Today

The Bulletin of the North Carolina Sociological Association
Volume 27, Number 1
January 2001

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NCSA Will Hold Annual Meeting Feb. 15-16 in Durham

Theme:  Fighting Sociological Illiteracy

by Robert Wortham
North Carolina Central University

        I  hope this year's annual meeting theme has caught the attention of our membership and raised curiosity levels.

        What is sociological illiteracy, and how do we go about eradicating it?

        An initial step toward answering these thought provoking questions is to make plans to attend the annual meeting. Our meeting is being held at the Durham Hilton on February 15-16, 2001. The meeting opens with a reception from 7-10 PM on Thursday evening. On site registration for the annual meeting begins Friday morning at 8:15 AM, while formal meeting sessions begin at 9 AM.

        Since our student attendance level has been high at recent meetings, two morning sessions addressing important student needs have been organized. These sessions address graduate study opportunities and strategies for enhancing a sociology degree's marketability. Faculty members are encouraged to pass this information on to their students.

        To the extent that the public is generally unaware of how social dynamics shape everyday life experiences, sociological illiteracy exists. As sociologists one of our most formidable challenges both inside and outside the classroom is to determine how social forces shape our lives. How effective have we been in responding to these challenges?

        Perhaps we need to go back and reevaluate some of our basic communication strategies. For instance, maybe we should consider placing more emphasis on the first introductory course or block on introductory courses. Most of the time the introductory course is the only formal opportunity that persons have to experience the sociological imagination. Are we squandering a goldmine of a marketing opportunity by not providing rigorous, challenging introductory courses that invite students to embrace the sociological approach to the study of human experience? As faculty members are we aware of the type of "first impressions" we are making? Furthermore, are we providing the next generation of sociologists with the theoretical and methodological tools needed to become effective sociologists? Are we providing service learning experiences that prepare students to make the transition from the classroom to the work place?

        As faculty are we attentive to our students' needs? Are we perceived as approachable and as caring? In our teaching and research and in the applied sociology realm, does our research ever reach the general public and demonstrate how social dynamics shape everyday life experiences?

        Finally, as an organization, how do we feel about the progress we have made, and what are some of our visions for the future? Many of these questions will be addressed in the formal sessions of this year's annual meeting.

        In many respects the annual meeting provides us with an excellent opportunity to pause and reflect seriously on how effective we are in promoting sociological literacy. Hope to see you in Durham. Further information concerning the meeting is provided below.
 

How to Get to Get to the Meeting

Here is the Map

The meeting is at the Durham Hilton, located in Northwest Durham at the intersection of Cole Mill Road and I-85, four miles from downtown Durham.

• From Southbound I-85, exit 173, Cole Mill Road. Turn right.
• From Northbound I-85, exit 173, Cole Mill Road. Turn left.
• From RDU Airport, take I-40 West to exit 279, which is the Durham Freeway or 147. Exit at 15-501 North (bypass), and take the first exit off bypass for Hillsborough Road. Turn left on Hillsborough at the light. The hotel is located one mile on the right.

        This year's meeting begins with a reception at the Durham Hilton on Thursday evening, February 15 from 7-10 PM. This informal gathering enables us to interact with our friends and colleagues throughout the state. We will have an opportunity to enjoy refreshments, hors d'oeuvres and some good, lively conversation. Through out the evening, entertainment will be provided by a jazz combo comprised of area college and university students. We hope your meeting plans include participation in this informal gathering.

        Registration and Keynote Address Registration begins at 8:15 AM at the Durham Hilton. Although the formal meeting does not begin until 9 AM, persons traveling to the meeting are reminded that morning work hour traffic in the Durham-Raleigh area can be heavy. Please allow plenty of time to get to the meeting. Prior to the meeting's formal beginning, participants are invited to visit the exhibit area and enjoy a cup of coffee.

        The meeting will begin at 9 AM with welcomes from Ronald Wimberley, the NCSA president and representatives from the Southern Sociological Society, the American Sociological Association and Duke University.

        Robert Wortham, the NCSA Program Chair, will offer the keynote address. His address is entitled Equipping A New Generation of Sociologists and addresses many of the issues raised in the annual meeting welcome statement included in this issue of SOCIATION TODAY.

