Lynching as a social phenomenon has declined from the time when it was virtually a daily occurrence to an infrequent event. The current instances of violence would not generally qualify as "lynchings" in the sense ofthat word. Multiple reasons for this decline are given. The enigmatic Theodore Roosevelt serves as an excellent test case for the "why" of the decline. He spoke loudly on this issue, but did not use the big stick of the federal government in this crusade. His attempt to utilize public opinion while achieving a dramatic reduction in the number of lynchings still failed at elimination. Consequently, on this issue, unlike others, such as conservation, he can be seen as a traditional 19th century fígure rather than the proactive president leading the progressives into the 20th century.
Pi Gamma Mu’s commitment to scholarship in the social sciences is manifested most tangibly through the publication of our peer-reviewed journal, the International Social Science Review. An edition of the ISSR appears each summer and another appears each winter. Each edition contains about four peer-reviewed articles. Each edition also contains about 15 book reviews, which are written by scholars and carefully polished for publication by the book-review editor and the editor-in-chief.
Pi Gamma Mu is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. Our mission is to encourage and recognize superior scholarship in social-science disciplines and to foster cooperation and social service among its members. Pi Gamma Mu serves the various social-science disciplines which seek to understand and explain human behavior and social relationships as well as their related problems and issues. Currently, there are 150 active chapters in the United States and overseas. Pi Gamma Mu's constitution defines the social sciences to include the disciplines of history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, international relations, criminal justice, social work, social philosophy, history of education, and cultural/human geography. Membership is also extended to interdisciplinary social-science areas that build on the core social-science disciplines, such as business and society, education, minority studies, public administration, international studies, public finance, leadership studies, consumer behavior, public policy and organizational behavior. In 2004, student trustee Jamie Cooper drafted and the Board of Trustees approved a streamlined statement of purpose: “The mission of Pi Gamma Mu is to encourage and promote excellence in the social sciences and to uphold the ideals of scholarship and service.”
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