Stuart C. Dodd
Encyclopedia
Stuart Carter Dodd was an American sociologist and an educator, who published research on the Middle East
and on mathematical sociology
, and was a pioneer in scientific polling
.
in 1926. He began his career as professor of Sociology
and Director of the Social Science Research Section of the American University of Beirut
. During World War II
, Dodd directed opinion survey work for the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Sicily
and the Near East
.
After the war in 1947, Dodd was appointed Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington and director of the newly created Public Opinion Laboratory, the precursor for the Institute For Sociological Research at the University of Washington
, where he remained until 1961. End 1950s he was among the first members of the Society for General Systems Research
. He further served on the board of the Forum Foundations, which conducted futures research in the field of Administrative Theory and Many-to-Many Communication technology.
He was a Fellow of the National Research Council
and the Rockefeller Foundation
.
Articles
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and on mathematical sociology
Mathematical sociology
Mathematical sociology is the usage of mathematics to construct social theories. Mathematical sociology aims to take sociological theory, which is strong in intuitive content but weak from a formal point of view, and to express it in formal terms...
, and was a pioneer in scientific polling
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
.
Biography
Stuart Dodd graduated from Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1926. He began his career as professor of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and Director of the Social Science Research Section of the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dodd directed opinion survey work for the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
.
After the war in 1947, Dodd was appointed Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington and director of the newly created Public Opinion Laboratory, the precursor for the Institute For Sociological Research 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...
, where he remained until 1961. End 1950s he was among the first members of the Society for General Systems Research
Society for General Systems Research
The Society for General Systems Research is predecessor of the current International Society for the Systems Sciences , known to be one the first interdisciplinary and international co-operations in the field of systems theory and systems science...
. He further served on the board of the Forum Foundations, which conducted futures research in the field of Administrative Theory and Many-to-Many Communication technology.
He was a Fellow of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
and the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
.
Work
Dodd was a leading expert on typical statistical polling as head of the Washington State Public Opinion Laboratory at the University of Washington in the 1960s. He was the only pollster to accurately predict, that President Truman would defeat Governor Dewey and was called to testify before Congress as to how that all happened.Bogardus Scale
In 1954 Dodd and Nehnevasja became known for their introduction of precise metric distances into the Bogardus scale. According to Ethington, "revising some of the Bogardus response items and converting each to a power of 10 meters, they captured an almost convincing, common-sense physical distance for each item. Dodd and Nehnevasja had no intention of restoring geometric distance to any kind of constitutive role in the social process. Their sole objective, in fact, was to find an even more objective, trans-spatial metric".Publications
He authored several textbooks for the university's curriculum, most notably- 1931, Social Relationships in the Near East (1931),
- 1934, A Controlled Experiment on Rural Hygiene in Syria
- 1936, The Standard Error of a 'Social Force
- 1942, Dimensions of Society: A Quantitative Systematics For the Social Sciences
- 1943, A Pioneer Radio Poll in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine'
- 1947, Systematic Social Science: A Dimensional Sociology
Articles
- 1927. "On criteria for factorising correlated variables". In: Biometrika 1927 19(1-2). pp.45-52.
- 1947. "The World Association for Public Opinion Research". In: The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1, Anniversary Issue Devoted to Twenty Years of Public Opinion Research (Spring, 1957), pp. 179-184.
- 1952. "Model English for Mechanical Translation: An Example of a National Language Regularized for Electronic Translators".
- 1973. "Techniques for Obtaining Rank Orderings". With: J. David Mart. In: Sociological Methods & Research, Vol. 1, No. 3, 317-327.
- 1976. A Scientific Foundation for World Culture. With Burt Webb.