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"Relational sociology was conceived by theorists frustrated by what they viewed as an incomplete accounting of social reality. Torn between notions of structural rigidity on the one hand and rational choice individualism on the other, relational sociologists have sought new units of analysis. Social reality, they have argued, is manufactured through relationships. People are who they are, and society is what it is, not because of some individual or collective "essence," but rather because of the networks that social beings build amongst one another. Relational Sociology and Research on Schools, Colleges, and Universities demonstrates the value of introducing new relational methods and epistemologies in educational research. Across seven original chapters, the editors, William G. Tierney and Suneal Kolluri, and a series of leading and emerging scholars in the field examine the roles and significance of ongoing transactions among connected social actors-students, peers, families, teachers-in a variety of institutional contexts. The book explores various uses and applications of relational sociology in education while highlighting its promise to provide fresh insight into intractable problems of inequity in United States schools"--

Scholarly yet provocatively written, Academic Outlaws presents a discussion of how life in the academic world is experienced by gay men and lesbian women. Using a narrative style that mixes autobiography, case study data and fiction, William G Tierney provides timely insight into the challenges gays and lesbians face in higher education and proposes an alternative process for redefining long-established cultural norms

The author discusses the roots of academic freedom in the American research university. He begins by discussing the Ross case at Stanford University and suggests that the case revolved around what would be seen today as "hate speech." He then turns to the more current case of Sami Al-Arian, who was fired from his tenured position at the University of South Florida after he was suspected of being a terrorist. The author argues that the role of the intellectual is being tested today in ways that are new and current, and that however distasteful, it is essential to protect the rights of all academics, even those with whom we disagree.

This article delineates the four most significant areas of potential tenure reform. The author offers the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and provides examples of why such suggestions have been made and what has occurred. The article concludes with an alternative suggestion about how to solve some of the problems that currently exist in the academy that does not necessitate changing tenure.