Abstracts of
Articles for Fall/Winter 2014 Issue of
Sociation Today
- The Meritocracy
Myth Revisited
by Stephen J. McNamee
In this
journal ten years ago, Robert K.
Miller Jr. and I published an article,
"The Meritocracy Myth" that summarized
the main themes of a book that we had
published with the same title.
This article is an update and summary
of the third edition of book, The
Meritocracy Myth (2014).
In The Meritocracy Myth, we
challenge the widely held assertion
that in America people get out the
system what they put in it based
exclusively or primarily on their
individual merit. According to the
meritocracy myth, America is a land of
unlimited opportunity in which
individuals can go as far as their
individual talents and abilities can
take them. We do not say that
individual merit is a myth; rather, we
assert that the presumption that the
system as a whole fundamentally
operates on the basis of merit in
determining who gets what and how much
is a myth. Non-merit factors
that neutralize, suppress, or even
negate the effects of merit also
matter. We contend that the dominant
ideology of meritocracy overestimates
the effects of merit on economic
outcomes like income and wealth while
underestimating the effects of
non-merit factors. All of the
merit and non-merit factors we
identified in the first edition of The
Meritocracy Myth are still
operative. In the ten years
since publication of the first edition
of The Meritocracy Myth,
trends suggest that the non-merit
factors have likely become even more
important.
- Contextual Factors
Associated with Infractions
Committed During Juvenile
Incarceration
by Denise L. Bissler
The primary aim of this
project was to assess associations
between contextual variables and the
commission of infractions during
incarceration for juveniles.
Rule infractions included both
moderate and major and ranged from
perjury to forced sexual
contact. The relationship
between contextual factors (e.g.
family history, criminal history,
abuse, etc.) and the commission of
institutional offenses was
investigated. Findings
indicate that parental criminality
predicted both moderate and major
infractions while parental
incarceration was associated with
only major infractions. The
study shows the imporance of family
socialization in predicing problems
during incarcertation.
- School
Bullying in Urban and Rural
Environments
by
Samantha Herrick
This study
was undertaken by a teacher moving
to an instructional setting in
rural schools and wanted to see
what the literature showed about
bullying in non-urban
schools. She looked at urban
vs. rural bullying in middle
school (grades 6-8). The sample
was taken from the National
Crime Victimization Survey:
School Crime Supplement, 2011,
in ICPSR. The sample had 10,341
respondents. Being bullied will be
defined in this research as any of
the following three things: 1.
Being made fun of, called names or
insulted in a hurtful way 2. Being
threatened with harm or 3. Being
pushed, shoved, tripped or spit
on. If a student answers yes to
any of the previous questions,
they have been bullied. It is the
goal of the research to see if
there is a difference in the
amount and type of bullying in
urban and rural schools in order
to see if the same prevention
methods can be used in both
locations. This research also
looks at grade level differences.
It was found that location had a
statistically significant effect
on the amount of name calling and
threatening with harm, with rural
areas having more of both, but not
with physical violence (being
pushed, shoved, tripped or spit
on). Grade level had differences,
although not statistically
significant, with sixth graders
experiencing the most name calling
and physical violence by a small
margin.
- W.E.B. Du Bois:
Double Consciousness and the Social
Construction of Race
by Veronica F. Smith-Brown
W.E.B. Du Bois is a
pioneering figure in the
sociological study of race. Du
Bois offered specific contributions
in the areas of racial identity, the
social construction of race, double
consciousness, and racial
inequality. Du Bois utilized
empirical data to document the
inequalities that blacks
experienced, and it was Du Bois'
hope that his findings would
enlighten persons such that harmony
and human equality would replace
racism and prejudice. While
Robert Park of the Chicago School is
credited as the pioneering figure in
the sociological study of race, Du
Bois' sociological research on race
precedes that of Park (Morris
2007). Double consciousness is
one of the key concepts included in
Du Bois' formulations on the social
construction of race. While it
is often argued that Du Bois
primarily based his understanding of
double consciousness on the previous
work of William James, Binet, and
Emerson (Rampersad 1990), this study
maintains that Du Bois utilized
double consciousness as a vehicle
for understanding black identity and
racial inequality. This study
highlights Du Bois' pioneering
contributions to the study of double
consciousness and the social
construction of race by evaluating
Du Bois’ sociological writings on
race from1897 to the posthumous
publication of his third
autobiography in 1968.
- A book review
of: David and Goliath:
Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of
Battling Giants by Malcolm
Gladwell, New York: Little, Brown
and Company, October 2013.
by George H. Conklin
"More
than half of all American students to
start out in science, technology, and
math programs (or STEM, as they are
known) drop out after their first or
second year. Even though a
science degree is just about the most
valuable asset a young person can have
in the modern economy, large numbers
of would-be STEM majors end up
switching into the arts, where
academic standards are less demanding
and the coursework less
competitive. That's the major
reason that there is such a shortage
of qualified American-educated
scientists and engineers in the United
States", p. 81. This and many
other important policy issues are
discussed by Gladwell whose efforts to
make important issues clear the the
public are highly successful.
The reviewer adds some personal
experiences to the issue suggesting
that the culture of science education
needs more emphasis.
©
2014 by Sociation Today
A Member of the EBSCO
Publishing Group
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The Editorial Board of Sociation Today
Editorial Board:
Editor:
George H. Conklin,
North Carolina
Central University
Emeritus
Robert Wortham,
Associate Editor,
North Carolina
Central University
Board:
Rebecca Adams,
UNC-Greensboro
Bob Davis,
North Carolina
Agricultural and
Technical State
University
Catherine Harris,
Wake Forest
University
Ella Keller,
Fayetteville
State University
Ken Land,
Duke University
Steve McNamee,
UNC-Wilmington
Miles Simpson,
North Carolina
Central University
William Smith,
N.C. State University
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