James Coleman showed Willem the way
To my surprise I received at the end of my first year at the Free University from the professor of Sociology an application form for a Unesco Seminar of two weeks that would take place the next summer in Bergen (Norway). This sounded so attractive that I immediately applied and to my complete surprise I was informed some time later that I was accepted as one of the 30 participants. Irmtraud and I decided that we should make use of the opportunity to go in our car from Bergen to the North Cape after the seminar. So I booked a boat trip for me and my deux cheveau car from Amsterdam to Bergen. Irmtraud would come only at the end of the seminar to Bergen by airplane.
The Revelation by James Coleman
The seminar took place in a hotel a bit outside Bergen. All students and the teachers stayed in the hotel. There were two teachers: Professor James Coleman from the USA and professor Raymond Boudon from France. The difference between the two could not be larger.
James Coleman had finished with a team in 1966 a big quantitative study for the US government with respect to “equal educational opportunities for individuals by reason of race, color, religion or national origin in public educational institutions”. The government expected mainly suggestions about differences in budgets for the schools in different areas. However, the research team did a much larger study to determine different possible reasons why unequal opportunities between groups could be observed. For this study they collected data from 600.000 students, 60.000 teachers from 4000 national public schools. The conclusion was not that there were differences in budgets between schools but that the family background of the children and the composition with respect to race of the school classes were much more important. First this result was not accepted by the government but later, when Nixon was in power, the government developed the famous bussing system, moving children to schools outside their living area, which should take care that the composition of the classes would be mixed with respect to race.
This whole process, making a research design, collect the data and analyze the data, was clearly explained to us in an excellent way. For me it showed that one could do fundamental quantitative sociological research which was relevant for the functioning of the society. So far I had not seen this possibility. I did social work or social science research but the link was not clear. I also learned that I needed much more knowledge of mathematics and statistics to be able to do such research.
The Revelation by James Coleman
The seminar took place in a hotel a bit outside Bergen. All students and the teachers stayed in the hotel. There were two teachers: Professor James Coleman from the USA and professor Raymond Boudon from France. The difference between the two could not be larger.
James Coleman had finished with a team in 1966 a big quantitative study for the US government with respect to “equal educational opportunities for individuals by reason of race, color, religion or national origin in public educational institutions”. The government expected mainly suggestions about differences in budgets for the schools in different areas. However, the research team did a much larger study to determine different possible reasons why unequal opportunities between groups could be observed. For this study they collected data from 600.000 students, 60.000 teachers from 4000 national public schools. The conclusion was not that there were differences in budgets between schools but that the family background of the children and the composition with respect to race of the school classes were much more important. First this result was not accepted by the government but later, when Nixon was in power, the government developed the famous bussing system, moving children to schools outside their living area, which should take care that the composition of the classes would be mixed with respect to race.
This whole process, making a research design, collect the data and analyze the data, was clearly explained to us in an excellent way. For me it showed that one could do fundamental quantitative sociological research which was relevant for the functioning of the society. So far I had not seen this possibility. I did social work or social science research but the link was not clear. I also learned that I needed much more knowledge of mathematics and statistics to be able to do such research.
The difference couldn´t be greater
The other teacher, professor Boudon, taught us his version of causal modelling which he called “Analyse de dependance” but it was the same as what already was known to me under name “path analysis”. Besides that, he had the habit to write with his right hand on the black board and to erase the information immediately with his left hand. If somebody asked him a question he normally said that the questions did not belong to his topic and left it to Professor Coleman to answer them. It will be clear that we did not learn much from him but a lot from Professor Coleman.
For me the course of Coleman in Bergen was a revelation and definitely converted me to a social scientist who liked to apply mathematics and statistics in quantitative research which could play a role in society. But before I could do this, I still had to learn a lot.
The other teacher, professor Boudon, taught us his version of causal modelling which he called “Analyse de dependance” but it was the same as what already was known to me under name “path analysis”. Besides that, he had the habit to write with his right hand on the black board and to erase the information immediately with his left hand. If somebody asked him a question he normally said that the questions did not belong to his topic and left it to Professor Coleman to answer them. It will be clear that we did not learn much from him but a lot from Professor Coleman.
