Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 01:38:18 -0400
From: Thomas F Brown <tombrown@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>
Subject: Re:  hiring
To: socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
Message-id: <97Jun19.013821edt.1433-1@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
>Sure, there is a lot of reification in this thread (as there is in much
>of sociology), but it is possible that in dept.'s where "old boys" networks
>still operate (as was ours up until 4-5 years ago), the "old boys" might
>be more likely to recruit others like them, and encourage them to do
>their sociology. One must keep in mind that many folks who enter graduate
>school don't have a definite specialty, and their area of specialization
>depend on who they eventually hook up to work with.  I don't posit this
>as absolute truth, but it could happen.

I have no doubt that academics seek to recruit students who are interested 
in their specialty, but this doesn't imply an institutionalized
tracking system for various demographic sub-categories.

You're saying that people tend to associate with others that are similar,
which is perfectly sensible, but this can be as much a pull factor as
a push factor. In other words, apprentices are also making a choice as
to whom they want to work with.

I still don't see any evidence of an institutionalized channeling of
students into specialties according to their superficial demographic
characteristics. I have never experienced this or heard of others
experiencing it.

I think that the alternative hypothesis--that students self-select into 
specialties--is more plausible given that students self-select into
departments and classes, and both of these choices are prerequisite
to choosing an adviser or a specialty.

The fact that ethnic studies classes are mostly taught by minorities and
gender studies classes are mostly taught by women doesn't contradict
the self-selection hypothesis. And it argues against the old boy thesis, 
which should suggest that old boys would mostly hire other old boys even 
to teach ethnic and gender studies. 

Political influences can also affect hiring decisions, and these factors 
often originate from outside the hiring committee and hence do not necessarily 
indicate the preferences of the committee itself. And if this political
atmosphere demands women and minorities to teach certain specialties,
that constitutes a pull factor, not a disciplinary push factor. Is
there any evidence that such demographic requirements orgininate from
hiring committees or other disciplinary institutions?