: Addiction, Transcendence, and the Tenderloin," by Don Stannard-Friel.

There are many contradictions in previous studies of the status of depressive symptoms among Chinese migrant children, the number of which in the compulsory education stage is about 13.9 million. This systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to compare depressive symptoms among migrant children and their urban children. Around 2,710 papers were retrieved from PubMed, OVID, the Web of Knowledge, CNKI, Wan Fang, Chongqing VIP, and Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index on January 27, 2020. Thirty-Two studies met study criteria with 14,906 migrant children and 10,792 urban children. Migrant children scored significantly higher for depressive symptoms score (SMD = 0.307, 95% CI [0.222, 0.393]). Region significantly influenced the difference of depressive symptoms between migrant children and urban children. Large effect sizes came from studies using scales that focus on depressive mood while studies using scales that focus on depressive behavioural symptoms had small effect sizes. Future research should focus on treatments to decrease depressive mood of migrant children. Future studies can add information about the length of their current stay in the urban location to improve the quality of study. PROSPERO registry: Systematic review registration no. CRD42018090676. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to an increasingly complex mixture of different types of public spaces and their functions in cities, the role of public spaces can be enhanced to serve users under certain circumstances. This paper examines Carmona's classification of urban spaces in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia. Carmona introduces a classification that uses aspects of function, perception, and ownership to distinguish between space types. Twenty urban space types are recognized in four groups, representing a variety from clearly public to private space. The classifications of public spaces will be discussed to arrive at classifications for public spaces based on how public spaces are managed. The article builds an understanding of how such classifications relate to how real public spaces are provided today. In this case study, a Geographic Information System (GIS) map is created for Al-Baha Central District and includes the resulting classifications. From the 119 urban spaces selected to represent this study equally distributed across the study area, there are 12 types that public spaces match Carmona's classification. The classification of urban spaces for this case study revealed the complexity of public spaces' nature and the difficulty of distinguishing what is public. Public spaces tend to change and develop over time through other uses and activities. However, the classification of public spaces is a valuable tool that policymakers and planners can use to set comprehensive development plan programs and plan open space strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholar Derek Price has argued that without the production of scientific papers, a scientist ceases to be a scientist. Publication of the work of a social scientist is an essential activity. Central to the task of publishing results of scientific and scholarly work is the social science publication system. When an author submits a paper to a journal, it is subject to blind review by anonymous reviewers. The journal's editor circulates the paper among reviewers and bases his or her decision on their recommendation. In essence, that is how the scientific publication system operates. The trustees of this system, the editors and referees, are individuals of the highest integrity; nonetheless, the system has been inadequate, not only in precisely and fairly abscessing the quality of submitted work but in the more important task of fostering critical inquiry. Studies of the precision of the review process indicate that the reliability of reviewer judgments is only a little better than chance. in this situation, what if the reviewers disagree? More importantly, what if one or more of the reviewers is careless, biased or incorrect? The data examined in the book suggest that these are not rare occurrences. In fact, this symposium review exemplifies the phenomena and concerns which propelled and informed the book.

Why was the "American Sociological Review" so atheoretical? The principal aim was to improve both the quality and quantity of theory in the Review. One possible answer is that the reviewers are defining theory too narrowly, that there was more theory in the Review than met their eyes. The term is ambiguous, with many different meanings for different sociologists. The limits to the powers of an editor are best seen by working backwards through these six stages. One would suppose that at least in deciding what is published the editor has great powers. He does-over about a third of the manuscripts submitted. An important principle on which any journal is founded is that decisions to publish are the collaborative product of intersubjective agreement on what is fact and what is reasoned inference. This means that the power of an editor to decide the fate of a paper is limited to those instances where referees disagree or those where they agree that a paper should be revised and resubmitted.