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John Brekke challenges the field and profession of social work to define and develop the "science of social work". This response to Brekke's paper identifies the premises undergirding a discussion of the science of social work related to (1) a definition of "science";; (2 ) an organizing principle for social work; (3) a recognition that the task is a dynamic and evolving one; and, (4) an understanding that the science of social work is a reflection on what we study and how we study it. The paper identifies a tripartite conceptual framework to guide the discussion of the science of social work, one that focuses on semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics. The paper asserts that critical reflection on the science of social work, disciplined by a framework such as the one proposed, is needed to advance the science of social work.

In the era of visual media, cities, and society are represented, experienced, and interpreted through images. The need for interdisciplinary visual approaches, therefore, is indisputable. By focusing on cinema, this paper aims to develop a conceptual, methodological framework through which theory helps a broad range of researchers in social sciences, humanities, and arts interpret the represented phenomenon. Based on Peirce's model of signs, the framework provides the basis for a dynamic interpretation of the city and society. This paper shows that Peircean cinesemiotics takes advantage of theory in three ways: First, as the basis that provides scholars with clues necessary for identifying eligible "image-signs"; second, as the guiding framework that helps them reach a final interpretation; third, as ideas are being criticized from visual perspectives. As an example of its application, using Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," the final part of the paper applies Peircean cinesemiotics to an image-sign from Death Wish (2018) and interprets it as the representation of safety/crime in a neighborhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research opportunities for undergraduates in the social sciences remain relatively rare. If they exist at all they are usually in the natural sciences and engineering. In study abroad the situation is particularly pronounced: a semester or year abroad is still more a time for cultural and linguistic immersion than it is for building specific academic skills and knowledge, including how to plan and conduct independent research. At Northwestern University, over the past five years an innovative series of workshops have been developed that train and prepare undergraduates to conduct meaningful research while they are abroad. The Study Abroad Research Program (SARP) has helped over 200 undergraduates from all disciplines, including German, return from overseas to develop their projects into honors theses and prestigious research fellowships. This paper briefly details the development of undergraduate research as a national priority and then lays out the rationale, structure, and outcomes of the SARP initiative, including its impact on students in the German Department.

