Sociology Action Network

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The goals of the Sociology Action Network (SAN) are to (1) provide support, resources, and educational opportunities for sociologists who are interested in collaborative community engaged approaches to research and teaching and (2) help guide the ASA and its membership to understand and recognize these approaches as essential to today’s sociology.

Sociological expertise can be useful to civic actors in a wide variety of ways, including collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data about communities through face-to-face interviews, surveys, or focus groups; designing and conducting program evaluations; reviewing technical reports and social science literature; and providing consultations and trainings on social dynamics that impact groups, group members, and their interactions with others. Sociologists study social dynamics within a broad array of topics, including but not limited to: crime, law and deviance; housing; families and the life course; sexualities; race and ethnicity; medicine and health; inequalities and stratification; immigration; and work and organizations. Collaborations between sociologists and community members can provide communities with access to social science research tools and the knowledge needed to use them effectively.