The vocation to teach Sociology: François Dubet’s Sociology and the choice of a degree in Social Sciences Teacher at UERJ and UFRJ

Abstract

With the advent of Law 11.684/08, the demand for undergraduate courses in social sciences in Brazil has increased. Understanding that the adoption of the discipline of Sociology in high school is part of a historical process of intermittence. The present research aims to analyze the trajectories of graduates from two undergraduate courses in Sociology at the University do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and the University Federal do Rio de Janeiro. To this end, 17 interviews were conducted with graduates of these courses, in search of their motivation for choosing the course. Based on François Dubet’s Sociology, we observed that there was a process of influence from teachers and family members in the academic trajectory of these students. Furthermore, as a result, we noticed that part of the interviewees pursued a degree in Social Sciences due to the ease of access to higher education, and, consequently, to obtain a diploma in a public university. Finally, we address the theme of teacher education in Brazil, pointing to the possibility of realizing how multiple is the process of construction of the choice for the degree course in Social Sciences.