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The degrees given by the institutions treated of in this chapter are indicated in the following tabulation. It is a question how far these degrees may be depended upon as showing the ultimate professional aim of the students who have received them. Wherever the information received has warranted it, such, for instance, as the expression 10 B. S. in engineering, the degrees have been considered engineering degrees.

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CHAPTER XXVII.

INSTRUCTION IN SOCIOLOGY IN INSTITUTIONS OF
LEARNING.1

By DANIEL FULCOMER,

Acting Chairman, Lecturer in Social Science, University of Chicago.

About two months ago I wrote all the college presidents of the United States, intending to present my results at a different gathering from this, and on a broader subject, embracing not only "Instruction in sociology," but in all the other social sciences, such as history and economics. Upon President Finley's request to read a paper at this conference, a second circular letter was sent out, and this paper was prepared with reference only to sociology in the strict sense and to the related studies in charities and correction in which the conference is especially interested. My material naturally falls under the following heads: (1) Statistics of this year's courses and students in sociology and philanthropy; (2) the growth of these studies during the last ten years; (3) a description of the best courses thus far developed; (4) a consensus of opinion as to definition, methods of teaching, etc.; and (5) the importance of these subjects, as testified to not only by educators but by the demands shown among students for them. It is possible that we shall be led to see in sociology a rival of the classics and physical sciences for the chief place of honor in an ideal education.

NUMBER OF INSTITUTIONS TEACHING SOCIOLOGY.

From the 422 colleges and universities written to, 146 replies were received. Of this number 29 have regular courses in sociology, using the word in the looser sense to include charities and correction, while 24 have sociology proper, defining the term as the study of society. In other words, one-fifth of all the colleges reporting teach what they call sociology, while one-sixth have sociology strictly speaking. These figures do not include the institutions that give instruction in charities and corrections or the science of society incidentally to ethics, economics, etc. Of this sort there are 6 more in sociology and 20 in charities and correction, some of which give quite extended instruction in these subjects. As regards the subjects of chief importance to this conference, regular courses in charities and correction are reported by 17 institutions; that is, by 12 per cent of all the institutions reporting.

The 14 leading women's colleges, as classified by the Bureau of Education, were written to also; but their replies are used only in the synopses of opinion that follow, not in the statistics of students and courses. It must be said, in passing, that they have had some of the best sociological work of the United States, one of the strongest men in the country undoubtedly being Professor Giddings, who goes this year from Bryn Mawr to Columbia College. Five of the 8 women's colleges reporting have courses in sociology, some of them being well equipped, while 4 have courses in charities and correction.

One-half, or 11, of the colleges reporting courses in sociology give the number of students, which ranges from 8 to 250 in each course, or an average of 50. The number of students in courses in charities and correction ranges from 8 to 119, with an average of 43.

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH.

That there has been an increase of remarkable rapidity in sociological instruction within the last few years will be seen by comparing these figures with the courses of study in 101 colleges and universities printed by the United States Bureau of

Reprinted from the Proceedings of the Twenty-first National Conference of Charities and Correction, 1895.

Education five years ago. In that year only 6 of the institutions reporting had courses in sociology; that is, one-sixteenth of the total number, as compared with one-sixth at the present time. The institutions then teaching sociology were Yale, Williams, Cornell, Trinity, Tulane, and the University of Pennsylvania. Harvard offered the same course as now, "Ethics of social reform," it being claimed that this was the earliest course in the country devoted to charities and correction.

From the fact that this was the only course in this subject in 1889 out of 101 institutions, the report that 45 courses were found three years previously in 103 institutions, as made to the American Social Science Association, seems very questionable. My second circular letter was addressed particularly to these institutions, and I failed to find more than 8 or 10 which had either now or in the past the courses in question. The University of the State of Missouri replied, "More of this work, I fear, was reported on paper than was done in actual fact;" while President Green writes, "The subjects mentioned in the inclosed circular have never been taught in Cumberland University."

The evidence is clear at least as regards sociology proper. The first course entitled to that name dates back less than ten years; the number of courses has been quadrupled in the last five years, and has been perhaps doubled in the year just passed; while, as regards the immediate future, at least seven institutions have written me that they are planning to introduce the study soon.

The rapid increase of courses in sociology which we have found is not confined to America. The continent also which produced a Comte, a Spencer, a Schäffle, and a De Greef is awakening to the supreme importance of this work in the university. The universities of Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Freiburg, Heidelberg, and many others gave courses last year in sociology proper; while anthropology, so closely related to it, has for many years held a most honorable position abroad.

