Jauch 1

Devyn Jauch
Matt Wilson
Writing 2
November 10 2015
WP2: Sociology
Look around you. You may think you see everything, but instead, you are just seeing a
piece of the physical world. However, there is so much more than meets the eye, and that is
where sociology comes into play. Sociologists look at the world from behind a curtain. They see
the way the gears grind and the way people within society interact. In order to communicate their
findings about the inner workings of the world, sociologists must first consider their audience,
which determines the conventions used, as well as the conventions that need to be broken.
In order to communicate serious research findings, sociologists write reports, essays,
journals and academic articles. These are aimed toward appealing to high ranking members of
the sociology community such as, researchers, professors, doctors and scholars, thus they must
follow the classic conventions found within academia. But these high ranking sociologists are
not the only people who the research papers are designed for. Since sociologists study the world
in which we all live, their research findings are relevant to everyone and must be able to be
communicated to all types of people. It is common for academic articles to be factual, nonbiased
and direct, however, there are ways of manipulating these conventions in order to better teach
sociological concepts to other members of the discourse community. Since sociologists write
about the world in which we all live, sometimes it is necessary to break a few of the classic
conventions of the discipline to better connect with the reader, an average person living in the
world that the sociologist is investigating.

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The sociology community cannot discriminate, considering the discipline is revolved
around all people and human interactions. Academic writings are aimed at aspiring sociologists
and college level students, but they still appeal to the authority of professional, seasoned social
scientists. These writings try to be more personable to their audience, while still conforming to
academic conventions, such as the use of factual evidence, advanced, though comprehendible,
language, and proper structure. Despite conforming to these conventions, certain writings try to
focus on more relatable topics in order to better get through to the soul of the reader. An example
of factual evidence that is still applicable to most readers personal lives comes from one chapter
in particular, Kindergarten as Academic Bootcamp, from the introductory sociology textbook,
Down to Earth Sociology, by James Henslin. This study, in which author Harry L. Gracey
observes a kindergarten classroom, relates to many readers because kindergarten is a common
experience people all share. It is a good example of personable academic writing as well because
it relies on authorities of the subject of the kindergarten classroom. In this case, the authority is a
school that is well known for operating at optimum organization and is led by experienced
and respected teachers, (Henslin, 449). Not only does this study display empirical research
through observation, but it also studies a topic that many readers have experienced themselves.
Though this type of sociological writing follows a majority of the important conventions
within the academic discipline, it breaks a few in order to better connect with its audience, who
usually fall within the lower ranks of the academic sociology community. The most noticeable
convention that is broken in Down to Earth Sociology is that of the use, or in this case, lack of
use, of academic language. Chapter in the book ask question directly to the reader and focuses on
using common everyday dialect in order to be understandable by all readers. This is in stark
contrast to published scientific articles, which use language so advance that oftentimes, they

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must have a Key Terms section at the beginning of the paper, in order to highlight the
sophisticated vocabulary. So rather than incorporating words like epistemology and ontology
(Vitellone, 373), words that many college age students may have never seen before, the
introductory sociology textbook writes out the theory of knowledge and the study of nature
(Henslin, 455). So in order to better communicate information to a less advanced, though still
intellectual audience, the typical academic convention go complex language needs to be
manipulated.
Another type of writing within the sociological discipline is that of peer-reviewed
journals, which must follow all types of academic conventions because they are used throughout
the professional community to conduct further research and to teach the concepts of the
discipline. The articles must be direct and to the point in order to simply answer the proposed
question, and then back it up with evidence. In the case of Nicole Vitollenes article Syringe
Sociology, published in the British Journal of Sociology, the very first line of the abstract directly
states, In this article I consider the impact of social epistemologies for understanding the object
of the syringe, (Vitollene, 373), which highlights the overall purpose of the rest of her nearly
seventeen page paper. This one line provides the reader with an outline for the paper and informs
them, not only of what the paper is about, but if it will answer the question they are trying to
answer. Because people often turn to academic articles for information or to conduct their own
research, the writers must be sure to stay on topic with the main arguments. There can be no
flourish in academic sociological writings because that is not professional, nor is it expected by
the disciplines community. Sociology is the scientific study of human interaction, thus is must
be treated like any other scientific discipline. The research cannot have any bias. However, since
this type of research is based off human interaction, certain parts are up to interpretation, as seen

