Who is publishing in the journal of sociology? An analysis of author trends 1965-2008

This paper presents the author characteristics of papers published in The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) journal, the Journal of Sociology (formerly the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology) between 1965 and 2008. The aim of the paper is empirically to identify trends in authorship. The review examines all articles published in the period (excluding book reviews). The rationale of the study is to reveal trends in who publishes in the journal in terms of authors’ academic rank, gender, institution, and country. A table of those who have published the greatest number of papers is also presented. Findings show that over time the gap between the proportion of males and females publishing has closed; more PhD students and research fellows are publishing in the journal in recent decades; the highest proportion of authors consistently come from the Australian National University and The University of Queensland; and most authors are located in Australia. Information such as this can inform editorial practices and serve to inform the membership and readership on the nature of the journal

Which class do you teach?: education and the reproduction of class

It is now taken for granted that everyone should have access to education so that educational success or failure is the result of individual talent, ability and effort. However, this was not always the 'official' policy. In the early 1900s, there were few state secondary schools. Most children went to primary school, but the 'gifted' then went on to fee-paying private secondary schools and universities, the fees effectively barring the working-class from entry to further education. The first state secondary schools also charged fees that were only abolished in most states after World War I1 (Ely, 1978; Hyams and Bessant, 1972). Therefore, the origins of the Australian schooling system have deep class roots, many of which can still be seen today in the dual education system of state and private schools, and the division between vocational and academic high schools. The introduction of 'free, compulsory and secular' state education, ' the story goes, change the education system from a 'class reproducer'to a 'great equaliser'. Equality of opportunity and meritocracy are meant to be the foundations of the modern education system, where success is simply the product of individual effort and ability. There is no doubt that access to free public education has benefited many people, however such a rosy picture is debunked by opposing arguments that expose the education system as still reproducing class inequality because so many working-class students do less well.3rd ed

The class origins of health inequality

What is class? How can an understanding of class help to explain health inequality? What can be done to address class-based health inequality? While most people acknowledge the existence of class, few recognise that health status is one of the clearest indicators of class inequality in Australia. Despite access to free public health services in Australia, working-class people have higher rates of death, illness, and disability as a result of their living and working conditions.4th ed

Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology

Second Opinion 4th edition is a health sociology textbook for Australian students. Accompanied by an online resource centre with innovative teaching and learning materials, this teaching text introduces students to the theories, concepts and contexts that are needed to understand the issues confronting health sociology.4th ed

Food, class and identity

This chapter shows, class differences in nutritional intake and food choice have diminished in a number of countries. Nevertheless, class patterns in food consumption persist, fuelling a public discourse that blames the 'poor diets of the poor' for working-class health problems. Yet the relationship between class, food and health is much more complex, particularly given the connections between food habits and class identity. Concerns by nutrition experts about working-class diets may have more to do with social differentiation than with nutrition-related health inequality. Drawing on a range of social research, this chapter examines the relationship between class and food.3rd ed

Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology

Introduces the theories, concepts and issues that are needed to equip students with an understanding of the issues confronting health sociology.3rd ed

The class origins of health inequality

Popular notions of class tend to focus on lifestyle differences and consumption patterns, particularly regarding fashion, as a social marker of status. While these may indicate class membership in a general sense, they shed little light on how class differences are generated in the first place. This chapter discusses the concept of class, provides up-to-date evidence of class-based health inequality and examines five main explanations of health inequality

Writing a sociology essay

The essay is a well-established format of communicating knowledge and understanding about a topic in a logical, credible, and persuasive way, within a given timeframe and word limit. That said, there is often very little time in university courses allocated to teaching effective essay-writing skills. While there is no single best way to write a high-quality essay, there are a number of rules that need to be followed. The secret to getting great marks for your essay is to learn the rules of the essay-writing game and adopt a systematic approach - there is no magical way to 'beat the system' by avoiding the necessary hard work. That said, this chapter provides some handy tips on how to plan, research, write, and reference a sociology essay, all of which should save you time and improve your performance.3r

Imagining health problems as social issues

This chapter introduces you to the sociological perspective and how it can be used to understand a wide range of health issues. Health sociology focuses on the social patterns of health and illness - such as the different health statuses between women and men, the poor and the wealthy, or the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations - and seeks social rather than biological or physical explanations.5t