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Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

The Public Sociology Debate

Ethics and Engagement

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

The Public Sociology Debate

Ethics and Engagement

In 2004, Michael Burawoy challenged sociologists to move beyond the ivory tower and into the realm of activism, to engage in public discourses about what society could or should be. His call to arms sparked debate among sociologists. Which side would sociologists take? Would “public sociology” speak for all sociologists? In this volume, leading Canadian experts continue the debate by discussing their discipline’s mission and practice and the role that ethics plays in research, theory, and teaching. In doing so, they offer insights as to where their discipline is heading and why it matters to people inside and outside the university.

308 pages | © 2014


Table of Contents

Foreword / Michael Burawoy

Introduction: Burawoy’s “Normative Vision” of Sociology / Ariane Hanemaayer and Christopher J. SchneiderPart 1: Debating the Normative Dimensions of Professional Sociology

1 Returning to the Classics: Looking to Weber and Durkheim to Resolve the Theoretical Inconsistencies of Public Sociology / Ariane Hanemaayer

2 Public Sociology, Professional Sociology, and Democracy / Axel Van Den Berg

Part 2: Critical Reflections on the Possibility of Public Sociology

3 L’Ouverture des bouches: The Social and Intellectual Bases for Engaged and Public Social Theory / Scott Schaffer

4 Precarious Publics: Interrogating a Public Sociology for Migrant Workers in Canada / Jill Bucklaschuk

5 Reflections on the Theory and Practice of Teaching Public Sociology / Susan Prentice

Part 3: Blurring the Line between Policy and Public Sociology

6 Public Sociology and Research Ethics / Anne Mesny

7 Coral W. Topping, Pioneer Canadian Public Sociologist: “A Veteran Warrior for Prison Reform” / Rick Helmes-Hayes

Part 4: Innovative Engagements in Public Scholarship

8 Social Media and e-Public Sociology / Christopher J. Schneider

9 Public Ethnography as Public Engagement: Multimodal Pedagogies for Innovative Learning / Phillip Vannini and Laura Milne

Conclusion / Ariane Hanemaayer and Christopher J. Schneider

Epilogue: Student Reflections on a Public Sociology Course at UBC, Okanagan Campus / Kyle Nolan

Appendix 1: Theory and Practice of Sociology Syllabus, University of Manitoba

Appendix 2: Public Sociology Syllabus, UBC, Okanagan Campus

Contributors; Index

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