Learning Sociology and Assessing Critical Thinking

Sociological inquiry rests on the noble claims of human reason (Bendix, 1970). Sociologists who make their living in the academy often assert this commitment to reason in the company of undergraduate students. Sharing the educational goals of their learned colleagues, sociologists join the chorus of academicians who believe that students should be able to think clearly, to read critically, and to write and speak effectively (University of Illinois, 1979: 6). The rhetoric of curriculum committee reports and college catalogs is also supported by a recent national survey of sociology departments. According to Bradshaw and McPherron (1978: 17), chairpersons in universities, four-year colleges, and community colleges agree that the most important instructional goal in the sociology curriculum is the development of critical thinking. (1978:17).