BY-LAWS OF THE
SECTION ON THE
SOCIOLOGY OF EMOTIONS
Drafted
1987; Revised 1990, 1992, and 1999
The purpose of the Section on the Sociology of Emotions is
to promote the general development of this field through the organized
interchange of ideas, research results, and materials for teaching. To these
ends the Section will sponsor meetings, conferences, newsletters, and other
means of communication deemed appropriate by the Council of the Section. The
term emotion shall be interpreted in its broadest sense from episodic
bodily expressions and effective postures to enduring sentiments, as they relate
to social behavior and social organizations.
Officers of the Section
The officers of the Section shall be a Chairperson, a past Chairperson, a
Chairperson-Elect, a Secretary-Treasurer, and a Newsletter Editor appointed by
Council. These five officers will be members of the Section Council. In
addition, there will be three other elected members resulting in an eight member
Council. The section Chair shall serve one year. The past Chairperson shall
serve one year after serving as Chairperson. The Chair-Elect shall serve
for one year in that position prior to assuming the Chair. The
Secretary-Treasurer, the Editor of the section newsletter and the three elected
members of the Section council shall serve for two years.
Officers shall not succeed themselves in the same office.
If an elected office is vacated before the term is completed, it shall be filled
through appointment by the Chair for the unexpired term, subject to confirmation
by the Council at its next meeting. Officers must be voting members of the
American Sociological Association and members of the Section on the Sociology of
Emotions.
Powers of the Officers
The Council is vested in principle with the power to carry
out all necessary operations for the Section, acting as the representative of
the membership of the Section. Any action of the Section, including proposed
changes of the By-Laws, may be brought to vote of the Section by the Council, or
by a petition of 10 percent of the members of the Section, or by 25 members of
the Section, whichever is less. The functions of the Council include
cooperating with the Program Committee of the American Sociological Association
in planning the presentation of its field of interest in the Annual Meeting of
the Association. Questions of major program and policy concerns shall be
brought before the membership.
Elections and Voting
The elections of the Section shall be carried out in
cooperation with the American Sociological Association and coordinated with its
schedule. A simple majority of the members voting on candidates for
Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, or Secretary-Treasurer shall determine the
outcome, In the election of Council members (normally two candidates for each
of the three positions for Council Members-at-Large) the candidates having the
largest number of votes shall be the elected Council members. Newly elected
officers shall assume office on the day following the annual business meeting of
the Section at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.
Newly elected officers may attend meetings of the Council as non-voting
participants prior to assuming office.
Committees
Nominating Committee. The
purpose of this committee shall be to nominate and coordinate the election of
Section officers for the following year. At least two candidates will be
presented for each office by the Committee on Nominations. Members of the
committee shall not nominate themselves. The committee will be appointed by the
Council for a one-year term, renewable for a second year and will consist of at
least five members. One member of the committee will be designated by the
Council as Chair of that committee.
Publications Committee.
The purpose of the Publications
Committee shall be to prepare a Section newsletter to be distributed to all
Section members at least two times per year. It shall report to the Council on
matters of publication that may foster the discipline. The committee shall
present an annual report on business expenses to the council as well as special
problems. The Committee, comprised of two members and a Chair, shall be
appointed by Council of the Section for two-year terms (with the term of one
member expiring each year). The Editor of the Section newsletter (1) will be the
Chair of the Publications Committee, (2) will serve as an officer on the Section
Council, and (3) will be the liaison person for communication with the American
Sociological Association on matters concerning printing and distribution.
Program Committee.
There shall be a 3-member
Program Committee for the purpose of organizing the Section Day program for the
following year's meeting of the American Sociological Association. Membership
shall be for one year (with the term of at least one member expiring each year),
renewable for an additional year. The Council of the Section shall appoint the
membership. Council shall appoint the Chair of the Program Committee.
Award Committees
Lifetime Achievement Award
Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to solicit nominations for and
select recipients of the Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations for
the award will be solicited annually but the committee has the discretion not to
name a recipient in any given year. Any nominations in years in which the award
is not given shall be automatically considered for the following year.
Recipients must be members of the Section and have a record of several years of
scholarly work (books and/or articles) of exceptional merit that has developed
and extended the sociology of emotions empirically, theoretically, or
methodologically. The award shall not include a monetary prize. The Committee
shall consist of a Chair and two additional members appointed by Council.
Outstanding Recent
Contribution Award Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to solicit
nominations for and select the recipient of the Section’s Annual Outstanding
Recent Contribution Award. The award will be given in alternate years to the
author of the most outstanding book and most outstanding article published in
the preceding three years that advances the sociology of emotions empirically,
theoretically, or methodologically. The recipient must be a member of the
Section. The award shall be given for the outstanding recent book in the first
year after adoption of this amendment and for the outstanding recent article the
following year. The award shall not include a monetary prize. The Committee
shall consist of a Chair and two additional members appointed by Council.
Graduate Student Paper Award
Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to solicit nominations for and
select the recipient of the Section’s annual Graduate Student Paper Award. The
award shall be given to the author of the most outstanding, article length
graduate student paper that contributes to the sociology of emotions
empirically, theoretically, or methodologically. Authors of eligible papers must
be graduate students at the time of the papers submission. Multiple authored
papers are eligible for the award if all authors are graduate students. Papers
submitted for presentation or publication and those already presented or
published are eligible as are unpublished and yet to be presented papers. The
award may include a monetary prize as determined by Council. The Committee shall
consist of a Chair and two additional members appointed by Council.
Other committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson of
the Section with the approval of the Council on an ad hoc basis.
Membership
The membership of the Section shall be drawn from members
of the American Sociological Association, without regard to the classification
of their memberships, who have expressed an interest in the study of emotion.
Members who do not pay their Section dues shall be suspended and dropped from
the rolls.
Dues
Dues will be set by the Council to cover the operation of
the Section in accord with the requirements of the American Sociological
Association. In addition, members of the Section shall be assessed as necessary
(within the limits established by the American Sociological Association) to
carry out any program undertaken by the Section.