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper contributes to the literature on the effectiveness of schools. The analysis is unique in using data on the minutes of instruction per day in each of four subjects taught in the public elementary schools in Illinois. Few education production function papers have information on the amount of instruction students receive in a given subject. The results generally indicate that time spent in mathematics and English instruction pays off in terms of improved mathematics and reading test scores. There is evidence that time spent in social studies instruction raises reading and writing scores. Additionally, the data span 3 years so that individual school-specific fixed effects are estimated and found to be strongly significant. Inclusion of these fixed effects has dramatic consequences for the parameter estimates on several variables, in some cases raising and in others reducing the estimated parameter values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista FAMECOS - Mídia, Cultura e Tecnologia is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper highlights the problems of school violence and delinquency among youth in our society. It presents research involving regression analysis of data available at the county level for the state of Illinois. A cross-sectional design is utilized for the 102 counties of that state. Results indicate that school violence is impacted by demographics, i.e, the number of African Americans and whites, while controlling for the youth population. However, school violence is primarily affected by the level of domestic violence and the level of hate crimes in the respective counties. Evidence suggests this to be the primary focus of prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper we examine public perceptions of criminal justice policy and public attitudes toward victims. We are particularly interested in exploring the relationship between the use of social science data and the adoption of public policy affecting victims of crime. To do this we analyze a representative sample of over 450 residents of the Chicago metropolitan area in 1983. The specific issues examined include attitudes toward rape (e.g., whether caused by victim's behavior), prosecution of marital rape, plea bargaining, sentencing of predatory offenders, and the relative importance and efficacy of rehabilitation, incapacitation, and retribution as goals of punishment. Overall, the results suggest that age and education have the most important influence on public attitudes regarding these criminal justice policies. Surprisingly, victimization status does not emerge as a salient predictor of criminal justice perceptions. We conclude with a call for greater use of social science surveys as information input into local and federal decision making on criminal justice policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth gambling is an increasing concern. As a response, the “Don’t Gamble Away our Future (DGAOF)” program has been implemented among children in central Illinois. We aim to assess the long-term effectiveness of this school-based youth gambling prevention program in Illinois using the data from 2005 to 2009. The intervention included interactive PowerPoint presentations and prevention materials in parent packets. Students aged 8 to 18 years were eligible to participate in the intervention and the questionnaire pre-post knowledge tests (total score 0–9). Students in 5th grade and above also received a gambling behavior screen test using the Modified South Oaks Gambling Screening for Teens (MSOGST) for identifying probable gamblers. Multivariable generalized mixed models were conducted to detect the effects of a 5-year youth gambling prevention program as controlling potential confounders. A total of 16,262 and 16,421 students completed pre-post tests and MSOGST tests, respectively. Of 16,262, half were female, the majority (76.1%) were from senior high school, and 21.3% received the intervention at least twice. The median gap between interventions was 368 days. Students receiving multiple interventions had higher scores on the pre-test as compared to those receiving a single intervention (P<0.001 for all comparisons among groups), and they demonstrated an increasing trend of awareness about gambling over time (P<0.001 for multiple interventions; P = 0.538 for single intervention). The prevalence of problem gambling had decreased among students receiving the intervention twice as compared to receiving the intervention once (7.9% versus 9.4%; OR = 0.89, 95% CL: 0.82–0.97). However, this effect was not confirmed among students receiving the intervention three or more times. In conclusion, the DGAOF program has demonstrated a positive long-term impact on increasing gambling knowledge and partially reducing pathological gamblers through direct training. It suggests that multiple repeated interventions are important for youth gambling prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During February of 1958 arrangements were completed with the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago, Illinois for the 1959 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Society. The meetings are scheduled for Thursday, September 3 through Saturday, September 5, 1959. Flat rates for single room is $9.75, for double room flat rates is $16.00, and for dormitory rooms, twin bedded with connecting bath for 4 persons has the tag of $16.00. The Edgewater Beach Hotel, one of Chicago's finest, is located on the lakefront, has a cabana club and swimming pool, and a summer theater in addition to usual hotel accommodations. It is relatively far removed from the downtown district and should afford the Society excellent accommodations in every respect. Information received from the Chicago Convention Bureau indicates that typing and other services will be made available only on a fee basis as follows: badge typists at $10.00 per eight-hour day; stencil typists at $12.00 to $14.00. The Bureau will make available gratis bulletins on "Chicago, Host City to the Nation" listing all of the interesting places to see and pertinent facts about the city; and also "Headline Events in Chicago" which will cover the month of September.

This article presents an announcement by the Council on Research in Economic History related to a competition for the best paper on the subject of "Interpreting Long-Term Economic Growth: An Evaluation of Past Attempts and Future Possibilities." Competition is open to all scholars, the judges only being excluded. The prize will be awarded if, in the opinion of the judges, the best manuscript is an acceptable one. The judges may, in their discretion, divide the prize between two of the contestants. Essays should not exceed 40,000 words, be in English and conform to the major literary and typographical convention of the Journal of Economic History.

Miss Bessie E. Browne of the University of Missouri, President of The National Students' Sociological Conference, 1936, extends greetings to all students of sociology, both graduate and undergraduate, and urges them to attend the Conference which, this year, will be held in connection with the annual meeting of the American Sociological Society, in Chicago, December 18 to 30, 1936. Browne writes: The student meeting will convene for two sessions, December 28 and 29 in the morning. This gives the remainder of the time for students to hear programs of the American Sociological Society and to see places of interest in Chicago, Illinois. A very interesting program of papers and research projects and other activities is being planned. In addition to the main program of papers and projects, the contacts with other students of sociology, and the splendid opportunity of attending sessions of the American Sociological Society" and hearing and meeting the outstanding leaders in the field of sociology, there arc other plans to make your trip to the conference very much worth while.

