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Allyn & Bacon has published a fifth edition of Talking Sociology, a popular college text written by David Shulman, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology at Lafayette, and Gary Alan Fine, professor of sociology at Northwestern University.
The goal of Talking Sociology is to introduce readers to sociological knowledge by engaging them in a systematic exploration of how sociology bears on contemporary social questions. The book introduces traditional areas of sociological inquiry by showing how current sociological theory and research address contemporary social issues such as violent entertainment, globalization, and privacy in the workplace. Talking Sociology also examines controversial issues in sociology and public policy from libertarian, conservative, and social democratic points of view, focusing on philosophical questions about human nature and the nature of social organization.
New topics in this edition include adultery, global free trade, contemporary marriage, obesity, privacy in the workplace, violent content in entertainment, and open borders between countries. The book raises intellectual questions for students to use to debate, develop, and refine their own views, such as “Who should adopt?,” “Is marriage detrimental to women?,” “Should the US have open borders?,” and “Should drug use be legalized?”
Research findings and examples have been updated in all chapters, each of which is organized around a core sociological concept (e.g. culture, race, gender, socialization) and examines an exemplary research study in detail, presenting readers with the contributions a wide range of research methodologies can offer into contemporary social issues
“It is our belief that unless we understand the foundation of our beliefs, we cannot hold them strongly and steadfastly,” write the authors.
Shulman has completed another book-length manuscript, entitled Clothing Naked Emperors: The Role of Deception in Workplace Culture, which is under review at a university press.
Another publisher is evaluating a revised and resubmitted book proposal Shulman developed with James Witte, director of the National Geographic Survey, for a book that would offer original essays, anthology readings on contemporary American society, and descriptive data from the National Geographic Online Survey 2000 and 2001.
Shulman has also published scholarship in academic journals such as The American Sociologist, Field Methods, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Symbolic Interaction, Diversity, Handbook of Services Management and Marketing, and Sosiologi Idag. He also contributed an entry in the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Social Theory, and a chapter in the volume Helping New TAs Teach Successfully.
In addition, Shulman has shared his research in nine presentations at the American Sociological Association Annual Meetings, and has given talks at a number of other conferences and at colloquia at several universities. In 1998, he organized a mini-conference hosted by Lafayette, “Theory and Practice in Managing Experiential Learning Programs,” which brought together administrators, faculty, and students from Lafayette, Colgate, and Northwestern.
Shulman is also a reviewer for several social science journals and has been appointed editor of Amici, the newsletter of the Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association, to a term beginning in 2004.
He is an active mentor for Lafayette students pursuing their own research interests. Earlier this year, he accompanied several students who presented research at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society in Philadelphia.
The event was a highlight of the school year for anthropology and sociology major Wendy Abrantes ’04 (Bethlehem, Pa.), who presented her research on the obstacles faced by single, divorced mothers. “It was very empowering to sit down with other students and professors from some of the most elite universities and to know that I was among them,” she says.
He is mentoring anthropology and sociology major Brett Harvey ’04 (Timonium, Md.) in a yearlong honors research project aimed at developing solutions to the problem of childhood obesity.
“I could not be working with anyone better,” says Harvey. “Professor Shulman has been supporting me and teaching me since sophomore year, and I think he has a terrific mind for the kind of work that I am doing.”
“He is a very accomplished sociologist and I know he will push me on the thesis and ensure that I am doing everything I need to,” he adds. “He looks very long-term at things and has really gotten me thinking about my future in writing and research.”
He also is guiding anthropology and sociology major Olivia Tusinski ’04 (Leyden, Mass.) in her yearlong honors research on how ability has come to be defined among institutions of higher education, how it is related to notions of creativity, and whether creative capacities are undermined in the educational process.
“He’s great — very analytical, critical, full of suggestions and interesting angles,” she says of her mentor. “We’ve been steering this project very much together. Luckily, he’s an expert in my topic — not education issues, but symbolic interaction — so he’s very qualified and extremely supportive and enthusiastic to work with.”
Shulman has received recognition for teaching excellence from students like anthropology and sociology major Michelle Railsback’05 (Harvard, Mass.), who gave weekly lessons about satire to middle school students for a service-learning project in his Contemporary American Society course.
“The class was one of the best I’ve taken at Lafayette because it dealt with everyday issues,” she says. “Everything we learned was relevant to our daily lives, including politics, working in America, and volunteerism. Professor Shulman is an excellent professor because he is always willing to put in extra time with his students and he makes class enjoyable with his humor and knowledge.”
Shulman has received numerous awards, fellowships, and grants, including a MacArthur Summer Research Fellowship, funding from the Harvey Kapnick Fund, a shared grant from the London Business School’s Center for Marketing, and funding for a Law and Society Association Graduate Student Workshop hosted by University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Northwestern University awarded Shulman the Outstanding Service Award of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, the Robert Winch Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper, university and teaching fellowships, two honorable mentions for the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, and a grant from the Working Group on Quantitative Methodology.
Lafayette has given Shulman a junior faculty research leave, a service learning fellowship, an EXCEL Scholars grant, a course enhancement stipend, and funding for his mini-conference on experiential education.
He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University in 1997.