Objectives: After completing this class, you will be able to:

• Explain the role of social theory in research and practice.
• Understand the implications of the the epistemological stance toward theory, research and practice taken in this course
• Identify one more more mid-range social theories relevant to your practice and research.
• Identify and explain the components in the theory(ies) that you will use as the basis for your work this semester

Assigned Readings

Bryman Ch. 1, 3rd Ed.

Shoemaker, P.J., Tankard, Jr., J.W. & Lasorsa, D.L. (2004). How to Build Social Science Theories. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. p. 15-31. e-reserve This is a critical reading. Please read with care.

Anfara, V.A., Jr. & Mertz, N.T. (2006) Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Introduction, p. xiii-xxxii. e-reserve Please review in particular the discussion of the different roles for theory in qualitative research.

Research Methods Review

Pidgeon, N. & Henwood, K. (2004) Grounded Theory. Pp. 625-648 in M. Hardy & A. Bryman, Handbook of Data Analysis. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. e-reserve under Hardy

No social theory background?

You must use theoretical constructs as the basis for your work this semester. This means that you must have some knowledge of social theory. This is a pre-requisite for success in this course. You can find information about contemporary social theory at the website for my course, Theories of Community Development. That website provides many examples of how the different contemporary theories are used. It also provides links to some useful web site where you can find much more information about the different theories. Look at the bottom of the home page for these links. See me if you need help. The book chapter from Reed (see below) will help.

Reed, B.G. (2005) Theorizing in community practice: Essential tools for building community, promoting social justice, and implementing social change. In M. Weil (ed.), The Handbook of Community Practice, pp. 84-102, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. e-reserve Pay special attention to this reading if you have little background in social theory. This is the place to get your start finding the three theories you need for Part 1 of the Individual Semester Project.

Class Preparation

Bring these to class. You do not need to read them ahead of time.

Examples of Theories

Levels of Theory

Additional Resources

I do not yet know all of your interests. These are articles that address interests that people in this class have demonstrated in previous years and that have been useful to students in getting ideas about how to go from "topic" to theory. They address the use of theory in both research and practice and many provide good insights into the relationships between theory-based resarch and application in practice.

Anthias, F. (2001) The concept of "social division" and theorising social stratification: looking at ethnicity and class. Sociology 35(4), 835-854.

Arena, J. (2003) Race and hegemony: the neoliberal transformation of the black urban regime and working-class resistance. American Behavioral Scientist 47(3), 352-380.

August, G.J., Bloomquist, M.L., Lee, S.S., Realmuto, G.M. & Hektner, J.M. (2005). Can evidence-based prevention programs be sustained in community practice settings? The early risers' advanced-stage effectiveness trial. Prevention Science 7 (2), 151-165.

Babalola, S., Brasington, A., Agbasimalo, A., Helland, A. et al. (2006). Impact of a communication programme on female genital cutting in eastern Nigeria. Tropical Medicine & International Health 11 (10), 1594-1603.

Becker, M. G. & Barlth, R. P. . (2000) Power through choices: the development of a sexuality education curriculum for youths in out-of-home care. Child Welfare 79(3), 269-282.

Bijlenga, D., Birnie, E. & Bonsel, G.J. (2009). Feasibility, reliability and validity of three health-state valuation methods using multiple-outcome vignettes on moderate-risk pregnancy at term. Value in Health 12(5), 821-827.

Brodsky, A.E. (1996) Resilient single mothers in risky neighborhoods: negative psychological sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology 24(4), 347-363.

Campbell, A. L.. (2002) Self-interest, social security and the distinctive participation patterns of senior citizens. American Political Science Review 96(3), 565-574.

Cattell, V. (2001) Poor people, poor places and poor health: themediating role of social networks and social capital. Social Science and Medicine 52, 1501-1516.

Caudwell, J. (2003) Sporting gender: women's footballing bodies as sites/sights for the (re) articulation of sex, gender and desire. Sociology of Sport Journal 29, 371-386.

Caughy, M.O., Campo, P.J. & Muntaner, C. (2003) When being alone might be better: neighborhood poverty, social capital and child mental health. Social Science and Medicine 57(2), 227-237.

Codd, H. (2002) "The ties that bind": feminist perspectivs on self-help groups for prisoners' partners. The Howard Journal 41(4), 334-347.

Cooke, I.R., Queenborough, S.A., Mattison, E.H.A., Bailey, A.P. et al. (2009). Integrating socio-economics and ecology: A taxonomy of quantitative methods and a review of their use in agro-ecology. Journal of Applied Ecology 46 (2), 269-277.

Dixon, J. & Banwell, C. (2009). Theory driven research designs for explaining behavioral health risk transitions. The case of smoking. Social Science & Medicine 68(12), 2206-2214.

Dominguez, S. & Watkins, C. (2003) Creating social networks for survival and mobility: social capital among African-American and Latin-American low-income mothers. Social Problems 50(1), 111-135.

Green, L.W. & Glasgow, R.E. (2006). Evaluating the relevance, generalization and applicability of research. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 29 (1), 126-153.