This article reviews methodological and analytic approaches and impact evidence for understanding the mechanisms of effects of early childhood interventions, including delinquency and violence prevention. Illustrations from longitudinal studies of preschool preventive interventions are provided. We restrict our attention to preventive interventions for children from birth to age 5, including evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), which investigates the impact of an established school-based early childhood intervention. Frameworks and evidence will be organized according to the Five-Hypothesis Model (5HM), which postulates that a variety of early childhood interventions impact later well-being through the promotion of cognitive and scholastic advantages, motivational advantages, social adjustment, family support behaviors, and school supports. Recommendations are made for advancing confirmatory approaches for identifying the most effective prevention programs using identification of generative mechanisms as a major methodological criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of the Association of American Geographers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

More than 100 years after Upton Sinclair denounced the massive slaughterhouse complex in Chicago as a "jungle," qualitative case study research has documented numerous negative effects of slaughterhouses on workers and communities. Of the social problems observed in these communities, the increases in crime have been particularly dramatic. These increases have been theorized as being linked to the demographic characteristics of the workers, social disorganization in the communities, and increased unemployment rates. But these explanations have not been empirically tested, and no research has addressed the possibility of a link between the increased crime rates and the violent work that takes place in the meatpacking industry. This study uses panel analysis of 1994-2002 data on nonmetropolitan counties in states with "right-to-work" laws (a total of 581 counties) to analyze the effect of slaughterhouses on the surrounding communities using both ordinary least squares and negative binomial regression. The findings indicate that slaughterhouse employment increases total arrest rates, arrests for violent crimes, arrests for rape, and arrests for other sex offenses in comparison with other industries. This suggests the existence of a "Sinclair effect" unique to the violent workplace of the slaughterhouse, a factor that has not previously been examined in the sociology of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does `place' contribute to the credibility of scientific claims? The Chicago School of urban studies (1918-32) had close ties to the city for which it was named: its social scientists lived in Chicago, were affiliated with the University of Chicago, and made Chicago the object of almost all of their empirical research. In order for this city to become a legitimate source of claims about urban form and process, Chicago is textually made to oscillate between two available authorizing spaces. As a field-site, the city of Chicago becomes a found and uncorrupted reality, the singularly ideal place to do urban research, and requiring the analyst to get up-close and personal. As a laboratory, Chicago becomes a controlled environment where artificial specimens yield generalities true anywhere, requiring of the analyst distance and objectivity. The distinctive epistemic virtues of both field and laboratory are preserved as complementary sources of credibility, and Chicago becomes the right place for the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economists and criminologists have long tried to establish linkages between job markets and crime. Most prior research, however, was across large areas (e.g., states, metropolitan areas) or across time. This research focuses on examining thevariation of job markets within a city(i.e., Chicago) and whether it is related to the spatial pattern of crime (i.e., homicide). The job market condition is measured by job accessibility, an index computed by a Geographic Information System (GIS) method. Multivariate regressions, controlling for other socioeconomic covariates, are used to analyze the relationship between job access and homicide rates. Considering problems with analysis of rare events such as homicide in small populations, this research constructs various levels of geographic areas from census tracts to generate more stable homicide rates with larger base populations. In particular, a spatial clustering method based on the scale-space theory is used to merge adjacent tracts of similar attributes into new geographic areas. The study shows an inverse relationship between job accessibility and homicide rates across census tracts and the newly-constructed geographic areas in Chicago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waves of collective mobilization, when participation increases rapidly and expectations shift dramatically, pose an important puzzle for social science. Such waves, I argue, can only be explained by an endogenous process of “positive feedback.” This article identifies two distinct mechanisms – interdependence and inspiration – that generate positive feedback in collective mobilization. It also provides a detailed analysis of one episode: the wave of strikes that swept American cities in May 1886. Although historians and sociologists have suggested various precipitants, these do not account for the magnitude of the upsurge. Focusing on events in Chicago during the months before May, the article provides quantitative and qualitative evidence for positive feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes up the discussion recently stimulated through the volume, A Second Chicago School? That book's connecting postwar Chicago sociology with the "Chicago approach" of mainly the 1910s to 1930s is extended, going back as far as the turn of the twentieth century and also forward to the 1990s, with a view endorsing Simmelian interactionism as opposed to Spencerian utilitarianism. Albion Small, first Chairman of the Chicago Department, introduced a Simmelian sociology to the U.S., and the question arises to what extent this legacy is being realized until today. Using Anselm Strauss as a case in point, the article has two main parts. Part One recapitulates various attempts at understanding the phases and realms of Chicago sociology. The focus is not only on the various "Chicago Schools" that may be separated, but also the differences in the work of three scholars who often are grouped together under the label of Chicago, namely Herbert Blumer, Robert Park, and Everett Hughes. Part Two recollects Strauss's intellectual biography, as life of a scholar determined to make a contribution to modern sociology, in the name of "Chicago interactionism." Strauss's work, however, came to endorse Spencerian-type utilitarianism more than Simmelian-type interactionism from the middle 1960s onwards--thereby joining in with anti-structural functionalism tendencies in American sociology.(n1) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the contemporary appeal of the Chicago sociology perspective in France, and analyzes the bases of its attraction. Old Chicago sociology/anthropology was a heady and fruitful conjoining of ethnography, urban ecology and geography, interactionist social psychology, and pragmatist epistemology. Using the vocabulary of science, it spoke of the city of Chicago as its laboratory, but what this meant was that its students were exhorted to exit the library in order to roam, observe, and undertake what then were termed case studies and today, urban ethnography. The laboratory was particularly exciting because of the growth in the population in Chicago, Illinois. Immigrants had been flooding the U.S. and its urban centers throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, and Chicago was a nodal point. Within Europe of the period there had also been migrations on a lesser yet also significant scale, especially from the east to the west. In France, Europe, an throughout the world, an intense process of urbanization has been occurring. The challenge has been how to understand and describe the processes and their consequences, other than being publicly appalled. Jammed side by side in these immense cities are clusters and communities of families and peoples differing in languages, religions, ethnic-cultural origins, and social race.

