Editorial Board:
Editor:
George H. Conklin,
 North Carolina
 Central University

Board:
Bob Davis
 North Carolina
 Agricultural and
 Technical State
 University

Richard Dixon,
 UNC-Wilmington

Ken Land,
 Duke University

Miles Simpson,
 North Carolina
 Central University

Ron Wimberley,
 N.C. State University

Robert Wortham,
 North Carolina
 Central University

® 
Volume 4, Number 1
Spring 2006

Outline of Articles

1. The State of Sex Education in North Carolina: Is Abstinence-Only Education Working?
   by Rebecca Bach
   Teenage pregnancy rates are falling in North Carolina.  They are falling faster in counties where comprehensive sex education is allowed by law compared to those counties and cities where abstinence-only education is permitted.
2. The Conservative Debate and Its Impact on Sociology
   by Thomas W. Brignall III  and  Thomas L. Van Valey 
   Horowitz, under the guise of choice, has argued that students need a bill of rights to protect them from the so-called liberal professors in college.  Brignall and Van Valey find that position contradictory since it would limit choice to only those views favored by one political party. 
3. Women's Occupational Mobility After Work Interruption
   by Megumi Omori and Shelley A. Smith
   The basic tenents human capital theory suggest that women who leave occupations with high atrophy rates will be those most likely to experience downward occupational mobility upon labor force reentry.  The theory is confirmed.  However, the impact on occupational mobility of an actual childbirth may operate indirectly through the length of time a woman is out of the labor force. 
4. Tocqueville in New Orleans: Before and After Katrina 
   by Edward A. Tiryakian
   Tocqueville is famous for his observations about American culture in 1832, the year he visited New Orleans for one full day before moving on to finish his book Democracy in America.   A great deal can be learned in one day, a feat replicated by the author in studying the flood damage to New Orleans following  the 2005 hurricane Katrina. 
5. Value Orientation and Its Relationship to Socio-Economic Indicators of Human Development in Iran 
   by Jahangir Jahangiri  and Asghar Mirfardi 
   Research on rising educational and income  levels in Iran shows that such changes bring forth attitudes favoring universalism, rationality, scientific thinking etc., which themselves lead to even more development.  The paper also presents a brief review of current theories of the sociology of economic development.  13 tables are presented. 
6. Eradicating Sociological Illiteracy:
   Equipping a New Generation of Sociologists
   by Robert Wortham
   Today’s students do not possess the theoretical, analytical and methodological tools needed to explore their social environment.  Sociological illiteracy is extensive, but the situation can be changed.  Seven steps to improving the education of undergraduate students in sociology are outlined, including suggestions on how to present refereed articles which can be used by both professionals and students, as the journal Sociation Today does.
7. A Cultural Studies Approach to the Teaching of the Sociology of Children and Childhood 
   by Donna King
   A cultural studies approach to the teaching of the sociology of childhood is presented, including numerous suggested videos.  The course begins with the question, "What is childhood?" and proceeds from there to show how childhood has changed over the years as cultural expectations have changed. 
8. What to Tell Your Majors:  Getting a Job After College
   by Jan Rienerth
   One of the important issues in teaching sociology is how to teach students to look for a job after graduation.  Numerous web sites are suggested for this task, along with several suggested worksheets which enable a student to identify his/her skills.  This article is of special interest to sociology advisors in the college and university setting.

©2006 by the North Carolina Sociological Association