THE VOICE OF SOCIOLOGY: OBSTACLES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION.

Many sociologists seek to develop students' "sociological imaginations," especially in their introductory classes. This paper has two different but related purposes, one pedagogical and the other empirical First, we try to create some unity about what sociologists mean by "the sociological imagination," and how they implement this concept. We argue that sociologists, like academics in other disciplines, try to speak in a certain "voice" which provides a unique analytical framework but is distinct from the jargon of the discipline. Our second, empirical goal is to assess why students do or do not learn the "voice" of sociology. We found that certain background characteristics Of students hinder or help the development of this voice. In addition, contradictory, confusing, and competing pedagogies--both within sociology and across disciplines--impede the development of the sociological imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]