Recent studies focusing on ethnic influences on agricultural patterns have, contrary to commonly held assumptions of homogeneity, revealed variations in Midwest plains agriculture. Our study of ethnic influences emphasizes the historical context and uses data front a random sample of German, British, and Yankee centennial farina in Illinois. Hypotheses concerning both the current and the initial conditions of more than 100 years ago are tested. Though differences in the patterns between the ethnic groups are often small, they are typically in the direction predicted. Thus, over the last 100 years or more, many of the differing ethnic patterns in agriculture, though dissipating, have persisted, like echoes from the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a course in Contemporary Civilization at the Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois. The course in Contemporary Civilization is in its twenty-sixth year and has been completely revised at least half a dozen times. In 1929, the course was expanded to a two-year program required of both freshmen and sophomores. Because, in 1937, a general Humanities course was also introduced, the time allotment for the Contemporary Civilization course was reduced somewhat. The Contemporary Civilization course starts with the breakup of the Middle Ages and begins with an analysis along three lines of enquiry which are pursued through out. The course is staffed from the College Faculty and from the Dean's Office; from time to time, however, members from the Graduate Faculties are brought in so that fresh evaluations of content and method may be acquired. The Contemporary Civilization course acts as an admirable introduction to advanced study for those who mean to go ahead as majors in one or another of the social science fields.

This article presents news and announcements related to regional sociological societies in the U.S. as of February 1961. Over 400 Americans joined delegates from 45 countries at the 10th International Conference of Social Work in Rome, January 8-14, 1961. The theme of the conference was "social work in a changing world-its functions and responsibilities." In addition to the formal meetings, 16 study groups were arranged where delegates came together in small groups to exchange experiences and knowledge in their particular fields with people from other countries. A world conference of eminent social scientists was held at the University of Chicago September 15 to 22. The theme was the social implications of industrialization and technological change, a subject to which UNESCO currently giving major emphasis in its social science program. The meeting was called under the combined sponsorship of UNESCO, the Canadian and the U.S. National Commissions for UNESCO, and the University of Chicago. Scholars from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South and North America reported on their research work. The Moreno Institute announces that it has moved to new headquarters.