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in Vitollenes article. It is revolved around discussing different interpretations of similar research
surrounding all the same topic of the syringe in drug use. For example, Vitollene first mentions a
study by sociologist Philippe Bourgois in 2007, which was based on the belief that drug users
prefer the syringe because of the rush transformed from the habit and the socially meditated
experience to a rationalized social practice, (Vitollene, 380). The very next section in her article
outlines research done three years later by Angela Garcia. This research is described as
following in Bourgoiss footsteps because it is conducted very similarly. However, Garcia
interprets the use of the syringe as mourning a lost sense of place (2010:7) and defines the
action of injecting as melancholic, (Vitollene, 384). Though both experiments were conducted
similarly, and both ideas have been backed up by solid evidence mentioned within the article, the
evidence has been interpreted in different ways.
So far we have examined the sociological conventions of writing. Yet, writing is not the
only way to spread research findings nor is it the only way to educate people on the topic of
sociology. Sociology looks at all aspects of the social work and human interaction. Because of
this, they find flaws in the system of the world and aim to change them. Sociological writings
and teachings often try to inspire social change and action. In order to do this, papers
communicate findings from research as well as theories formed from the research. Some writings
also force the audience to look more closely at the world around them. However, some academic
settings only intend to teach students about the topic, rather than teach them how to interpret the
topics concepts in their daily lives. In the case of the University of California, Santa Barbara
Department of Sociology homepage, the goal of the sociology program is to prepare students for
careers in fields such as law, management, urban and environmental planning, corrections,
journalism, education, social and other service professions, (Santa Barbara Sociology, n.d.).

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Here, there is no mention of social change and community action. Since the homepage is more
about getting prospective students to major in sociology, as well as to get donors to fund the
program, it talks more about the aspects and professional achievements of the program, rather
than the social changes the program could inspire.
Yet another convention of the sociological discipline occurs in an academic setting, but
does not always have to follow academic conventions. This setting is the very familiar
classroom. Professor Rioss Introduction to Sociology course breaks many of the conventions of
sociological writings as well as classic classroom teachings, while still adhering to academic
expectations. He teaches his students through power point lectures, but he does not stay statically
on stage. Instead, he seeks out individual students in a hall of nearly 500. He also does not stick
to structured academic language, but rather uses vulgarity and slang. These are all techniques to
better connect with his audience of college students who use the same dialect and appreciate the
individual dialogue he has with certain students. This connection build respect within the
student-teacher relationship, thus the students are more likely to take his teachings to heart, and
perhaps use the critical thinking skills to understand society.to cultivate solutions to the social
problems of the 21st century, (Rios) as Rios outlines is his purpose of his class. This statement in
clearly written in the course syllabus as the goals of the class, thus it is communicated that the
professor desires that his students carry his teachings out into their daily lives. Professor Rios
also strays from the goals of the department as he does not focus on what a student can do with a
degree in sociology. Instead, he wants students to be active within their community and bring
about social change.
As shown in the Introductory to Sociology class here at UCSB, a disciplines conventions
must be manipulated in order to reflect the purpose of the course, as well as the true agenda of

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the professor. Academic writings such as Syringe Sociology and Down to Earth Sociology do not
necessarily inspire social action, but instead they are about teaching everyday people about
previously conducted research. These articles make people think; they try to make people
understand the complex interactions between human beings. As previously mentioned, the
sociological texts analyzed force people to look behind the curtain of the everyday world. In the
Sociology 1 syllabus, Professor Rios outline his plans to have his students observe and analyze
interactions in our local community of Isla Vista, (Rios) and put these findings together to
make some type of change within said community. This is not required of him. The sociology
department website does not state that students will have to participate in social activism, just
that they will learn typical sociological topics and research methods but not how to actually
apply them. The first reason the departments homepage gives for studying sociology is to use
the major as the core of a general liberal arts educations, (Santa Barbara Sociology, n.d.). This
shows that the department is not about change, they are about pure academic education, whereas
Professor Rios even states in his syllabus that he does not view students as empty vessels to be
filled with knowledge, (Rios). This distinguishes that his goal is less about the sharing of
information and more about the cultivation of that information. In order to make academic topics
applicable to students daily lives, sometimes, the rules have to be broken.
Conventions of certain disciplines can be seen as rules. But in the case of sociology, these
rules are more like guidelines. The guidelines steer sociologists and their writings and
teachings in directions that should not be changed such as being backed up by facts and concrete
evidence. Statements must have proof, as professors and writers cannot just share their basic
opinions. However, sometimes, rules are made to be broken. The language and topics within
sociology can be less formal and more applicable to the audience, than do that of academic

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papers. In collegiate settings, this lack of formality can help the students connect to the lecturer.
Academic articles on the other hand, have the sole purpose to communicate information. They, as
mentioned before, make their readers learn and make them think, and they do this by using the
classic conventions of the sociological discipline. But when those conventions are manipulated
in settings such as a college lecture hall, those lessons learned and thoughts formed, can be
turned into actions.

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Works Cited
News & events. Santa Barbara Sociology. n.d. 4 Nov. 2015. <http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/>.
Henslin, James M. Sociology down to Earth. 14th ed. N.p.: Free Press, Dec. 1998.
Rios, Victor. Introduction to Sociology. 2015. Sociology Department, University of California,
Santa Barbara. Adobe Reader file.
Vitellone, Nicole. Syringe Sociology. The British Journal of Sociology 66.2 (June 2015): 373
390.