Frederic Thrasher
Encyclopedia
Frederic Milton Thrasher (1892-1962) was a sociologist at the University of Chicago
. He was a colleague of Robert E. Park
and was one of the most prominent members of the Chicago School of Sociology in the 1920s.
Thrasher was born in Shelbyville, Indiana
in 1892; he graduated B.A. from DePauw University
in 1916 in social psychology
; he then did an MA in 1918, at Chicago
with a thesis on "The Boy Scout Movement as A Socializing Agency." He then took a PhD in Chicago
in 1926, on Gangs. Thrasher's epic work: The Gang: a study of 1313 gangs in Chicago, was published in 1927.It said that "neighborhoods in transition are breeding grounds for gangs." Thrasher’s work on gangs was one of a series of outstanding doctoral studies completed under Robert E. Park
’s direction in the "golden era" of the University of Chicago
Sociology Department.
In the 1930s he then moved to New York
where he taught at the Steinhardt School of Education of New York University
, becoming Professor of educational sociology
and retiring in 1959. While there he initiated a media studies
programme where he began a series of studies of the effects of motion pictures on children. His courses on the subject were path breaking, including a course, begun in 1934, named “The Motion Picture: Its Artistic, Educational and Social Aspects.” He also served widely as a consultant to groups concerned with motion pictures, crime
, prison reform
, and prevention of juvenile delinquency
.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He was a colleague of Robert E. Park
Robert E. Park
Robert Ezra Park was an American urban sociologist, one of the main founders of the original Chicago School of sociology.-Life:...
and was one of the most prominent members of the Chicago School of Sociology in the 1920s.
Thrasher was born in Shelbyville, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in 1892; he graduated B.A. from DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in 1916 in social psychology
Social psychology (sociology)
Social psychology , known as sociological social psychology, and sometimes as psychological sociology, is an area of sociology that focuses on social actions and on interrelations of personality, values, and mind with social structure and culture...
; he then did an MA in 1918, at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
with a thesis on "The Boy Scout Movement as A Socializing Agency." He then took a PhD in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1926, on Gangs. Thrasher's epic work: The Gang: a study of 1313 gangs in Chicago, was published in 1927.It said that "neighborhoods in transition are breeding grounds for gangs." Thrasher’s work on gangs was one of a series of outstanding doctoral studies completed under Robert E. Park
Robert E. Park
Robert Ezra Park was an American urban sociologist, one of the main founders of the original Chicago School of sociology.-Life:...
’s direction in the "golden era" of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Sociology Department.
In the 1930s he then moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he taught at the Steinhardt School of Education of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, becoming Professor of educational sociology
Sociology of education
The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher, further, adult, and continuing...
and retiring in 1959. While there he initiated a media studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
programme where he began a series of studies of the effects of motion pictures on children. His courses on the subject were path breaking, including a course, begun in 1934, named “The Motion Picture: Its Artistic, Educational and Social Aspects.” He also served widely as a consultant to groups concerned with motion pictures, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, prison reform
Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
, and prevention of juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
.
Publications
- 1927: The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago, University of Chicago Press
- 1931: "Social Attitudes of Superior Boys in an Interstitial Community" In K. Young (ed) Social Attitudes. New York: Henry Holt (1931): 236-264.
- 1933: Juvenile delinquency and crime prevention. Journal of Educational Sociology, 6, 500-509
- 1935: Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets by James T Farrell, with an Introduction by Frederic M. Thrasher. Vanguard Books. First edition, with an additional Introduction by Robert Morss Lovett
- 1946: Okay for Sound: How the Screen Found its Voice, New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce
- 1949: "The Comics and Delinquency: Cause or Scapegoat," 23 J. Educ. Sociology 195 (1949)
- 1954: “Do the Crime Comic Books Promote Juvenile Delinquency?” The Congressional DigestCongressional digestCongressional Digest, published by Congressional Digest Corporation, is an independent monthly publication with offices in Washington, DC. Congressional Digest was founded in 1921 by suffragette Alice Gram Robinson with the goal of presenting, in her words, “an impartial view of controversial...
, 33(12), December