M.A. in Sociology

Curriculum | Professional Development | Financial Assistance | Thesis Guidelines | Non-Thesis Guidelines

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers programs leading to the degree of Master of Arts. The faculty maintains an active research agenda while placing a strong emphasis on teaching and mentorship. Students learn both qualitative and quantitative methods and are exposed to a variety of subfields and theoretical perspectives. The faculty’s core strengths include: culture—food, identity, literature, and youth subcultures; international development; media; demography; social movements; inequalities—race, class, and gender; quantitative methods; and qualitative methods—ethnography, in-depth interviewing, and archival analysis.

Sociology offers an M.A. in Sociology, requiring a total of 33 credit hours. The program offers thesis and non-thesis (internship) options. Both options require 27 credit hours of coursework including electives and required courses.

The required courses (27 hours) are:

Soc 501 Statistics
Soc 502 Social Research Methods
Soc 601 Studies in Social Theory
Soc 621 Professional Development I
Soc 622 Professional Development II
Soc 623 Collaborative Research Seminar
Soc 635 Teaching Sociology

Students pursuing the thesis option must also complete 6 credit ours of Soc 697 (Thesis). Students pursuing the non-thesis option must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of Soc 697 (Thesis) or Soc 699 (Internship).

Sociology Graduate Curriculum

Below is a suggested course sequence for M.A. students:

Semester 1 (Fall)
Required	Soc 502 Social Research Methods Soc 601 Theory Soc 621 Professional Development I	(3 credits) (3 credits) (1 credit)
Elective (Choose 1)	Soc 552 Race & Religion or Soc 603 Empires & Revolution or Soc 625 Gender or Soc 631 Deviance	(3 credits)
Semester 2 (Spring)
Required	Soc 501 Statistics Soc 635 Teaching Sociology Soc 622 Professional Development II	(3 credits) (3 credits) (1 credit)
Elective (Choose 1)	Soc 613 Race & Ethnicity or Soc 615 Culture	(3 credits)
Semester 3 (Fall)
Required	Soc 697 Thesis or Soc 699 Internship Soc 623 Collaborative Research Seminar	(6 credits) (1 credit)
Elective (Choose 1)	Soc 552 Race & Religion or Soc 603 Empires & Revolution or Soc 625 Gender or Soc 631 Deviance or Optional elective outside the department	(3 credits)
Semester 4 (Spring)
Required	Soc 697 Thesis or Soc 699 Internship	(3 credits) (6 credits)
Elective (Choose 1)	Soc 613 Race & Ethnicity or Soc 615 Culture or Optional elective outside the department	(3 credits)

Professional Development

Professional development and research seminars prepare students for future careers in the social sciences. Students interested in pursuing academic careers are encouraged to conduct original research and write a Master’s thesis. The program also equips students with the teaching skills necessary to become instructors at the college level. Graduates of our program have gone on to enter Ph.D. programs in sociology, to teach in community colleges and universities, and to work as researchers in both the private and public sector.

Financial Assistance

The Department strives to fund as many qualified students as possible. Most students accepted into the program receive funding in the form of teaching and research assistantships. These assistantships provide partial tuition waivers and annual stipends of approximately $6,500 or more.  Opportunities for summer research assistantships are sometimes available. In addition to departmental assistantships, there are non-service University fellowships available for qualifying students. See the Financial Aid Information from the Graduate College for more information.

Thesis Option Guidelines

The following is a summary of the procedure for writing a Master’s Thesis:

