The graduate curriculum allows student
individualization of plans through a largely elective-based program
and student projects. Core courses in theory and research methodology:
SOC 512 and
SOC
514 (Seminars in the History of and Contemporary Sociological
Theories), and SOC 590
(Seminar in Sociological Research) are required.
An advanced course in statistics (SOC
410) and an advanced course in research methods (SOC
490, Quantitative Research Methods or
SOC
491, Qualitative Research Methods) are prerequisites for the research
seminar (SOC 590). Since two courses in elementary statistics are the prerequisites
for the advanced statistics course, and an introductory course in
methods (SOC 390)
is the prerequisite for the advanced method courses, students who
complete our M.A. program will have a good grasp of the methodology
of sociological research. They will also be well prepared if they
elect to pursue further graduate or doctoral study.A formal
teaching internship has been introduced into the graduate curriculum.
Students will be able to take a seminar on college teaching (SOC 593,
Teaching Sociology at the College Level) as well as a teaching
internship (SOC 594 - Teaching
Sociology Internship) where they work closely with an instructor and
gain supervised classroom experience.
Beyond the required theory and methods sequences, students must take
SOC 497, Introduction
to the Discipline and Profession, along with 5 to 8 elective courses.
To complete the program, they must either complete a thesis (SOC
599) or pass a comprehensive exam (SOC
596) in three areas: theory, research methods, and a substantive
area of their choice (e.g., deviance, corrections, family, social
psychology, criminology, family, and the like). Also, faculty mentoring and opportunities for
student participation combine with the course offerings to enable
students to meet their expectations for graduate life.
Students who like further information about the
thesis requirement or about the comprehensive exams can click on the
appropriate link below. Both of these documents are in pdf
format and require Adobe Reader to view them. Free copies of
Adobe Reader can be downloaded from the Adobe
website.
Thesis Requirement
Thesis Requirement
The Sociology Department maintains a WebCT Site for thesis
preparation. TO USE the site, you do NOT NEED to be enrolled for the
thesis (SOC 599); you only need to be an enrolled student here. For
more information on using the WebCT thesis site, click here:
Preparing for the Thesis
Comprehensive Exams
The Sociology Department maintains a WebCT Site for Comprehensive
Exam Study. TO USE the site, you do NOT NEED to be enrolled for the
comprehensive examinations (SOC 596); you only need to be an
enrolled student here. This means you can use the site to study and
to communicate with others who are studying for comprehensive exams.
Examples of prior exams, some study guides, and several suggested
reading lists are provided at the site. There are also chat rooms
that can be used for study group purposes, bulletin board where
exam-relevant messages can be posted, and email addresses specific
to the site for easy communication among students preparing for the
comprehensive exams. For more information on using the WebCT comps
study site, click here: Preparing for
the Comps
Sample Comprehensive Exam Questions
Students who are taking comprehensive exams are encouraged to
review questions from exams given previously. Click on the
specific exam area below to see sample questions for that exam.
By clicking on a particular quarter, you can view the specific exam
questions from that quarter.
Sociological Theory
Methodology
Deviance
Marriage and Family
Urban Sociology
Social Psychology
Criminology
Sociology of Knowledge
In addition, students can track their progress in the program
with the MA program sheet which can be found with the link below.
This is also a pdf file and requires the Adobe Reader program.
Free copies of the Adobe reader can be downloaded from the Adobe
website.
MA program sheet - web version
MA program sheet - Excel file
Graduate Mentoring
The Department offers a mentoring program for
graduate students who have been advanced to candidacy (i.e., have
completed at least 16 units on their official program) and
maintained an above average GPA.
The students earn 4 units of
SOC 498 on their graduate
programs. This is an especially valuable opportunity for those who
intend to pursue a PhD or teach in a community college setting.
Mentoring involves functioning as an unpaid teaching
assistant in an undergraduate course, preferably at the
upper-division level. Recent
participants include Ben Adams, Christopher Brown, Carol Chavez,
Lila Cumes, Charles Fossett, Anthony Francoso, Albert Pioletti,
Vincent Giedraitis, and Richard Kamei.
Interested students are asked to consult with the
Department’s Graduate Advisor.
Occasionally, a few paid research
assistantships become available as faculty members obtain grants.
It is anticipated that the number of such opportunities will
increase in the future.
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Information for
Undergraduates
