children birth_place fields workplaces name birth_date spouse article_title citizenship alma_mater
david herman gans cologne , germany sociology , social planning columbia university -lrb- 1971-2007 -rrb- herbert j. gans may 7 , 1927 louise gruner herbert j. gans
 usa university of pennsylvania
herbert j. gans

herbert j. gans -lrb- born may 7 , 1927 -rrb- is a german-born american sociologist who has taught at columbia university between 1971 and 2007 .
one of the most prolific and influential sociologists of his generation , gans came to america in 1940 as a refugee from nazism and has sometimes described his scholarly work as an immigrant 's attempt to understand america .
he trained in sociology at the university of chicago , where he studied with david riesman and everett hughes , among others , and in social planning at the university of pennsylvania , where he studied primarily with martin meyerson .
herbert j. gans served as the 78th president of the american sociological association .
