Visionaries and Virtuosi: Competence and Purpose in the Education of Sociologists

Abstract

Recent discussion and policy have tended to separate the problem of procuring research competence from consideration of the nature and purposes of sociology and to pursue it with close reference to the presumed needs of various possible users of research. This paper argues that sociologists should set their own consideration of the issue firmly within the framework of a commitment to the intellectual problems and purposes of sociology as a discipline. And that if that is done suitable educational strategies for promoting competence can be revised; a possible strategy focussed on undergraduate work and the Ph.D. is outlined. It is suggested that the real problem is not that of competence but certain unrealistic expectations hidden in the demand for usefulness.