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Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 15:04:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Laura Miller <lmiller@weber.ucsd.edu>
Message-Id: <199706202204.PAA07315@weber.ucsd.edu>
To: socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
Subject: prestige
My sense is that prestige has very little to do with market demand. 
For instance, criminology is the overwhelmingly number one area for
jobs in sociology now, but that's probably largely because so many
departments are trying to provide their undergrads with more
vocational classes and programs (gotta train all those future
prison guards and parole officers, you know).  On the other hand,
I think crim would rank pretty low in prestige in a poll of
sociologists -- in part, because of its applied nature.  I actually
think that areas are considered prestigious when they are more
theoretical and less applied (thus, I would guess that theory is
nearer the top, and education nearer the bottom), when through
prevailing methods and design, they more resemble "hard" sciences
(thus I'd guess stratification is nearer the top and culture nearer
the bottom), and when the people who tend to specialize in them are
more prestigious themselves -- i.e., are found at those top
research departments we've been talking about (again, accounting
for crim's low prestige).  Of course, these things don't always go
together -- I'd guess medical soc is somewhere in the middle -- it
has a strong applied tradition (which is why you'll hear many
sociologists stress that they do soc *of* medicine, not soc *in*
medicine), but remains a major specialty at many elite departments. 
This is my take on the determination of prestige, but in case
there's any doubt, it's nothing I approve of.

By the way, I second Pam's request to keep that info on interview
candidates coming.

Laura Miller
lmiller@ucsd.edu