ABSTRACT
In his presidential address to the American Sociological Association, Michael Burawoy refocused his ethnographic research emphasis away from workplaces in Zambia, Chicago, Poland and Russia inward toward a Sociology of the discipline itself. Burawoy claims Sociology's first public are its students and he notes an unfortunate tension between Public Sociology and Professional Sociology. The University of Illinois in Chicago Department of Sociology also offered a Public Sociology like capstone: Capstone course, which provides senior sociology majors the opportunity to engage in a practical, team-based service project that advances the mission of a community organization. The Public Sociology Capstone serves as a bridge for students completing their degrees by providing them with specific experience to prepare them for entry-level policy analyst positions in Government ministries or NGOs. For students continuing on to postgraduate studies, the course serves as a short, sharp introduction into the messy and non-linear world of social research.
