THE SOCIOLOGY PROGRAM IN A PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL SETTING: THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY.

With increasing recognition that the sociological perspective can help us to understand the professions and the ways in which social change affects them, new sociology programs are more likely to be established in professional schools than in liberal arts curricula. The experience of the United States Military Academy, where a full sociology major was established in the context of a professional (primarily engineering) curriculum, provides lessons in how such development might take place. Some of the characteristics of the West Point sociology faculty, such as being part of an interdisciplinary department, teaching interdisciplinary courses, and being evaluated primarily on the quality of teaching are likely to be common in professional school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]