An Interview with Robert K. Merton
1984; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 11; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1317796
ISSN1939-862X
AutoresCaroline Hodges Persell, Robert Κ. Merton,
Tópico(s)Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
ResumoThe theoretical ideas of Robert K. Merton have had a major influence in such substantive areas of sociology as stratification, deviance, and delinquency, status and role analysis, education, medical sociology, sociology of science, and knowledge. In addition to his scholarly renown, Merton has the reputation of being an excellent teacher, and one whose scholarly work enhances rather than detracts from his teaching. Indeed, he might be said to epitomize the scholar-teacher ideal. When I was a graduate student at Columbia in the late 1960s, I looked forward to Professor Merton's classes in sociology. He invariably came to class magnificently prepared. He not only brought his manila folder of notes and his pitcher of water, but he had his thoughts impeccably in order. His lectures were beautifully crafted works of art that illuminated and enriched our understanding of Comte, Spencer, Simmel, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, status sets and role sets, role strain, and other theoretical ideas. Graduate students studying for orals used to sit in on his classes two or three different years because each year was usually quite different from the one before. These lectures were an exhilarating experience. The editors of Teaching Sociology believe that it is important to learn as much as possible from examples of teaching and scholarly excellence such as this. As a result, when Michael Bassis mentioned, at an editorial board meeting of Teaching Sociology,
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