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Social Usefulness as a Criterion for Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Kathrine Koller*
Affiliation:
University oe Rochester Rochester 3, N. Y.

Extract

Sing Me a song of social significance.“ So went the refrain in one of the musical numbers of a revue produced during the 30's, by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. It has been a national theme song ever since. Only an intellectual ostrich refuses to face the social awareness which is demanded of the individual today. High school students are being educated more intensely than ever for citizenship; college graduates are soberly urged in all public addresses to assume their responsibilities as leaders in society. The international situation, so charged with serious trouble, is a constant reminder that no man is an island unto himself. He learns slowly and painfully that he must accept great obligations outside his town, his state, and his nation, or perish. Problems of crime, juvenile delinquency, public health, old age, mental hygiene, and underprivileged families are as old as the human race. During the last twenty years, people have attacked them with such scientific knowledge and training as they possess and with a determination never before manifested. The social sciences, as well as the biological and physical sciences, are daily making practical contributions to society's needs.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 66 , Issue 1 , February 1951 , pp. 32 - 38
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1951

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Footnotes

English Essays and Studies, Vol. Ix.