Subseries IV.4: Columbia University, 1940-2001
- Highlight
- involvement with the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences, a direct descendent of the Bureau of
- Abstract Or Scope
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This subseries portrays Merton's faculty affiliation with Columbia University through records related to public lectures, conference and event attendance, departmental involvement, awards, and service on numerous committees. Prominent in this subseries is material detailing Merton's extensive involvement with the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences, a direct descendent of the Bureau of Applied Social Research and the Center for Social Sciences. Merton grouped all material related to Lazarsfeld in this section. Items include original correspondence with Lazarsfeld, material pertaining to Lazarsfeld's life and work, and records related to the creation of the bookQualitative and Quantitative Research: Papers in Honor of Paul F. Lazarsfeld,of which Merton was a contributing editor. The Paul F. Lazarsfeld items in boxes #444-448 were compiled by Merton and contain general musings, notes, and recollections about Lazarsfeld using a variety of themes. It appears that Merton compiled this material in preparation for a talk at the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Colloquium at the Sorbonne in 1994. Also present in this subseries are Merton's Sociology Department administrative files. These files characterize the operations of the department, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, and Merton's involvement and thoughts regarding departmental procedures and decisions. Topics include faculty, courses, committees, fellowships, and visiting professors.