24/09/2024
Baltzell is a graduate of the University of pennsylvania in phiadelphia, a school many times larger than bowdoin.as he stood in bowdoin 's modest library looking at the fine portraits his Sociological imagination was aroused: "no three individual of comparable stature had ever graduated from my own university or from any other college in the state of pennsylvania. Why? (1979:ix_x)
A routine trip to the library thus opened up a world of questions in the mind state of one sociologists: how could such a small college have produced a number of great achievers,the likes of whom had never been seen in the entire history of a far larger, and highly prestigious, university? What historical differences might effect patterns of achievement within new England, on the one hand, and pennsylvania, on the other? In an effort to answer this question, E.Digby baltzell began a long course of Sociological investigation, and we shall look at his findings later in this chapter. For the moment, however, we can note baltzell 's effort consumed many years of careful planned research. Using the Sociological perspective, he studied the historical differences in patterns of achievement among the natives of the regions surrounding Boston and philadelphia. The final result of his efforts was the award _ winning book puritan Boston and quaker philadelphia ( 1979) , a classic example of Sociological thinking baltzell's work illustrates the use of more than the Sociological perspective. It is also an excellent example of what this chapter is about: sociology as scientific investigation. Many people think of scientific research only equipment,but as the account of baltzell's visit to bowdoin suggests,Sociological investigation is not restricted to a laboratory. In fact,one of the most exciting aspects of Sociological investigation is that it can take place almost anywhere at any time we are all continual observers of social life.standing in line in the school cafeteria,lying on the grass in;
