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Department of Sociology records, 1910s-1998

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Summary Information

At a Glance

Call No.: UA#0162
Bib ID 7831932 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Columbia University. Department of Sociology
Title Department of Sociology records, 1910s-1998
Physical Description 2.58 linear feet (1 record carton and 2 index card boxes)
Language(s) English .
Access You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

All administrative records of the University are restricted for 25 years from the date of creation.

The following box is located off-site: Box 1. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series.

Description

Summary

This collection consists of the administrative records of the Department of Sociology such as departmental meeting minutes and correspondence. Included are a number of publications from Paul Felix Lazarsfeld's interest in quantifying methodologies for social research. There are also two boxes of index cards kept by department with information about former graduate students.

  • Series I. Administrative records and publications, 1945-1998

    This series contains the minutes of the department's regular monthly (and sometimes luncheon) meetings. There is a selection of the Bureau of Applied Social Research (BASR) newsletters and other announcement sent to the department's main office for reference. The department was reviewed by the Committee on Instruction of the Graduate Faculty of Political Science and included in this series are copies of draft and final reports. Finally, there is a small selection of correspondence about graduate student progress and placement information from 1998.

  • Series II. Publications, 1952-1967

    This series contains a number of dittoed publications that belonged to Paul Felix Lazarsfeld. The publications relate to the work on research methodology and qualitative and quantitative analysis of social research data.

  • Series III. Graduate student cards, 1909-1979

    Graduate students enrolled in sociology classes were asked to complete an information card, which was kept by the department. The information collected on the cards varies (the template changes over the years) but for the most part, the card includes information about the student's background, academic record, research interests, and future plans. The cards were updated by the office staff and include information about the students' lives after they left Columbia. The cards related to students from 1909 to 1916 and then after a gap, the cards resume with students in 1932. The cards from the 1940s and 1950s may include a copy of the student's registration photograph. Cards are organized alphabetically by the student's last name.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

All administrative records of the University are restricted for 25 years from the date of creation.

The following box is located off-site: Box 1. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Department of Sociology Records; Box and Folder (if known); University Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Related Materials

Bureau of Applied Social Research Records, 1944-1976 (MS#0166); Paul Felix Lazarsfeld Papers [ca. 1930]-1976. (MS#0753).

Accrual of Records

No additions are expected.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Joanna Rios and Jessica Liston (CC 2020). Finding aid written by Joanna Rios in February 2019.

Revision Description

2019-02-17 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"		 "CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"		 "Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Columbia University. Bureau of Applied Social Research Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Columbia University. Faculty of Political Science Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Columbia University. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Lazarsfeld, Paul F., 1901-1976 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Merton, Robert King, 1910-2003 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Sociology -- Study and teaching Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

In 1894 Franklin H. Giddings became the first professor of sociology at Columbia University. The department grew in scope and depth in between World Wars with Robert S. Lynd (1931-1942) and Robert MacIver (1929-1950). In 1941 both Robert Merton and Paul Lazarsfeld joined the department and their collaboration extended into the 1970s. They helped the department play a leading role in the national growth of sociology and the other social sciences after World War II.

After clicking 'Submit Request', users will login with their UNI and password (Columbia affiliates) or their special collections account (external users). Appointments are required and will be arranged according to each individual repository's policy.

Series I. Administrative records and publications, 1945-1998

This series contains the minutes of the department's regular monthly (and sometimes luncheon) meetings. There is a selection of the Bureau of Applied Social Research (BASR) newsletters and other announcement sent to the department's main office for reference. The department was reviewed by the Committee on Instruction of the Graduate Faculty of Political Science and included in this series are copies of draft and final reports. Finally, there is a small selection of correspondence about graduate student progress and placement information from 1998.


Box 1 Folder 1 Department meeting minutes, 1945-1950

(Regular monthly meetings)

Box 1 Folder 2 Department meeting minutes, 1951-1960

Box 1 Folder 3 Department meeting minutes, 1961-1966

Box 1 Folder 4 The Bureau Reporter newsletters, 1962-1966

(Newsletter of the Bureau of Applied Social Research)

Box 1 Folder 5 The Bureau Reporter newsletters, 1967-1971

Box 1 Folder 6 Bureau of Applied Social Research announcements, 1963-1971

(Includes BASR project numbers, BASR library news, and list of unpublished reports.)

Box 1 Folder 7 Review of the Department of Sociology by the Committee on Instruction of the Graduate Faculty of Political Science,, 1974

Box 1 Folder 8 Graduate School of Arts and Sciences correspondence, 1998

(Restricted until 2024)

(Includes information about the 1960 graduate students, the placement for 1992-1997 graduates, and the other information about students)

Series II. Publications, 1952-1967

This series contains a number of dittoed publications that belonged to Paul Felix Lazarsfeld. The publications relate to the work on research methodology and qualitative and quantitative analysis of social research data.

Planning Project for Advanced Training in Social Research publications

Box 1 Folder 9-10 Documentation Furnished to the Ford Center on Concepts and Indices in the Social Sciences,, 1953

(Documents for the Seminar on Concepts and Indices in the Social Sciences; 2 copies)

Box 1 Folder 11 Concepts and Indices in the Social Sciences: A Report on the Dartmouth Seminar,, 1953

Box 1 Folder 12 Organization, Plan of Work, and Present State of the Project, 1955

Box 1 Folder 13 Extracts from N. Rashevsky's "Mathematical Biology of Imitative Behavior" lecture,, 1952

Box 1 Folder 14 A System of Scales Derived from a Standard Traceline Model, notes by Paul F. Lazarsfeld and developed by David G. Hays,, 1952

Box 1 Folder 15 Memorandum re: New Mathematical Work on Latent Structure Theory since the RAND Memoranda Were Completed,, undated

(Memo from Paul F. Lazasfeld to Victor Hunt. Includes "Some Theories of Structor Algebra: Notes on Extensions of Matrix Algebra Necessary for Latent Structure Analysis.")

Box 1 Folder 16 The Present State of Latent Structure Analysis, undated

Box 1 Folder 17 Case Materials and Case Analysis in American Professional Training by Bernard Barber,, 1950s

Box 1 Folder 18 The Use of the Case Method of Instruction in Undergraduate History Courses by Elinor G. Barber,, 1953

Box 1 Folder 19 Case Materials: Some Comparative Analysis of their Use in Different Fields by Elinor G. Barber,, 1954

Box 1 Folder 20 A Survey of Activities in Urban and Minority Problems at Three American Universities by George Nash and Patricia Nash,, 1967

Series III. Graduate student cards, 1909-1979

Graduate students enrolled in sociology classes were asked to complete an information card, which was kept by the department. The information collected on the cards varies (the template changes over the years) but for the most part, the card includes information about the student's background, academic record, research interests, and future plans. The cards were updated by the office staff and include information about the students' lives after they left Columbia. The cards related to students from 1909 to 1916 and then after a gap, the cards resume with students in 1932. The cards from the 1940s and 1950s may include a copy of the student's registration photograph. Cards are organized alphabetically by the student's last name.


Box 2 A-La


Box 3 Le-Z