1. A student initiates the process of writing a thesis by identifying a problem or issue he/she would like to investigate. In conversation with faculty members, the student seeks clarification for the problem, signs of faculty interest in the problem, and indications of expertise pertinent to the problem among the faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to request that a faculty member serve as thesis chair. A faculty member need not accede to the request. Thesis committees usually consist of at least three faculty members. Professors who will serve along with the committee chair can be selected in advance or after the project is well on its way toward a proposal hearing. Sometimes the chair of the committee will make suggestions to the student about other members, and may discuss the possibility of serving with other faculty.
2. A thesis begins with a proposal. A proposal is a carefully written, thorough description of the student’s project. It is a detailed plan.
   1. A proposal begins with a literature review. In the literature review the student demonstrates a knowledge of the literature in the field that pertains to the selected problem and situates his or her proposed research within that literature. Prior work on the problem or related to the problem, unanswered questions or un-addressed issues, and controversies and debates related to the proposed work are all part of a literature review. In writing a literature review, the student’s task is to demonstrate mastery of a bounded body of work in sociology and to show how his or her investigation fits within that work and will make a contribution to existing knowledge within the field. A good literature review can sometimes be the better part of the first chapter of the thesis.
   2. Sampling, data, data gathering instruments, methods and techniques of analysis are all part of a proposal. Included in the proposal is a discussion of how the problem selected will be addressed with data. Problems to be investigated require data. Data need to be gathered and analyzed. They also need to be justified. The proposal should: a) to identify the data that will be used to investigate the problem, b) to explain the grounds on which the data were selected, and c) to explain why these data are preferred and how they are appropriate to the problem. Techniques for gathering data should be covered and examples of the data-gathering instruments (questionnaires, guided interview schedules, etc.,) should be provided. Examples of the data that will be used (e.g., a sample interview) should be included. Typically, data have limitations and inherent problems; these need to discussed.The proposal needs to consider the issues of sampling and sample size. Sampling procedures need to be identified along with sample size, and sample limitations. Sampling procedures and sample size need to be justified as appropriate for the problem. How the sample may or may not limit the investigation needs to be addressed. The proposal should include a section on data analysis that identifies the techniques (statistical or otherwise) that will be used for analyzing the data, justifies the techniques as appropriate to the study and to the data, and discusses the limitations inherent in the techniques.
   3. Expected findings, implications of expected findings, and likely conclusions, are all part of a proposal. Findings do not always meet expectations. How the problem of negative findings will be handled should be addressed.

The excellence of a proposal is, in part, apparent in the subtleties of discussion about the limitations of the study–the constraints of sampling, the limits of data, the problems of analysis, and the care with which conclusions must be drawn. Qualified assertions and nuanced arguments are hallmarks of thoughtful work. So too, is a demonstrated knowledge of the practical limits (of time, energy, money) of what can be done in a master’s thesis. A well done proposal is a resource for writing the actual thesis. It includes chapter outlines and even parts of chapters.

1. A Note on Conducting Research using Human Subjects. Gathering original data that requires any kind of interaction with human beings is absolutely prohibited without prior review and approval from the Human Subjects Review Board in the Office of Research. (This rule applies to class projects as well.) Students and faculty are not allowed to approach people as subjects in an investigation until that investigation has been cleared in advance. This clearance is obtained after the research procedure is close to being finalized by the thesis committee.
2. Proposal Hearing. When the committee chair is satisfied that the student’s proposal is complete, and committee members agree, the chair will schedule a Proposal Hearing. The hearing is a public event–other faculty and graduate students may attend if they choose–and it needs to be announced in advance to allow people to make plans to attend. The hearing is a public discussion of the student’s proposed research. Unanticipated problems may be discovered at the hearing. Suggestions for improving the research may be made. At the end of the hearing, the thesis chair summarizes the project and the comments. This summary, then, constitutes an approximate “contract” for the student. If the student completes the work as proposed and incorporates the suggestions made in a way that satisfies the thesis chair and members of the committee (the main issue is satisfying the committee–projects sometimes change along the way), the student will be awarded a degree.
3. Write the thesis!
4. Thesis Defense Hearing. When the project is completed the chair and the student will organize a Thesis Defense. The Graduate School must be notified of a defense. There are concerns about transcripts, forms, and deadlines that must be attended to. The defense is a public event. While the hearing and defense are public events, usually they do not draw large audiences. At this event the student fields questions about his or her project. People may get caught up in discussions and debates. If the student and the committee have done their respective jobs well, the thesis defense should be a public celebration.
5. Submit thesis and forms to Graduate School. Once the thesis is approved and signed by the committee, the student must follow the proper procedures for submitting the thesis and all other forms required for graduation to the Graduate School. For information on these procedures, click here to go to the Graduate School “endgame” instructions.

