Sociology – Page 4 – Sociology at Work

Sociology for Clients

A white woman sits on a couch beside a Black woman who is holding an open laptop

This post provides an overview of the client work that applied sociologists carry out, as well as examples of applied sociological work in the public service, the private sector, and consultancy.

Rigour in Sociological Practice

We tell graduates that sociology can be used to improve the delivery of social services, that it can better shape social policy, that we can use it to mediate conflict to achieve social justice. Yet, once we enter our paid professional life, practitioners often encounter the perception that applied sociological work is less rigorous. WhyContinueContinue reading “Rigour in Sociological Practice”

Retaining Sociology Students

Sociology has a problem recruiting and retaining students. The way forward is for sociological degrees to demonstrate how their training prepares them for the workplace. The latest American Sociological Association (ASA) survey of almost 2,700 sociology students in the USA finds that retention is not purely about loving the subject matter. Students are most satisfiedContinueContinue reading “Retaining Sociology Students”

Sociology’s Gendered “Ritual Nods”

White male European and American voices dominate sociology. New analysis makes me wonder: are we reproducing inequality through our “ritual nods” to social theory? Sociologist Rafael Pereira published an analysis of the most-cited authors in sociology papers. The analysis was limited to the Google Scholars Citations page. Pereira finds that the top sociology citations favourContinueContinue reading “Sociology’s Gendered “Ritual Nods””

Youth Unemployment in the Illawarra: An Investigation into the Problems facing Young Job Seekers in our Region

Aerial view of two young people sitting on a bench outdoors. Both wear caps and they have a backpack beside them

Scott Burrows discusses his social policy work on youth unemployment. He explores how sociology can be used as a framework to understand citizenship. He ends by reflecting on his transition from university to a private organisation. By Scott Burrows [1] This short article discusses the way I have experienced studying a social policy issue such as unemploymentContinueContinue reading “Youth Unemployment in the Illawarra: An Investigation into the Problems facing Young Job Seekers in our Region”

I Can Feel Like a Ship Without a Rudder

Susan Pitt offers an introspection on the importance of peer support and networks for non-academics, and how this shapes her identity as a sociologist. Her paper also provides an example of one career path available to sociology students, within one of the various public service graduate programs. By Susan Pitt I have finally come to theContinueContinue reading “I Can Feel Like a Ship Without a Rudder”

Using Sociology in Market Research

Three Black people brainstorm in a room. Two of them sit in front of laptops, while anothe woman presents

We explore the evolving history of sociological contributions to market research. We then delve into a current example of sociology used in a social marketing project for a government organisation.

Limits of Economic Pragmatism

A recent poll highlights how Americans interested in “pop economics” have a limited view sociology and research contributions more broadly. Freakonomics has published a survey amongst its readers (primarily economists) about which disciplines are not useful. They had a response of 1,200 voters, who said that political science and sociology were useless because they weren’t “pragmatic”ContinueContinue reading “Limits of Economic Pragmatism”

Sociology Careers: Librarian

Drawing of people in a library working on their laptops and walking beside books

Check out this profile on a sociology graduate who works as a librarian.

Roots of Sociological Theory

Two new infographics from Norton Sociology depict sociology’s seminal works, as well as its early founders.