KEEPING SOCIOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE - FRANCIS,ROY ACADEMIC ODYSSEY

During a career that has spanned more than 40 years, Roy Francis has m ade substantial contributions to sociological teaching and research. B uilding on his experiences as a student, he holds dear the ideals of a liberal education and continues to search for new ways of transmittin g those ideals in the face of changing social patterns. A prolific wri ter, Francis' books and papers often examine the proper relations betw een theory and research and explore the potential of symbolic interact ionism as an epistemological framework. He has been active in sociolog y's professional affairs, especially in promoting visual sociology as a teaching and learning medium. His roles as a student, professor, adm inistrator, and president of the Midwest Sociological Society round ou t a career that has encompassed all facets of modem scholarship. In ea ch of these roles, Francis stresses the moral dimensions of the academ ic life, and he instills in his students the sense of intellectual obl igation to their scholarly forebears that he feels toward his own.