This title was first published in 2001. A detailed investigation of the practice of teaching sociology in a climate of increasing scrutiny from external stakeholders. The book explores an academic community accustomed to deconstructing the practices of other professional groups, but now facing a challenge to some of its own beliefs and assumptions.

Contents: Introduction, Eric Harrison and Robert Mears; Called to account: the last autonomous profession, Robert Mears; The practice of assessing sociology, Eric Harrison; Benchmarking the sociology discipline, Joan Chandler; The limits of managerialism and the need for collegialism in assessment: the case of dissertations in sociology, Andrew Pilkington, Chris Winch and Ruchira Leisten; Capturing experience and sorting it out: using autobiographical approaches as learning strategies in social science, Barbara Harrison and Nod Miller; Using computer-assisted assessment in sociology, Victor Jupp, Lee Barron and Alan Heslington; Social relations and intellectual evaluation in self and peer assessment, Jennifer Platt, Rebecca Willison, Tim Reed, Helen Graham, John Abraham and Ruth Woodfield; Conclusion: reflection and speculation, Eric Harrison and Robert Mears; Bibliography; Index.