A Most Human Enterprise looks at controversial social science research methods and their effects on subjects and researchers. In detailing case studies in which plagiarism was alleged, subjects were mislead or seriously abused, and research denigrated certain demographics, Donald O. Granberg and John F. Galliher demonstrate how social scientists have strayed from the ethical standards of scientific research. Case studies include the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the well-known pseudo-prison work of Philip Zimbardo, the obedience research of Stanley Milgram, and the study of sex in public places by sociologist Laud Humphreys. Many of the studies that were most damaging to human subjects were funded by government, making the current concerns of university Institutional Review Boards seem ironic. A Most Human Enterprise also investigates consequences of plagiarism in the social sciences, the role that whistle blowers can play, and the consequences of their acts. Humans are, of course, capable of lofty and amazing accomplishments. Yet they are, nevertheless, also subject to bias, prejudice, ego involvement, and poor judgment. This book demonstrates the inadequacy of Institutional Review Boards in limiting ethical lapses in the social sciences, and seeks to create a reader more sensitive to the problems and pitfalls that arise in the course of doing social research.

A Most Human Enterprise looks at controversial social science research methods and their effects on subjects and researchers. In detailing case studies in which plagiarism was alleged, subjects were mislead or seriously abused, and research denigrated certain demographics, Donald O. Granberg and John F. Galliher demonstrate how social scientists have strayed from the ethical standards of scientific research. Case studies include the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the well-known pseudo-prison work of Philip Zimbardo, the obedience research of Stanley Milgram, and the study of sex in public places by sociologist Laud Humphreys. Many of the studies that were most damaging to human subjects were funded by government, making the current concerns of university Institutional Review Boards seem ironic. A Most Human Enterprise also investigates consequences of plagiarism in the social sciences, the role that whistle blowers can play, and the consequences of their acts. Humans are, of course, capable of lofty and amazing accomplishments. Yet they are, nevertheless, also subject to bias, prejudice, ego involvement, and poor judgment. This book demonstrates the inadequacy of Institutional Review Boards in limiting ethical lapses in the social sciences, and seeks to create a reader more sensitive to the problems and pitfalls that arise in the course of doing social research.

Mabel Agnes Elliott: Pioneering Feminist, Pacifist Sociologist provides a history of the life and career of the late Mabel Agnes Elliott (1898-1990), a pioneering female sociologist largely forgotten despite her achievements and contributions. A native of Iowa, Elliott earned three degrees in Sociology from Northwestern University. In addition to her career as a sociologist, she was a feminist and a pacifist whose occasional criticism of criminal policies in the United States led to the creation of an FBI file. Despite being largely disregarded by her male colleagues, Elliott wrote a wildly successful textbook, Social Disorganization, that published four editions over thirty years. After starting her career at the University of Kansas and working there for twenty years, she moved to Chatham College in Pennsylvania in 1949 where she was appreciated for her singular abilities. Among her many achievements, she was the first nwoman to be elected Presidet of the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 1957.

Mabel Agnes Elliott: Pioneering Feminist, Pacifist Sociologist provides a history of the life and career of the late Mabel Agnes Elliott (1898-1990), a pioneering female sociologist largely forgotten despite her achievements and contributions. A native of Iowa, Elliott earned three degrees in Sociology from Northwestern University. In addition to her career as a sociologist, she was a feminist and a pacifist whose occasional criticism of criminal policies in the United States led to the creation of an FBI file. Despite being largely disregarded by her male colleagues, Elliott wrote a wildly successful textbook, Social Disorganization, that published four editions over thirty years. After starting her career at the University of Kansas and working there for twenty years, she moved to Chatham College in Pennsylvania in 1949 where she was appreciated for her singular abilities. Among her many achievements, she was the first nwoman to be elected Presidet of the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 1957.