        Four morning sessions are on slate. Two address student needs and two are general interest sessions.
 

• The first student session is Graduate Study in Sociology: Opportunities & Expectations organized by Beth Davison of ASU. This session will enable students to interact with representatives from North Carolina schools offering graduate study in sociology. Representatives will outline graduate study expectations and comment on available opportunities. Students will be given time to ask specific questions about graduate study. Booths for each graduate program represented will be located in the exhibit area and can be visited during the various break sessions.

• Jan Rienerth and Beth Davison of ASU and Michelle Cotton of the NCSA Applied Careers Task Force have organized the second student session. The session is entitled Landing a Job with a Sociology Degree and will take on a workshop format. Jan Rienerth and Sharon Jensen of ASU will be working with students on enhancing resumes and job application skills. We also plan to have a representative from the personnel office for the State of North Carolina to comment on the type of state level jobs that are available to persons with sociology degrees.

• The first general interest session organized by Mike Wise of ASU involves a panel of NCSA past presidents and officers. To date the panel includes Catherine Harris, Larry Keeter and Isabelle Powell. The panel has agreed to provide informal discussions on the NCSA's reasons for existence, perceptions of changes experienced over the past 30 years and the future role of state sociological associations.

• The second general interest session is entitled Enhancing Sociological Literacy through the Introductory Course. Rebecca Bach of Duke University has assembled a panel of instructors representing smaller and larger institutions and public and private institutions. The panel will include Angela Hattery (Wake Forest), Ken Muir (ASU), Sue Pauley (Wingate) and Carol Wortham (Shaw). Reflections on the critical importance of the introductory course will be offered.

         The Himes Awards will be given in recognition of outstanding graduate and undergraduate papers, and the Contributions to Sociology Award will be given to several of our members in honor of their accomplishments in the field.

        Our luncheon menu will cater to carnivores and vegetarians. We will be going with an Italian theme. The menu includes salad and dressings, bowtie pasta with black olives and feta cheese, fresh fruit midori, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, vegetable lasagna with alfredo sauce, baked spaghetti casserole, Italian green beans, rolls and butter, assorted deserts, coffee, decaffeinated coffee and selected teas. Please make plans to attend the awards luncheon. The cost is only $10, but members need register for the luncheon in advance. (See registration page.) A few tickets may be available at the meeting, but this cannot be guaranteed at this point.
 

        Two concurrent sessions will be offered after the awards luncheon.
 

• Richard Dixon (UNC-Wilmington) has coordinated a session entitled From Go-to-Work Classes to Go-to-Work Jobs. The panel includes several of our members who have acquired expertise in the field of service learning broadly defined. Participants include Johnny Underwood (Carteret CC), Jammie Price (UNC-Wilmington), Rebecca Bach (Duke) and Tom Plaut (Mars Hill). They will be addressing such topics as how to develop faculty relationships with agencies, resources faculty need to develop sound internships, reflection and academic links needed to stimulate healthy service learning environments and ways in which faculty and students may cooperate in conducting community research.

• The second session, developed by Stephen McNamee (UNC-Wilmington) and Chien Ju Huang (NCCU), asks NCSA members to take another look at two important cornerstones of our disciple, theory and research methods. The session is entitled De-Mystifying Theory & Research Methods: Insuring Theoretical and Methodological Competence.  M.E. Hughes (Duke) will join McNamee and Huang for a frank, general discussion of constructive ways to address and reduce student's anxieties about theory and research methods. They will focus also on the theory-methods interaction.

           The annual meeting will conclude with our general business meeting (3:15 - 3:45 P.M.). Retiring board members will be recognized, and newly elected board members will be welcomed. The new president-elect will be acknowledged and the gavel will be passed. Current NCSA initiatives will be summarized and responses to the proposed constitutional changes will be reviewed. The time and place for the next board meeting will be set also.
 

        This year's annual meeting provides attendees with more opportunities to visit the exhibit area as five specific exhibit periods have been interspersed though out the day. Representatives from several of the leading publishing companies will be present along with financial planning representatives and representatives from various North Carolina graduate programs. The exhibits are an important highlight complementing the annual meeting.

