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"When the term 'e-Science' became popular, it frequently was referred to as 'enhanced science' or 'electronic science'. More telling is the definition 'e-Science is about global collaboration in key areas of science and the next generation of infrastructure that will enable it' (Taylor, 2001). The question arises to what extent can the social sciences profit from recent developments in e-Science infrastructure? While computing, storage and network capacities so far were sufficient to accommodate and access social science data bases, new capacities and technologies support new types of research, e.g. linking and analysing transactional or audiovisual data. Increasingly collaborative working by researchers in distributed networks is efficiently supported and new resources are available for e-learning. Whether these new developments become transformative or just helpful will very much depend on whether their full potential is recognized and creatively integrated into new research designs by theoretically innovative scientists. Progress in e-Science was very much linked to the vision of the Grid as 'a software infrastructure that enables flexible, secure, coordinated resource sharing among dynamic collections of individuals, institutions and resources' and virtually unlimited computing capacities (Foster et al. 2000). In the Social Sciences there has been considerable progress in using modern IT-technologies for multilingual access to virtual distributed research databases across Europe and beyond (e.g. NESSTAR, CESSDA - Portal), data portals for access to statistical offices and for linking access to data, literature, project, expert and other data bases (e.g. Digital Libraries, VASCODA/ SOWIPORT). Whether future developments will need GRID enabling of social science databases or can be further developed using WEB 2.0 support is currently an open question. The challenges here are seamless integration and interoperability of data bases, a requirement that is also stipulated by internationalisation and trans-disciplinary research. This goes along with the need for standards and harmonisation of data and metadata. Progress powered by e-infrastructure is, among others, dependent on regulatory frameworks and human capital well trained in both, data science and research methods. It is also dependent on sufficient critical mass of the institutional infrastructure to efficiently support a dynamic research community that wants to 'take the lead without catching up'." (author's abstract)

SOCIAL SCIENTISTS TEND TO WORRY ABOUT RAINSING THIS LEVEL OF INTRISIC USEFULNESS OF SPCEIFIC STUDIES WHILE GOVERNMENT PEOPLE TEND TO FOCUS ON INCREASING POLITICAL USEFULNESS. BOTH GROUPS SEEM TO OVERLOOK THE NEGATIVE IMPACT THEIR REFORM MIGHT HAVE ON THE INTELLECTUAL USEFULNESS OF RESEARCH PROGRAMS.

Social sciences have gone too far in their specialization; their highly sophisticated methodological input is bringing diminishing returns in understanding the complexities & development trends of modern societies. More thought should be devoted to an integrated social science approach & to further elaboration of the broad-ranging theories of earlier times. In order not to fall victim to an orientation dilemma, ie, where one knows too much about too little, or too little about too much, a strategy of four-fold balance is delineated: balance in focus, in proportionality, in conceptualization, & in method. Modified AA.

How can specific courses taken by journalism students as liberal arts background be categorized when journalism educators and their deans in liberal arts colleges disagree in assigning subjects to such broad areas as the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities and fine arts?