Category: Working Notes Issue 3

I Can Feel Like a Ship Without a Rudder

By Susan Pitt [1] I have finally come to the realisation that I am a sociologist, but some times I have felt like a ship without a rudder. I have drifted off course without the benefit of others around me to steer me back, and… Continue Reading “I Can Feel Like a Ship Without a Rudder”

Opportunities for Teaching Sociology Within Enabling Courses

By Anna Bennett Sociology not only offers us the tools to analyse and assess the society around us but, in addition, it allows us to consider our own experiences and assumptions. Because of its wide focus on the relational dynamics within society, sociology provides the… Continue Reading “Opportunities for Teaching Sociology Within Enabling Courses”

The Utility of Participant Observation in Applied Sociological Research

By Jan Ali [1] Participant observation has long been an important social inquiry tool in sociological investigation of the social world and in applied sociology. It is a complex blend of methods and techniques of observation, informant interviewing, respondent interviewing, and document analysis. Researchers and… Continue Reading “The Utility of Participant Observation in Applied Sociological Research”

A Personal View of Diversity in the Sociological World

By Julie Cappleman-Morgan and Annika Coughlin [1] The world of sociology and sociological research is changing.  The increasing demand for policy-related and evidence-based’ research within public services and private business, in addition to a progressively marketising higher education system, has led to a rapid reduction… Continue Reading “A Personal View of Diversity in the Sociological World”

Social Acts

By Anthony Hogan [1] I am a sociologist by trade, having completed my undergraduate work at University of Western Sydney (UWS), a PhD with the amazingly wonderful Gary Dowsett at Macquarie and then a Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Sciences at the University of Sydney.… Continue Reading “Social Acts”

Exploring the Entrepreneurial Option for Sociologists

By Karina Butera [1] Throughout my postgraduate experience I have operated within both the worlds of academia and commercial enterprise. I am perhaps a strange hybrid because I have entwined my ‘sociological imagination’ with  my interest  in a movement referred to as ‘positive psychology’ – in… Continue Reading “Exploring the Entrepreneurial Option for Sociologists”

Changing Places

By Bruce Smyth [1] Until recently, I worked at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) as a researcher in the area of family law and post-separation parenting. I am now at the Australian National University (ANU) building a research program around family law… Continue Reading “Changing Places”

Sociology as Other: Sociological Thinking Applied to Mental Health Clinical Practice

By Joy Adams-Jackson [1] In this piece I write about my clinical observations and experiences from the perspective of a sociological ‘other’. While I work  primarily as a registered nurse in a rural community mental health facility, I also have a background in sociology.… Continue Reading “Sociology as Other: Sociological Thinking Applied to Mental Health Clinical Practice”

Breaking Down the Otherness of Applied Sociology

By Zuleyka Zevallos [1] This series on Doing Sociology Beyond Academia focuses on the dis/connections between academia and applied sociology, with a view to breaking down the divide between these complimentary spheres of sociology. The authors discuss the production of specialised sociological research for specific… Continue Reading “Breaking Down the Otherness of Applied Sociology”

Doing Sociology Beyond Academia: Making Applied Sociolgy “Work”

By Zuleyka Zevallos This article was first published by Nexus, the newsletter of the The Australian Sociological Association (TASA), in June 2008  [1] This special edition of Nexus focuses on the applied work of sociologists. There are multiple interpretations of what this might mean. People work… Continue Reading “Doing Sociology Beyond Academia: Making Applied Sociolgy “Work””