        A block of rooms has been reserved at the Durham Hilton for NCSA attendees for Thursday evening, February 15. The conference rate (single, double) is $79 plus applicable taxes. For reservations call 800-445-8667 or 919-383-8033 and mention that you are attending the North Carolina Sociological Association meeting.  The Durham Hilton is located at 3800 Hillsborough Rd. Please remember to allow a little extra time for the Durham-Raleigh morning rush hour traffic on Friday morning.

        The existing Constitution of the NCSA does not contain any formalized provision to replace officer or Executive Council positions that arise during unexpired terms due to causes such as death, resignation, or nonperformance because of dereliction or incapacitation.

        Recently, the NCSA experienced the death of one of its officers and North Carolina has experienced lengthy and widespread disruptions due to hurricanes. Events such as these suggest that it is prudent for the NCSA to have in place constitutional guidelines allowing for timely and appropriate replacement of those positions when vacancies occur as the result of such unplanned circumstances.

        Two additional sections are proposed as additions to ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AND ELECTIONS of the NCSA Constitution. They have been voted on and accepted by the NCSA Executive Council and are presented for the consideration of the membership. Our constitution requires that members have two weeks to review these changes before voting on them at the annual meeting. The complete text of the NCSA constitution is available at  our website.

Section 11. Any vacancy of an officer or Executive Council member because of death, resignation, or other crises will be filled at any regular or special meeting of the Executive Council by a vote of the majority of the remaining members of the Executive Council and will be for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 12. If a majority of the remaining members of the Executive Council deem it necessary to replace an officer or Executive Council member because of nonperformance due to incapacitation or dereliction, the replacement will be determined at any regular or special meeting of the Executive Council by a vote of the majority of the remaining members of the Executive Council and will be for the unexpired portion of the term.

A listserv for the NCSA has recently been inaugurated by Beth Davison at Appalachian State University, <ncsa@listproc.appstate.edu>  We hope it will make communication to and among NC sociologists quicker and easier.

        Though we all live in one state, our state is large geographically as well as sociologically, and there are lots of sociologists here. This email contact enhances the announcements made via our newsletter, Sociation Today, and the web site.   Our thanks to Lee Dodson of Rockingham Community College who edits and publishes Sociation Today and to George Conklin of NC Central University who maintains our web site. And a special thanks to Beth Davison of Appalachian State University for putting our email list into the listserv.

        The NCSA has planned our annual meeting for February 15-16 at the Durham Hilton in Durham. Program Chair Robert Wortham has worked with the Council to produce what I believe may be the best program we've ever had. It is on Eradicating Sociological Illiteracy, and will have sessions of great interest to teaching faculty, researchers, applied sociologists, and to undergrad and grad students.

        Undergrads will get information on employment opportunities. Prospective graduate students will have the opportunity to talk with representatives from sociology graduate programs across the state. We'll all leave better prepared to eradicate sociological illiteracy and, as we have found, there's plenty of that to be done.

        This issue of Sociation Today contains a ballot for electing a new President-Elect and Council Members to represent the cross-section of NC sociology. Be sure to vote. We are learning how to recount in case the election is close. Most of all, we hope that all sociologists will take a few moments to contact others at their campuses or other workplaces and ask them to join the NCSA. It's a good group with much to offer.

        This year the Nominating Committee has found seven candidates for the NCSA Executive Council and one candiate willing to stand for office as president-elect. NCSA members are invited to write in candidates for these offices should they so desire.
 

• Richard (Rick) Dixon is the candidate for president-elect.

The nominees for the three openings on the NCSA Executive Council are:
 

1. Akbar Aghajanian, Fayetteville State University;
2. Gloria Drew, Durham Technical Community College;
3. Angela Jones, Elon College;
4. Kelly McEnany, Asheville-Buncombe Tech. Community College;
5. Robert Puckett, Cape Fear Community College;
6. Teresa Sheid, University of North Carolina at Charlotte;
7. Caroline Whitehead, Craven Community College.

        The membership will elect three of the following candidates to serve three-year terms on the NCSA Executive Council. Please use the enclosed ballot. Members may write in candidates if they wish.
 

