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About
Charles Gattone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Law at the University of Florida. He has published in the areas of epistemology, social thought, culture, and media. His most recent book, A Balanced Epistemological Orientation for the Social Sciences (Lexington Books, 2020) critically examines positivism, relativism, interpretivism, and intersubjectivism to identify their strengths and weaknesses and provide the foundation for a theoretically informed and balanced epistemological orientation for social research. He also focuses on the public role of social scientists and the connections between their work and the directions of society broadly. His book, The Social Scientist as Public Intellectual: Critical Reflections in a Changing World (Roman & Littlefield, 2006) identifies some of the principal challenges social scientists have had to confront in today’s academic environment and addresses key questions regarding their role as public intellectuals. This book outlines the ideas of salient thinkers on this topic including Max Weber, John Kenneth Galbraith, C. Wright Mills, and Pierre Bourdieu, building on their analyses to identify the ways contemporary social scientists can approach their work in a rigorous manner while also being aware of their connections to public affairs. In addition, Gattone has written several articles on the intersections between social science, culture, and media, including “The Social Scientist as Public Intellectual in an Age of Mass Media” (Fall 2012), “Image and Persuasion: The Machiavellian World of Advertising and Public Relations” (Spring, 2002), “The Role of the Intellectual in Public Affairs” (Winter, 2000), and “Media and Politics in the Information Age” (Fall, 1996). At the University of Florida, he teaches the graduate seminars Classical Sociological Theory, Contemporary Sociological Theory, Sociology of Culture and Media, and the undergraduate classes Development of Sociological Thought and Media and Society. He received his Ph.D. from The New School for Social Research in 2000 and taught as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology at Oberlin College. He joined the faculty at the University of Florida in the Fall of 2001.
CV (PDF)
Teaching
Undergraduate Courses
- SYA 4110: Development of Sociological Thought
- SYG 2000: Introduction to Sociology
- SYG 2010: Social Problems
- Social Change
- Sociology of Education
- Knowledge and Politics
- Media and Society
Graduate Courses
- SYA 6018: Classical Sociological Theory
- SYA 6126: Contemporary Sociological Theory
- Sociology of Culture and Media
Research
Areas of Specialization
- Sociological Theory
- Epistemology
- Sociology of Culture
- Sociology of Knowledge
- Media Studies
Charles Gattone’s research challenges social scientists to rethink the starting assumptions underlying their work by outlining the characteristics of an epistemologically balanced orientation for social science. Relying on such an orientation means seeking a deeper understanding of the social world without losing sight of the constructed nature of one’s conceptual frames. It involves adopting a reflexive position with regard to the norms and traditions in one’s area of specialization and in the field as a whole. Epistemologically balanced social research is neither the dispassionate gathering of factual information, nor the elaboration of universal assessments formed on the basis of armchair speculation. It involves engaging in inquiry in an independent and open-minded manner and being aware of the perspectival character of the claims being made in the attempt to shed new light on social phenomena. The caliber of social science can be elevated when researchers recognize the symbolic nature of their work and the significance of their conclusions in the larger social order.
Gattone’s writing also focuses on the role of intellectuals in politics and the relationship between social science and contemporary cultural, political, and economic trends. He argues that although institutional pressures continue to influence the course of academic knowledge, opportunities remain for social scientists to act independently of these constraints and approach their work as public intellectuals.
Gattone is currently involved in an examination of the major societal trends unfolding in the modern world, including an investigation into the connections between social location, life experience, and worldview. This work focuses on the ways socialization through family, peers, school, culture, and media relate to personal perspectives and can influence one’s values and personal convictions. Gattone examines the ties between prevailing perspectives and emerging trends, studying the link between conventional understandings of everyday events and the directions of society on a broad scale. The goal of this project is to develop new insight into the challenges of modernity and offer suggestions about how to address these challenges.
Selected Publications
- A Balanced Epistemological Orientation for the Social Sciences (Lexington Books, 2020).
- The Social Scientist as Public Intellectual: Critical Reflections in a Changing World, Rowman & Littlefield, 2006.
- “The Social Scientist as Intellectual in an Age of Mass Media,” The International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Volume 26, Fall 2012.
- “John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-)” The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, (Bristol, UK: Thoemmes Press, 2005).
- “Image and Persuasion: The Machiavellian World of Advertising and Public Relations,” The International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society, Volume 15, Number 3, Spring 2002.
- “The Role of the Intellectual in Public Affairs,” Theory and Science, Winter, 2000.
- “Media and Politics in the Information Age,” The International Journal of Politics Culture and Society, Volume 10, Number 1, Fall 1996, pp. 193 – 202.
Contact
Dr. Charles Gattone, Ph.D.
Office: Turlington Hall, Room 3352
Email: cgattone@ufl.edu
Phone: (352) 294-7171
P.O. Box 117330
University of Florida
Gainesville FL 32611-7330