Non-Thesis Option Guidelines

A graduate student who chooses the non-thesis option must select ONE project from the non-thesis options listed below. At the beginning of the fall semester of the second year, the student should assemble a committee of three professors (one to serve as chair) to supervise the project. Projects for this option include:

1. An internship in an agency or organization. The graduate student will work with a faculty member to arrange to volunteer or work for an organization that interests them.  The student will present to a faculty committee an outline of the work plan and a sociological narrative outlining the goals of the internship at an internship proposal defense prior to beginning the internship.  The intern will follow a regular work schedule, keep a log or take notes, and discuss the experience with committee members.  These notes and discussions will culminate in a final report or portfolio, presented to committee members at the final internship defense.
2. A teaching internship on the Oxford campus or at a local community college (e.g. Desoto Center in Southaven). The graduate student will sign up to teach a class, and present to a faculty committee examples of lesson plans, syllabus, and exam questions. The student must defend these materials at a teaching internship proposal defense prior to beginning the course. One or more members of the committee will visit the class and evaluate the student’s teaching. All teaching materials will culminate in a portfolio, presented to committee members at the end of the semester in which the course is taught.

GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
TEACHING INTERNSHIP NON-THESIS OPTION

The Teaching Internship non-thesis option is available to those students who plan to use their degree primarily for teaching at the college level. The internship option is equally rigorous as the thesis option, providing the student with a learning opportunity focused on teaching. The student will teach (or co-teach) her/his own course under the supervision of an internship committee. Preparation will begin in the Fall for teaching in the Spring. Teaching slots are limited; if numerous students express interest, the department will request and evaluate proposals.

OBJECTIVES
As a result of the teaching internship, the student will gain the following knowledge and experience:
• How to choose course readings and construct a syllabus
• Practice at planning and facilitating class sessions
• Experience creating and evaluating assignments
• How to resolve common teaching problems

REQUIREMENTS

Indicate interest to Graduate coordinator – by September 1.
Students should email the department’s graduate coordinator expressing interest in the teaching track by September 1 to assess class availability for the Spring.

Form a Committee – by October 1.
The student should form an internship committee consisting of three professors, one of whom will serve as chair. The committee will determine the teaching opportunities in any given semester and, in consultation with the student, assign an appropriate class.

Teaching Proposal Defense – by the end of Fall semester.  The contents of the teaching proposal portfolio are determined by the student and their committee chair but at a minimum should include the following:

1. Teaching practice/mock session:
   The student will plan and present to the committee a class session around a topic she/he will teach in the Spring. This is an opportunity to practice teaching and receive coaching from the committee.
2. Teaching philosophy
3. Syllabus – draft due early December; final syllabus and teaching proposal defended at proposal hearing to be completed prior to Fall classes ending.The student will construct her/his own original syllabus. Committee members will provide the student with sample syllabi and the student is free to solicit examples from other faculty as well. While the student may look to other syllabi online for ideas and inspiration, the student’s syllabus should be an original piece of work. The syllabus should include the following:•Required books or readings • Schedule of course events, e.g., exams, presentations, quizzes, due dates for papers.• Means of evaluation• Attendance, participation, and cheating policies

Meetings – ongoing, spring semester.

During the teaching semester, the student should meet with her/his committee chair at least twice each month to discuss the student’s progress. This is an opportunity for the student to seek help with problems, discuss teaching ideas, and share successes. The student should come prepared with any questions and ready to describe some of the class sessions she/he has conducted.

Portfolio – draft due second week of April; final due during finals week.

A final teaching portfolio should document the student’s internship experience and demonstrate a thoughtful approach to teaching. The final portfolio should include:
• Teaching philosophy (1-2 pages, single spaced) and a discussion (1 page, single spaced) about how this experience has changed, reinforced, or expanded your teaching philosophy.
• Lesson plans (pages flexible) – include 10 examples of class plans from the semester.
• Reflection statement (2-3 pages, single spaced). What were the most important lessons you learned and how will you incorporate them into future teaching opportunities?

Oral presentation / defense – by the end of April.
The student will meet with the committee to discuss her/his portfolio. Committee members may suggest revisions for the final portfolio.

EVALUATION
• Three classroom evaluations – each committee member will visit the student’s class at least once, writing up a brief evaluation including strengths and opportunities for growth.
• Course portfolio and presentation.
• Meeting attendance.