CHARITIES AND CORRECTION.

As regards the history of courses in charities and correction alone, Mrs. Talbot wrote in 1886, in connection with the statistics already mentioned, as follows: "These three topics-crime, vice, and charities-receive far less attention in our colleges and universities than the other topics of our schedule (economics, etc.). The fact is due, doubtless, to the unformulated character of this department of social science. It is still in a state of empiricism, and no fundamental principles have been as yet reached, or at least generally recognized and adopted as such."

Professor Peabody sends an interesting history of his course in charities and other social questions at Harvard. He says, "The teaching of ethics applied to social questions was begun by me in this university in 1880 in the Divinity School." The figures given for each year show an increase from 2 students in 1881-82 to 48 in 1885-86, 100 in 1888-89, and 133 in 1892-93. This year's attendance is 119. The number of hours per week has increased from one to three. He continues, "The present constitution of this course under our elective system is as follows:

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"There is a students' department library of about 450 volumes to which each member of the class has a key. A Paine fellowship of $500 is designed for students of these subjects. Two Paine prizes are offered at $100 each, one for a special research in some problem of charity, and one for a practical study of some aspect of the labor question."

SOME COURSES DESCRIBED.

No adequate conception will be had of the importance sociology has reached in this country or its probable future without describing in some detail the vast variety of work going on in the department of social science and anthropology at the University of Chicago. There are already several times as many courses given there as at any other university in the world. There are in this department 10 professors and instructors who teach in no other, namely, Small, Henderson, Bemis, Talbot, Starr, West, Thomas, Zeublin, Gentles, and Fulcomer. Of these, two give mainly university extension lectures, one spending nearly his entire time outside of the city

of Chicago. There are 31 courses of study given by these professors. Those in pure sociology are:

22. The methodology and bibliography of social science.

23. Seminar. The psychology, ethics, and sociology of socialism.

24. The province of sociology, and its relation to the special social sciences. 25. Social psychology.

26. The organic functions of the state and of Government.

27. Problems of social statics.

28. Problems of social dynamics.

29. The sociology of the New Testament.

30. The historical sociologies.

31. The elements of sociology.

The courses of most importance to this conference are, among others given by Professor Henderson, the following:

16. Social treatment of dependents and defectives: Lectures, discussions, visits to institutions, reports. Second term, autumn quarter.

17. Criminology: Criminal anthropology and social treatment of crime. Lectures, visits of inspection, study of living cases, reports. Winter quarter.

18. Seminar: This will continue throughout the year, and will cover topics relating to all organization for promoting social welfare. Individual needs and tastes of students will be considered, but a system of research and analysis will control the work for the year.

The seminar methods of work are of most value to specialists. There are no lectures or text-books, but each student puts the entire year on some subject worthy of publication, such as an investigation of the charities or the missions of the city. Much practical work is required in all these courses. This year, for instance, the most of the students have been visitors in charity work, have assisted Mr. Wines, and have taken censuses of the unemployed sleeping in the City Hall and of "Randall's Army."

CONSENSUS OF VIEWS ON SOCIOLOGY.-DEFINITION.

To return to the letters on sociology sent by me, among the questions asked were the following:

"What is your definition of sociology (as used distinctively from the other social sciences)?" "How is it related to political economy, moral philosophy, etc.?”

The main reason for asking these questions was to be sure that the figures given me really referred to sociology, and that the term was not used in the inaccurate way which is very common. It was by no means supposed that the average definition would be the true one. What sociology is can not be learned from the president of a Tennessee college, who said that "Under ethics and economics, most of the substance of sociology is already taught," or from the Iowa president, who, when asked to name his text-books on charities and correction, the family, anthropology, and ethnology, answered, "The Bible." It is to the few specialists in the country that we look for definitions of any value. Among these we find at least two radically different views, the old and the new, which are intimated in President Finley's answer: "I am disposed to give 'sociology' the larger scope, considering it as the science of man in society, and not the science of dependency and delinquency, of the pauper and the criminal in 'society."" Although the older English and American workers in charities and in other social reforms had reduced the term sociology from the broad meaning given to it by its inventor, Comte, as the science of society, to the science of abnormal society, the later specialists do not fall into this error. Professor Peabody, of Harvard, who has for many years been the most prominent instructor in social reforms, says: "Sociology is a much larger subject than the practical problems of charity and reform. If it can be taught at all, it may be taught quite apart from these. It is the philosophy of social evolution." Professor Henderson, the author of the best work on charities and correction, defines sociology in the larger sense as "the study which seeks to coordinate the processes and the results of the special social sciences. It aims to consider society as an organic unity; to study its movement as a whole, its purpose, the conditions of progress. It aims to show the legitimate place and dignity of each department of social investigation by considering it as a vital part of a vast and uniform movement of thought." of the foremost professors of sociology, Giddings, of Columbia College, says: "Sociology is not an inclusive, it is the fundamental social science. It studies the elements that make up society and the simplest forms in which they are combined or organized, (1) by composition (family, clan, tribe, nation), (2) by constitution; that is, involuntary organizations for cooperation or division of labor." The most agree in calling it "a comprehensive science, including politics, economics, etc." Others call it "a science of sciences;""the study of the social nexus that

