Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/178

 THE TEACHING OF SOCIOLOGY IN THE UNITED

STATES

L. L. BERNARD The University of Chicago

About seven years ago Mr. Tolman prepared and published in the American Journal of Sociology, a lengthy report on the teaching of sociology in the United States. Since that date obviously there has been much advance in the teaching of soci- ology, both as to the number of institutions giving instruction in the subject, as to the number of courses offered, and as to the quality in the instructing staff in this line. Consequently the American Sociological Society at its meeting at Atlantic City last December decided to have an investigation made and a re- port published regarding the present condition of the teaching of sociology in this country, also to have determined as far as possible the relation of sociology in the institutions to the other social sciences, to practical social work, to methods, etc. Pro- fessor A. W. Small offered to undertake this investigation in the name of the American Journal of Sociology, of which he is the editor-in-chief, and to publish it in the same upon completion. The offer was accepted. The details of the investigation were turned over by Professor Small to the present writer, though the former continued to give him valuable help and suggestion. A questionnaire was prepared under Professor Small's direction and criticism and under the criticism of a number of the leading professors of sociology in this country. The questionnaire was sent to four hundred colleges, universities, and theological schools, and to one hundred and twenty-nine state normal schools. About two hundred and fifty replies were received, some of them coming in as late as the first of July, although they were sent out early in the spring. Of these replies one hundred and ninety- nine were affirmative. One hundred and seventy-three affirma- tive replies came from colleges, universities, and theological schools. Twenty-six were from state normal schools.

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