Sociologists in Schools of Social Work: Marginality or Integration?

Authors

Lee H. Bowker, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Fred M. Cox, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the responses of 180 faculty members in graduate and undergraduate social work programs. These faculty members all achieved their highest degrees in fields other than social work, but approximately half of them also acquired the M.S.W. degree at some point in their careers. It was originally hypothesized that sociologists working in social work programs woulkd exhibit some of the characteristics of marginality, and the questionnaire contained a number of items on collegiality, conflict, discrimination, recognition and satisfaction. It was found that sociologists teaching in social work program suffered no negative effects on any of these dimensions, and that faculty members lacking the M.S.W. degree suffered only very limited marginality effects. Taken together, our results suggest that sociologists in social work programs are alive and well. They may not have been converted to social work perspectives in a technical sense, but they are integrated well enough with social work faculty members so that they cannot be considered to be marginal in any sense of the word.

Recommended Citation

Bowker, Lee H. and Cox, Fred M. (1982) "Sociologists in Schools of Social Work: Marginality or Integration?," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1523
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol9/iss2/4