Why, Where, and How to Infuse the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory into the Sociology Curriculum

Summary: The Atlanta Sociological Laboratory is the moniker bestowed on scholars engaged in sociological research at Atlanta University between 1895 and 1924. Under the leadership of W. E. B. Du Bois, 1897–1914, this school made substantive yet marginalized contributions to the discipline. Its accomplishments include, but are not limited to, its establishment of the first American school of sociology, the first sociology program to institutionalize the use of the insider researcher, the first sociology program to institutionalize the practice of method triangulation, and the first sociology program to institutionalize the acknowledgment of limitations in its publications. Despite these accomplishments, the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory remains unknown to most professional sociologists. This article examines why the accomplishments of this school should be incorporated into the sociology curriculum, where this school should be incorporated into the sociology curriculum, and how this school can be incorporated into the sociology curriculum.