Concentration Guide

Social Relations, or the compromise of 1946, is still experiencing growing pains. It was put together from the four fields of sociology, clinical psychology, social psychology, and social anthropology, and practically all of the courses in the field can still be dropped into one of those categories.

In its development. Soc Rel has collected a multitude of generalizations. The most popular conception of the field is a "gut," and there may be justification for this, though many of the courses in all parts of the field have long and heavy reading lists and play around with extremely complicated concepts.

Soc Rel is also characterized as the happy hunting ground for those people who really haven't the faintest idea what they want to study. Actually, this is quite natural, for the department is so broad that it can accommodate a wide variety of interests, and an honors candidate can do his thesis on just about any subject from aestheticism to Zululand.

Soc Rel is basically the study of people which means it can dabble in any study that exists.

A third stereotype is that Soc Rel is all theory. There is a good bit of theory to be absorbed, but after the concentrator has acquired a sufficient basis, he can go about fitting the empirical pieces into the broad theoretical pattern. Each course usually carries its own theories about with it, since almost none have prerequisites beyond the basic course, and concentrators and non-concentrators can easily pop in at any number between 100 and 200.

Clinical Psychology attracts more of the Soc Rel concentrators than any of the other fields, and there is more reason for this than simple curiosity about the workings of the mind. The staff in Clinical Psych-Allport in the basic course, Murray in Dynamic Psych, White in Abnormal Personality, and Sears in Child Development-are all excellent lecture and teachers.

On His Merry Way

Sociology is about second best, with Parsons and Sorokin leading this part of the department. Sorokin, of course, goes his own merry way, which is a different way from all the other sociologists, but he is certainly a stimulating teacher. Parsons, on the other hand, gives a solid and very valuable, though uninspired analysis of sociological phenomena.

There are a host of other courses in the sociology of farms, cities, industries, law, etc. In these, it is best to find out all about the lecturer first, since the catalogue description is no guarantee of well-given course or even a course is what you think the catalogue means.

Both Social Psych and Social Anthropology have their stars. Bruner is the man in the former; his Soc Rel Opinion and Communication, is the pleasantest and perhaps the most valuable fulfill the Social Psych requirement Kluckhohn's approach to Anthropology which has not been modified for Job Instruction, makes him the most interesting man in this section.

The general examinations should require only a half course in each of the four areas.

Tutorial is available on a group basis for half the sophomore year and all the junior year. Here the value depends almost entirely on the individual tutor and the rest of the group, since the possible range of topics is unlimited.