Sociology (M.A.) Program Details
Degree Requirements
❱ Required coursework
❱ Qualifying or comprehensive examination
❱ Graduate School writing proficiency requirement
❱ Graduate School Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requirement
❱ Thesis
❱ Final oral examination/Thesis defense
Research Specializations
❱ Social Inequality
❱ Medical Sociology
Research Areas & Interests
Faculty Areas of Expertise
| First Name | Last Name | Research Area & Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Terri | Adams | Sociology of disaster, policing, gender violence |
| Anaheed | Al-Hardan | Global and transnational sociology, historical sociology, postcolonial sociology |
| Christopher | Gunderson | Social theory, social movements, latin american social movements, contentious politics, revolutions and revolutionary movements, world systems analysis, globalization, political economy |
| Nicole | Jenkins | Black Feminist Theory/ Intersectional Frameworks , AI in qualitative methodologies /research analysis, global ethnographic fieldwork/ international data collection , natural hair, beauty politics, and black identity, institutional racism/ structural violence, transnational black feminisms, social justice/ community-based research, qualitative research methods, motherhood and maternal theory, sociology of the body and embodiment |
| Marie | Jipguep-Akthar | Social inequality, Black sociology, structural racism and racial bias, racialized disparities in health and the criminal justice system |
| Jasmine | Kelekay | Black Feminism, global African diaspora, Black Europe, critical criminology, policing, sociology of law, global & transnational sociology, space, place, & urban sociology, culture & media, ethnography & qualitative methods |
| Ron | Manuel | Quantitative data analysis, sociology of aging and health |
| Bahiyyah | Muhammad | Children of incarcerated parents, positive youth justice, global criminal justice, ethnographic research, prisoners and higher education, race, gender and crime, inside out pedagogy, motherhood and academia |
| Carolette | Norwood | Gendered racism and violence, Black feminism, reproductive justice and sexual health, qualitative and mixed methods research, intersectional spatialities (race, gender, class, sexuality, space, place) |
| Patrice | Wright | Medical sociology, reproductive justice, intersectionality, cultural sociology |
| Yan Liang (Jerry) | Yu | Marriage, intimate partnership and health, aging and health over the life course, sociology of the family, social inequalities in health, and quantitative research methods |
Sampling of Research
A sampling of research interests
- Effect of racial bias and interracial anxiety on medical judgment
- Investigations of how social, commercial, and political institutions interface with new technology and shape properties of technological affordance
- The historical relationship between forms of penal confinement and the accumulation of profits under economic systems
- Africana/black feminist theory and intersectionality
- Implications of violence (structural, spatial, and interpersonal) on reproductive and sexual health injustice for Black women
- Social impacts of severe weather and protective action and evacuation responses of disaster victims
- Public outreach in archaeology
- Lived experiences of children of incarcerated parents
- Coloniality and resistance concerning counter-memory and decolonial knowledge
Research Subfields
Social Inequality
This concentration focuses on the forces that produce and reproduce the various aspects of social inequality in the U.S. and global society. It analyses historical systems and structures of global capitalism and economic exploitation, political oppression, and domination, including white supremacy and patriarchy, and ideological and cultural hegemony and their contemporary expressions in the 21st-century globalized electronic-based society. It also examines agencies of transformation and social movements, the theory-practice nexus, and public sociology that seek to change policy and/or eliminate the systemic roots of social inequality. Students apply theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical skills to study various issues and problems related to social inequality and social change.
Medical Sociology
Medical Sociology focuses on the social contexts of physical and mental health. It examines the subjective aspects of illness, the interplay of social inequality and health and health behaviors, and physician-patient relationships, focusing on gender and race. In addition, it presents a discussion on the organization and structure of the healthcare system and the social forces that influence that system. Core courses also stress the dynamics of health populations, the etiology of diseases, the distribution of health conditions resulting from socio-demographic and related disorders, and health services research. Students apply their theoretical and analytical skills to investigate topics relevant to health, illness, and healthcare.
Program of Study*
CORE COURSES
SOCI 300 Sociological Theory I
SOCI 301 Sociological Theory II
SOCI 310 Sociological Research I
SOCI 311 Sociological Research II
SOCI 219 Advanced Statistics I
Any two of SOCI 250, 302, and 303: Race, Inequality, and the Black Experience
**Students admitted into the program who have not completed undergraduate coursework in Sociological Theory, Sociological Research Methods, or Statistics must complete departmental prerequisite course requirements (SOCI 200, 210 and/or 211).
All students must earn a grade of B or better in each course designated as a core requirement.
ELECTIVE COURSES
A sampling of elective courses
SOCI 201 History of Social Thought
SOCI 265 Intergroup Relations
SOCI 441 Urban Policy Formation
SOCI 215 Medical Traditions Across Cultures
SOCI 230 Principles of Demography
SOCI 227 Sociology of Environmental Health
SOCI 284 Sociology of Mental Health
SOCI 622 Attitude Scale Construction
SOCI 233 Women in Development
SOCI 240 Urban Sociology
SOCI 250 Social Stratification
SOCI 251 Sociology of Poverty
SOCI 255 Sociology of Power
SOCI 525 Social Psychology of Organizations
SOCI 510 Experimental Research
SOCI 270 Principles of Criminal Justice
SOCI 643 Current Issues in Metropolitan Growth
SOCI 982 Readings in Medical Sociology I
SOCI 750 Issues in Stratification and Political Sociology
SOCI 487 Social Psychology of Aging and Health
SOCI 601 Contemporary Issues in Sociological Theory
SOCI 643 Current Issues in Metropolitan Growth
THESIS
A student must research, write, and defend a Master’s Thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to integrate theoretical insights and methodological skills in the formulation and investigation of a sociological problem.
*Courses included in the sample program of study are subject to change. Students should consult with their programs regarding their required program of study.
Admission to Candidacy
Students are admitted to formal candidacy by the Graduate School when they have completed the required coursework, passed the qualifying or comprehensive examination, submitted an approved topic for research, and been recommended by the Department. Candidates must also have satisfied the Graduate School writing proficiency requirement and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requirement.
Graduate Funding
Graduate research or teaching assistantships may be available at the department level. Research assistants and teaching assistants work no more than 20 hours a week under the program's direction, usually in support of faculty research (research assistants) or in support of assigned courses (teaching assistants).