"Just What is Sociology?"

The View from the Community College
NANCY WENDLANDT STEIN
Normandale Community College

-Naliyah’s Blog

The article looks at how university and community college settings differ when it comes to conceptualizing and teaching sociology. Wendlandt-Stein notes that while university settings are the most common and sought after ones, it is of use to compare them with community colleges which are becoming increasingly popular and thus may be the first contact undergraduates have with sociology. The author says that university systems tend to be similar across the board in the U.S. but community colleges vary quite dramatically in their organizations from state to state. Due to the diversity in the community college systems it is not possible to generalize the study to all community colleges. For the study Wendlandt-Stein chose a single case in Minnesota in which she contrasts the community college system in Minnesota with the University of Minnesota. In the study she attempts to show the similarities and differences between the systems and the “role and problems of teaching sociology and maintaining discipline boundaries in each setting” (pg. 16).

She begins with a discussion of what sociology is, arguing that there is not a clear definition of sociology. Thus, by having blurred definitions of the discipline, it is hard to draw boundaries as to what “is uniquely sociological” versus what “is not uniquely sociological” and what will be taught in courses.

Some of the differences explored in the article between the university and community college include “organizational factors including administrative structure and curriculum, faculty role expectations, and student Characteristics” (22).

The author concludes that regardless of organizational differences there does not seem to be much, if anything, that inhibits a sociologist at a community college from “teaching the same course with the same orientation and expectation as his university colleagues” (pg. 33). She makes that point that many introduction courses at universities are actually taught by advanced graduate students and thus it is quite possible that faculty at community colleges once taught similar courses in university settings during their graduate tenure. Ultimately, Wendlandt-Stein says that the similarity both community college and university students share is that upon completion of an introductory course in sociology they are both still unclear about what the boundaries of sociology are.

One thing we must be careful of is accepting the notion that universities are somehow better equipped to teach sociology simply because of their status. Clearly a large difference between a community college and university is how the departments are structured (community college less formal versus hierarchy of university, often the universities are going to have much more money, better resources and facilities and faculty who are actively publishing. However, that does not necessitate better teaching. In fact, it can mean less time for preparation of teaching especially when the university professor’s performance is more highly rated on their ability to publish widely and bring in money. Therefore it would seem quite possible that community college professors, with their smaller class sizes and community focus, would likely have the perfect atmosphere for building and maintaining relationships with students. It is also likely that such professors would have an emphasis on teaching scholarship versus notoriety in the sociological realm through publications.