For me the course of Coleman in Bergen was a revelation and definitely converted me to a social scientist who liked to apply mathematics and statistics in quantitative research which could play a role in society. But before I could do this, I still had to learn a lot.
The effect of strict laws against alcohol
The Scandinavian countries are well known for their strict rules with respect to alcohol. In the region of Bergen one could only buy alcoholic drinks in shops looking like pharmacies. In other areas there was a complete prohibition of selling alcoholic drinks. The consequences of these laws became very clear during my stay in Norway.
Once we were invited by the Norwegian organizer of the seminar for a party in his house. There were plenty of drinks available but what happened was that within one hour all Scandinavian people, staff and participants, were drunk sleeping along the sides of the rooms and we were left with only the non-Scandinavian people in the party. We were all very surprised.
The Scandinavian countries are well known for their strict rules with respect to alcohol. In the region of Bergen one could only buy alcoholic drinks in shops looking like pharmacies. In other areas there was a complete prohibition of selling alcoholic drinks. The consequences of these laws became very clear during my stay in Norway.
Once we were invited by the Norwegian organizer of the seminar for a party in his house. There were plenty of drinks available but what happened was that within one hour all Scandinavian people, staff and participants, were drunk sleeping along the sides of the rooms and we were left with only the non-Scandinavian people in the party. We were all very surprised.
During the weekend between the two weeks of the courses we made a trip on a boat to and through the Sognafjord. Luckily these two days were the only days that it did not rain. The trip and the fjord were amazingly beautiful. However, what impressed us also very much was, what we saw in a disco on Saturday night. We stayed overnight in an area along the Sognafjord which was an area where purchase of alcohol was completely forbidden, a so called ¨dry area”. We went rather early, around 9 p.m., to the disco where you could not order any alcohol drink. When the local people came in, we saw that many boys and girls were already drunk. I saw several girls, 15-16 years old, that fell on the floor and could not get up anymore, so drunk they were.
It seems that due to these prohibition laws excessive use of alcohol was rather promoted than reduced.
It seems that due to these prohibition laws excessive use of alcohol was rather promoted than reduced.
To the North Cape
At the end of the impressive seminar Irmtraud arrived in Bergen in order to go with me in the car to the North Cape. It was already the beginning of September that we started this trip. The road went through steep mountains and rough countrysides. Often we had to cross fjords which required to take a ferry to bring us to the other side. We had a tent with us to sleep but is was already quite cool and it was raining more or less permanently. So mostly we found somewhere on the way a small holiday cabins that we could rent for the night to sleep. There was hardly any traffic. It was often a shock to detect a car if we went around a corner of a mountain. The permanent rain reduced our enthusiasm about this trip. So we were hoping after driving in this way for a week that a visit to the town of Trondheim would improve again our feelings for this endeavor. However, in Trondheim the weather was even worse, even more rain and much more wind. So we gave up our plan to go to the North Cape and decided to go back home passing through Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Germany.
My future plan was much clearer now
We have seen a lot during this trip but the most important of this summer was undoubtedly that I had detected a way of doing social science research on a high level, which also could be relevant for the society we live in. I also knew what I had to do: I had to learn much more mathematics and statistics.
At the end of the impressive seminar Irmtraud arrived in Bergen in order to go with me in the car to the North Cape. It was already the beginning of September that we started this trip. The road went through steep mountains and rough countrysides. Often we had to cross fjords which required to take a ferry to bring us to the other side. We had a tent with us to sleep but is was already quite cool and it was raining more or less permanently. So mostly we found somewhere on the way a small holiday cabins that we could rent for the night to sleep. There was hardly any traffic. It was often a shock to detect a car if we went around a corner of a mountain. The permanent rain reduced our enthusiasm about this trip. So we were hoping after driving in this way for a week that a visit to the town of Trondheim would improve again our feelings for this endeavor. However, in Trondheim the weather was even worse, even more rain and much more wind. So we gave up our plan to go to the North Cape and decided to go back home passing through Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Germany.
My future plan was much clearer now
We have seen a lot during this trip but the most important of this summer was undoubtedly that I had detected a way of doing social science research on a high level, which also could be relevant for the society we live in. I also knew what I had to do: I had to learn much more mathematics and statistics.