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underlies the various phenomena that are included in the various departments of social science;" "it is the philosophy of all;" "it treats of the evolution of society in its broadest sense."

RELATION OF CHARITIES TO SOCIOLOGY.

In answer to the question how charities and correction are "related to sociology, ethics, economics, etc.," all the replies make a distinction between them. The general view is expressed by Professor Henderson, who says: "General sociology treats society in its normal light, social pathology studies morbid conditions, remedies, etc." Many regard these studies as "applications of the principles of ethics."

The general answer to the questions, "Should they be taught separately from sociology?" and "Before or after the latter?" is expressed by Professor Peabody, who says: "These social questions should be dealt with late in liberal education. They presuppose both ethics and economics. In my own course a student is advised to take both before coming to me, and must have taken one or the other." Professor Commons, of Indiana University, alone would place them before, but says: "The organic nature of society should be constantly prominent."

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Of the eighteen answers to the question, "Would you put sociology before or after political economy, ethics, etc.? Year?" two-thirds say, "After," two "Before," and three make the same distinction as Professor Giddings, who says: "Logically, sociology precedes political economy; yet in the educational scheme political economy should be taught first, at least for the present." Professor Henderson says: "I would have a sketch' course in the sophomore year of college and in the last year of normal school work, and then ethics, economics, political science. In graduate work the subject can be taught again in its deeper and wider forms."

The opinion as to the best year for teaching these subjects is best indicated by the statistics received. Of the 26 institutions teaching sociology proper in 1894, 16 designate the year. Nine of the 16 put it in the senior year. The junior year comes next, with only 2 institutions. Courses in charities and correction also are found for the most part in the senior year, both in 1886 and in 1894.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY.

Question 20 asked: "Would you advise or require sociology as a part of a general education, defining it broadly as the study of society taken as a whole? Why?" Of the 24 who answered, not one replied in the negative, more than one-half expressed themselves strongly in its favor, and 3 would require it even as a common school study. The replies of the 11 presidents in this number are of interest, they being no doubt more impartial than those in charge of special departments. Six of these earnestly advise the study of sociology. One, the president of a Catholic institution, thinks it should be reserved for the university, and not the college period. The severest denunciation is that of the president of the University of Vermont, who says: "In my judgment, the so-called 'sociology' taught in our colleges, preached in our pulpits, and disseminated in our periodicals, is crude, semicommunistic, and harmful; and, until a new race of strong thinkers take hold of the subject in a new spirit, we shall make no real progress in either social science or social life." But the edge of his criticism is taken off when it becomes known that his institution was one of the earliest (1886) to give instruction in charities and correction "as a department of sociology."

Professors who teach economics are thought in some quarters to be critical of the new science; but the nine who answered this question all favor it, although one thinks the time has not yet arrived for it, and says: "Yes, when the universities have turned out a force of educators competent to direct the work, so that it will not fritter away in worthless study." A few would go as far in the opposite direction as Professor Commons, who says: "I should like to see history, economics, and sociology given equal place with language and science from the beginning of high school through to the senior year of college." This energetic young professor is on a committee of the teachers' association of his State to investigate and promote the study of sociology and related subjects in the high schools. Professor Henderson takes the broad view that is gaining ground on the continent when he says: "I would advise that teachers be prepared to treat all the studies of the primary and secondary schools in the sociologic spirit, but that text-books on sociology should not come in till the sophomore year in college. In connection with all studies children and youth should be led gradually, as they are able, to take their place as members of the community. This begins in the kindergarten, and ends only with life."

REASONS FOR ITS STUDY.

A classification of the reasons assigned for the study discovers the following: (1) It is a practical preparation for life. Professor Thomas, of Baltimore, says: "I advise that sociology be made a part of every student's education.

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