• Akbar Aghajanian. Professor Aghajanian is professor of sociology at Fayetteville State University. He received his PhD in sociology with specialization in demography from Duke University in 1979. He had post-doctoral research at the International Population Program at Cornell University. He has long-standing teaching and research experience. Since 1980, he has taught at Shiraz University, University of Washington in Seattle, and Fayetteville State University. He has received grants from Rockefeller Foundation, Mellon Foundation, National Science Foundation, Department of Education, and NIH. He has been research consultant for Center for Studies in Demography at the University of Washington, United Nation Funds for Development, and several higher education institutions in the United States. He has published extensively in his areas of specialization. He is currently professor of sociology, director of social science teaching and research lab, and graduate program coordinator for sociology at Fayetteville State University. With his strong teaching experience and knowledge of funding sources he will be able to contribute to the development and direction of the NCSA.

• Gloria Drew.  Gloria Drew is a visiting lecturer in sociology at North Carolina Central University and holds a fulltime position as program director at Durham Technical Community College in the Corporate Education Department. She has been at Durham Technical Community College for 27 years and has taught at NCCU for over 14 years. Additionally, she has taught sociology at the Federal Correctional Center, Butner, NC and at Durham Tech. She has an undergraduate (1963) and graduate degree (1977) in sociology from NCCU. "I am interested in serving on the Council because of my deep interest in the field of sociology," she stated. "I welcome the opportunity to support this association and to be able to share with my students the opportunities and advantages of a career in sociology."

• Angela Lewellyn Jones. Angela Lewellyn Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Social Science division at Elon College. She received my BA in Sociology at Wake Forest University, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Sociology from North Carolina State University. Her teaching interests focus on social justice and criminal justice issues and her professional interests include strengthening the role of sociology in the university curriculum and doing all she can to contribute to a strong network of sociologists within the state. "I would welcome the opportunity to serve on the Executive Council and help NCSA to maintain a strong presence across the state," she said. "There are three steps to making NCSA a stronger organization. The first step is to recognize that there exists a "family" of sociologists throughout the state from whom one can draw support in teaching, research, and professional development pursuits. The second step is to give back to this organization by serving in whatever capacity one is needed. The third step is to encourage growth within the organization by striving for a membership inclusive of all sociology departments across the state."

• Kelly McEnany. Professor McEnany is a full-time Sociology Instructor at AB Tech in Asheville, NC. She received her Master's Degree from Western Carolina University with a focus on Sociology and the Two-Year College. "My main interests in the discipline are social diversity, rural to urban transformations to our social fabric, and social psychology," she stated, "although the manner in which the more general ideas of socialization by each culture and comparing that cross-culturally is also intriguing. I require each of my students to apply our discipline by taking on service learning projects in a community organization. It gives them a real-life experience of local social problems and group processes. I would like to serve the NCSA to better understand how others apply Sociology to our students, to grasp the richness of our ability to teach students the lens of Sociology to understand their world." Robert Puckett Robert Puckett is a sociology instructor at Cape Fear Community College. "As a sociologist, and a community college instructor, I am interested in serving on the NCSA Council," he states. "I find this as an especially appealing opportunity in that it will not only help facilitate communication at all teaching levels, but that it can ultimately enhance student learning experiences. Having served as Cape Fear Community College Faculty President for five of the ten years I have been at CFCC, I am very familiar with board/council work, and it's relative importance in fostering strong community ties. As the collaboration between our senior teaching institutions continues to strengthen, so too must our involvement with mutual professional organizations. Therefore, I am extremely interested in facilitating this positive learning growth through my becoming a council member of the North Carolina Sociological Association."

• Teresa L. Scheid.  Teresa L. Scheid is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In addition to coordinating the graduate program in Applied Social Research, she is Executive Director of the UNC-C Health Services Research Academy. Dr. Scheid completed her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and complete a NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wisconsin. She has published widely on the social organization of mental health with a particular focus on the influence of the institutional environment and professional treatment ideologies. She is a strong advocate of student participation in professional associations.

