George A. Lundberg
Encyclopedia
George Andrew Lundberg was an American sociologist.
in 1920, a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1922, and a doctorate in 1925 from the University of Minnesota
. Following his doctorate, he began a faculty position at the University of Washington
, but left after a year for postdoctoral studies at Columbia University
, and then took a position as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh
. In 1930, he became director of the Bureau of Social Research at the Pittsburgh Federation of Social Agencies, but he soon left Pittsburgh for a faculty position at Columbia. In 1934 he worked with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration
, and soon thereafter moved to Bennington College
in Vermont
, where he was professor of sociology and statistics
. After holding additional faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University
, and Stanford University
, he joined the University of Washington
in 1945 as professor and chair, and remained there for the rest of his career.
Lundberg served at the 33rd President of the American Sociological Society
. He was also president of the Pacific Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society
, and the Sociological Research Association
, and was the editor of the journal Sociometry from 1941 to 1947.
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Medal of the University of Minnesota and an honorary doctorate in 1958 from the University of North Dakota. After his death, a conference of the Pacific Sociological Association was held in his honor.
s, and linguistics
. Lundberg's approach to sociology is usually categorized as neo-positivism. Lundberg was critical of the Chicago School of sociology
. He felt that their methodologies were not precise enough to generate reliable results.
Biography
Lundberg received his bachelors degree from the University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
in 1920, a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1922, and a doctorate in 1925 from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Following his doctorate, he began a faculty position at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, but left after a year for postdoctoral studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and then took a position as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. In 1930, he became director of the Bureau of Social Research at the Pittsburgh Federation of Social Agencies, but he soon left Pittsburgh for a faculty position at Columbia. In 1934 he worked with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration
Federal Emergency Relief Administration
Federal Emergency Relief Administration was the new name given by the Roosevelt Administration to the Emergency Relief Administration which President Herbert Hoover had created in 1932...
, and soon thereafter moved to Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, where he was professor of sociology and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
. After holding additional faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, he joined the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1945 as professor and chair, and remained there for the rest of his career.
Lundberg served at the 33rd President of the American Sociological Society
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
. He was also president of the Pacific Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society
Eastern Sociological Society
Eastern Sociological Society is a non-profit organization with a mission of "promoting excellence in sociological scholarship and instruction." It publishes a peer-reviewed journal and holds a yearly academic conference, the Annual Meeting of Eastern Sociological Society....
, and the Sociological Research Association
Sociological Research Association
The Sociological Research Association is an honor society of sociological scholars founded in 1936.With more than 400 members, the association's importance comes from the members being leading sociologists who use the SRA's meetings to network and exchange views on the direction of the field...
, and was the editor of the journal Sociometry from 1941 to 1947.
Awards and honors
Lundberg was a FellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Medal of the University of Minnesota and an honorary doctorate in 1958 from the University of North Dakota. After his death, a conference of the Pacific Sociological Association was held in his honor.
Contributions
Lundberg's most lasting impression was made in his work entitled, Can Science Save Us?. However, Lundberg focused much of his research on the applications, limits, delimits, operational definitionOperational definition
An operational definition defines something in terms of the specific process or set of validation tests used to determine its presence and quantity. That is, one defines something in terms of the operations that count as measuring it. The term was coined by Percy Williams Bridgman and is a part of...
s, and linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
. Lundberg's approach to sociology is usually categorized as neo-positivism. Lundberg was critical of the Chicago School of sociology
Chicago school (sociology)
In sociology and later criminology, the Chicago School was the first major body of works emerging during the 1920s and 1930s specialising in urban sociology, and the research into the urban environment by combining theory and ethnographic fieldwork in Chicago, now applied elsewhere...
. He felt that their methodologies were not precise enough to generate reliable results.
Books
- Trends in American sociology (with Read Bain and Nels Anderson). Harper, 1929. Edited volume of a symposium of young sociologists.
- Social research : a study in methods of gathering data. Longmans, Green and Co., 1929. Reprinted 1942 and 1953. 2nd ed., Greenwood Press, 1968.
- Leisure: a suburban study (with Mirra Komarovsky and Mary Alice McInerny). Columbia University Press, 1934. Agathon Press, 1969.
- Foundations of sociology. The Macmillan Company, 1939; David McKay, 1964.
- Can science save us? Longmans, Green and Co., 1947.
- Sociology (with Otto N. Larsen and Clarence C. Schrag). Harper & Row, 1958; 4th ed., McGraw Hill, 1968.