University of Washington. Dept. of Sociology.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Washington was established in 1917 and awarded its first doctorate in 1932. It became one of the first American sociology departments to view sociology as a scientific discipline. As a consequence, the graduate curriculum placed particular emphasis on general theory and quantitative methodology. Faculty conducted research in three principal areas: the discovery of new empirical facts, the imputation of causal mechanisms, and the rigorous testing of general theories. The Washington Public Opinion Laboratory, established jointly by the University of Washington and Washington State University in 1947, conducted basic scientific research, civic research on current social problems, and methodological research to improve polling processes. From 1950 on, the laboratory was directed entirely by the University of Washington, and in 1961 it became the Institute for Sociological Research, continuing until approximately 1974.

From the description of University of Washington Department of Sociology records, 1920-2003. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70862427