• Caroline Whitehead.  Caroline Whitehead is an instructor in sociology/anthropology at Craven Community College in New Bern. She holds a BA degree from Meredith College and an MA degree from East Carolina University. Her teaching interests include family and social diversity. "I have taught with the NC Community College system for over twenty years, in predominantly college transfer Sociology courses," she said. "I love the discipline of Sociology and value the dialogue I have experienced with other sociologists across North Carolina since I became a member of the NCSA. I am an officer in the North Carolina Community College Sociology/Psychology Association and would like to serve as a bridge between the sociologists in our community college system and those in the four year college and university system of our state."

        The president-elect of the NCSA will serve as the program chiar for the next year's annual meeting. Following a year as president, the pserson will serve one more year as a member of the Executive Council.
 

• Richard Dixon.   Rick Dixon received his Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University in 1976. He is among the first group of UNCW instructors to heavily incorporate multimedia techniques in their classes and more recently to include development and presentation of online courses. He regularly teaches an online section of Introduction to Sociology and heavily web-based sections of both Population and Data Analysis and Interpretation. He served as Faculty Associate of the UNCW Web Course Development Team in 1998,and will serve as the Team Leader for the 2001 and 2002 online course development teams. He coordinates UNCW's schedule of online course offerings, maintains its web pages devoted to online courses and program development, and registers its online courses with the Southern Regional Electronic College. He served as Faculty Associate of the UNCW Center for Teaching Excellence for four years, leaving that position Fall, 1999, to assume his current position as Director of the Technology College. The Technology College is a unique initiative at UNCW which enables interested students to complete a program of courses which are Technology College designated courses because they require students to make substantial use of electronic technology. Predictably, Rick's interest in serving as president of the NCSA is heavily influenced by his interest in incorporating promising electronic technology developments in the functioning of the Association, but he is also interested in ways that the NCSA might provide leadership toward the productive use of this medium within the discipline of sociology.

The North Carolina sociological Association is open to any person engaged in teaching or research in sociology, on in a field of applied sociology, as well as to any student whose major interest is sociology. Members receive SOCIATION TODAY, the Bulletin of the NCSA, three times per year and are invited to attend the annual meeting of the association in the spring. Dues are for one calendar year. Please take a moment to update your information. Be sure to include you most current information. Name:________________________________________________________
Institutional Affiliation:___________________________________________
Institutional Address:_____________________________________________
Office Telephone (including area code:_______________________________
Office FAX: ____________________________________________________
Office e-mail address: ____________________________________________
Permanent Home Address:_________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________
Home phone: ___________________________________________
Home FAX: ____________________________________________
Home e-mail address: ____________________________________________
I prefer to have SOCIATION mailed to me _____at my office/business/school address _____at my permanent home address

Registration for the Durham Meeting:
______student $3 (includes membership dues)
______professional $10 Awards Luncheon Reservation (must be paid in advance):
______Luncheon $10
Annual membership dues: _____professional (dues $11 per year)
Voluntary Contribution to the Himes Award Fund: _____$4.00 suggested donation
Total amount enclosed: __________
Please enclose a check for your 2001 dues and registration for the annual meeting in the amount indicated above. Make all checks payable to the North Carolina Sociological Association. Mail this form and your check to: Dr. Sue Pauley, NCSA Secretary/Treasurer Wingate University, P.O. Box 1015 Wingate, NC 28174

    Questions about membership and dues should be directed to Dr. Pauley (704-233-8059).
If you have any difficulties concerning the receipt of SOCIATION TODAY (incomplete address, misspelled name, new apartment number, etc.), please contact its editor, Lee Dodson, Rockingham Community College, P.O. Box 38, Wentworth, NC 27375-0038 (336-342-4261, ext. 2155.

 Click Here to Get Printer-Friendly Copy of Form AND the Updated Program (as of 13 February 2001).

Sorry.  On-line registration is not available.  Send the from to Sue Pauley at the address listed above.

Keep Us Informed! SOCIATION TODAY invites your to contribute news of your department and colleagues to this newsletter. Help us keep the sociological community informed about changes on your campus and about honors your students and colleagues have received. Send your information and stories to Lee Dodson and George Conklin.

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