Is academia is a job to be done. Should we academics just do teaching as per regulations...get funded to do research. What about doing research to enrich the society with well informed human capital?
One of the benefits of working in an academic setting is that professors and researchers tend to have more freedom to define their personal and group agendas, compared with other institutional contexts. We can use this freedom to work toward the solution of social problems. This is generally encouraged by administrators, at least in my experience. If it is not, we can encourage administrators to support our socially-oriented work. In the case of universities that depend on public funds, contributing to the solution of social problems is an ethical imperative, more than a mere possibility, since the population should get something back for its investment.
Obviously, the two previous answers to this question contradict one another. One implies that addressing social problems in research is an inadequate level of scholarship for a researcher; the other insists that it is a social and public obligation for professors in institutions that depend on public funds.
I would suggest that the divide here is the basic distinction between basic research and applied research. Basic research neglects to ask the question, how can my results be meaningful? It is a quest for knowledge for its own sake. Applied research starts with the question of meaningfulness. Why is this research worth doing?
Both are necessary and the quality of life enjoyed in economically developed nations today is largely the fruit of both.
Research will help us to generate useful information/ knowledge which can be used for solving social problems. There is no point of conducting research if it is not generating new knowledge on perticular issues or problems. Machanisms to solve such problems may difer from context to context.
Actually and very recently some universities in Lebanon which practiced "Publish or Perish" policies, changed to exactly foster community/society based research to involve academic research in real life problems. So, dear Esra, what you ask is exactly what things are changing to.
it's been done for many many years. I myself was involved in research re the homeless, child abuse/domestic violence, prevention(s) in health, such as breast cancer, to name a few. In the menatime, colleaues all around me conducted such research and continue to do so. There is at least one journal devoted tthis research that has been around more than 50 years. https://academic.oup.com/socpro/pages/About
As academics we need to be involved in both teaching and research. These two are complementary and cannot afford to ignore research. It helps to enrich our teaching-learning process.
Dear Esra Alkhasawneh
No one can deny the effect of funding on the trends of the research. Money always talks. The funding agencies have their interests and agendas to direct the research and manipulate the result on some occasions. having said that, the mindfull, honest researcher will show the truth as it is and will not twist the results to suit the funders. it is like, journalism, the truth should be said as it is without any distortions or deviations. the ethics codes in research are highly followed in the developed countries to prevent this from happening. and to make sure that all involved in the research are protected from any coercion, harm, pressure and breach of privacy.
Research is a very complex process and what you considered "society" might clash with others and considered as a less important issue.
Going back to your first question about teaching. I think we can have a real impact here despite the regulations and monitoring. creating a new generation who appreciate science and research and defend the principles of good research practice to take it a bit further. the freedom of what to teach/ or talk / or include in your course ( topic/ subject) that you design is way more than what can you do with research.
A conscious mind always asks an awakening question.
There is a common misunderstanding of sociology and social science.
Sociology cannot solve social problems, in terms of scientific research.
Solving a sociological problem, in terms of advancing theoretical progress, is not equal to social problem-solving (e.g. by social work, policy, charity, ...).
The analogy to medicine can help: improving patient behavior is as important as the work of the physician, i.e. we are operating in a field between (natural) physical laws and human freedom-of-choice. However, we can create greater awareness and sensitization in the human population, after having solved the theoretical part of the growing existential problems.
Researchers always address the problems around them and at the end of the "Discussion Section" they write the "Implementations" where they elaborate how the research is helpful for society.
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