Gunn, M. & Goelman, H. (2011) Bioecological theory, early childhood development and the validation of the population-level early development instrument. Social Indicators Research 103(2), 193-217.

Hoyt, A.L., Rhodes, R.E., Hausenblas, H.A. & Giacobbi, P.R. Jr. (2009). Integrating five-factor model facet-level traits with the theory of planned behavior and exercise. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 10(5), 565-572.

Hyyppa, M.T. & Maki, J. (2003) Social participation and health in a community rich in stock of social capital. Health Education Research 18(6), 770-779.

Ingram, M., Ruiz, M., Mayorga, M.T., & Rosales, C. (2009). The Animadora Project: Identifying factors related to the promotion of physical activity among Mexican Americans with diabetes. Journal of Health Promotion 23(6), 396-402.

Jackson, P.R. (2005). Indigenous theorizing in a complex world. Asian Journal of Social Psychology 8 (1), 51-64.

Jagger, E. (2001) Marketing Molly and Melville: dating in a postmodern, consumer society. Sociology 35(1), 39-57.

Jordahl, T. & Lohman, B.J. (2009) A bioecological analysis of risk and protective factors associated with early sexual intercourse of young adolescents. Children & Youth Services Review 31(12), 1272-1282.

Kim, J. & Ross, C.E. (2009). Neighborhood-specific and general social support: Which buffers the effect of neighborhood disorder on depression? Journal of Community Psychology 37 (6), 725-736.

Lacy, M. J. (2003) War, cinema and moral anxiety. Alternatives 28, 611-636.

Lansing, J.S. (2003). Complex adaptive systems. Annual Review of Anthropology, 32 (1), 183-204.

McKie, L., Bowlby, S. & Gregory, S. (2004) Starting well: gender, care and health in the family context. Sociology 38(3):593-611.

McPhedran, S. (2009) Animal abuse, family violence and child wellbeing: A review. Journal of Family Violence 24(1), 41-52.

Miner, D. C. (2003) Jamaican families. Holistic Nursing Practice 17(1), 27-35.

O'Donnell, M. H. (2003) Radically reconstituting the subject: social theory and human nature. Sociology 37(4), 753-770.

Plotnikoff, R.C., Lippke, S., Trinh, L. et al. (2010) Protection motivation theory and the prediction of physical activity among adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in a large population sample. British Journal of Health Psychology 15(3), 643-661.

Punch, S. (2003) Childhoods in the majority world: miniature adults or tribal children? Sociology 37(2), 277-295.

Raudsepp, M. (2005). Why is it so difficult to understand the theory of social representations? Culture & Psychology 11(4), 455-568.

Rhodes, R.E., Plotnikoff, R.C. & Courneya, K.S. (2008) Predicting the physical activity intention-behavior profiles of adopters and maintainers using three social cognition models. Behavioral Medicine 36(3), 244-252.

Riley, C. & Ettlinger, N. (2011) Interpreting racial formation and multiculturalism in a high school: Towars a constructive deployment of two approaches to critical race theory. Antipode 43(4), 1250-1280.

Schensul, J.J. (2009). Community, culture and sustainability in multilevel dynamic systems intervention science. American Journal of Community Psychology 43 (3-4), 241-256.

Sleeter, C.E. (2011) Becoming white: Reinterpreting a family story by putting race back into the picture. Race, Ethnicity & Education 14(4), 421-433.

Stein-Seroussi, A., Stockton, L., Brodish, P. & Meyer, M. (2009). Randomized controlled trial of ACTION smoking cessation curriculum in tobacco-growing communities. Addictive Behaviors 34(9), 737-743.

Sullivan, A. (2001) Cultural capital and educational attainment. Sociology 35(4), 893-912.

Trickett, E.J. & Ryerson Espino, S.L. (2004). Collaboration and social inquiry: Multiple meanings of a construct and its role in creating useful and valid knowledge. American Journal of Community Psychology 34 (1-2), 1-69.

Tschann, J. M., Flores, C., Marin, B.V. Pasch, L. A., E. Baisch, M. & Wibbelsman, C.J. (2002). Interparental conflict and risk behaviors among Mexican American adolescents: a cognitive-emotional model. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 30(4), 373-385.

Updegraff, K. A., Madden-Derdich, D.A., Estrada, A.U., Sales, L.J. & Leonard S. A. (2002) Young adolescents' experiences with parents and friends: exploring the connections. Family Relations 51, 72-80.

Urban, J., Lewin-Bizan, S. & Lerner, R. (2010) The role of intentional self regulation, lower neighborhood ecological assets, and activity involvement in youth developmental outcomes. Journal of Youth & Adolescence 39(7), 783-800.

Vasi, I. B. & Macy, M. (2003) The mobilizer's dilemma: crisis, empowerment and collective action. Social Forces 81(3), 979-998.

Weik, T.M. (2009). The role of ethnogenesis and organization in the development of African-Native American settlements: An African Seminole model. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 13(2), 206-238.

West, R.E. (2009). What is shared? A framework for understanding shared innovation within communities. Educational Technology, Research & Development 57(3), 315-332.