Sociology
OFFICE: Social Sciences Building, Room 401
http://www.sociology.ucsd.edu
Professors
Courses
Sociology at UCSD
Sociology studies societies and human groups: their composition, organization,
culture, and development. It combines scientific and humanistic methods
to investigate a subject that is both relevant and broadranging
from social interaction in everyday life to social changes taking place
on a global scale. The Department of Sociology at UCSD offers an innovative
program that covers the breadth of the discipline while giving students
opportunities to specialize in areas of their choice, to conduct independent
research, and to participate in an Honors Program. The department also
encourages majors to study abroad and to take courses in other humanities
and social science departments in order to expand their perspective
on sociological topics.
Students at UCSD can explore a full range of sociological inquiry
through courses in such established fields as Third World development,
law,
culture, social movements, religion, race and ethnic relations, gender
roles, medicine, and mental illness. In addition, students have the
opportunity to participate in courses found in few other sociology
departments, such as the politics of language, ethnographic film,
the Holocaust,
comparative sex stratification, mass media, and revolutions. The faculty
also teach an exceptional array of courses focusing on specific societies
or world regions, including Africa, Japan, China, Latin America, eastern
Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the United States.
Thus sociology is a valuable major for students who want to enter law,
medicine, architecture, business, or politics. It also provides a solid
liberal arts education for students who plan careers in such fields
as criminal justice, public health, urban planning, social welfare,
counseling, public administration, international relations, or market
research. For students who wish to pursue graduate study in the social
sciences for careers in teaching or scholarly research, an undergraduate
degree from the Department of Sociology will provide a thorough grounding
in recent theoretical and methodological advances in the discipline.
A sociology major offers excellent preparation for teaching in the elementary
schools. If you are interested in earning a California teaching credential
from UCSD, contact the Teacher Education Program for information about
the prerequisite and professional preparation requirements. It is recommended
that you contact TEP as early as possible in your academic career. Whatever
the career choice, the study of sociology can help the student cultivate
a critical awareness of social life.
Students interested in majoring or minoring in sociology should stop
by the Department of Sociology office, SSB 401, for a brochure on the
program and a student handbook. These clarify specific procedures and
guidelines, and provide recommendations for areas of specialization
within the major, as well as for graduate studies and careers in sociology.
The Undergraduate Program
The Major
To receive a B.A. with a major in sociology, students must complete
four lower-division and twelve upper-division courses in sociology,
including the required courses listed below.
A 2.0 GPA is required in the major, and students must earn at least
a C in each course used for the major. No courses taken to apply
toward the major may be taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis except Sociology
197, 198 or 199. Only one such special studies course (including internships)
may be applied toward the major. These special studies courses must
be applied for and approved by the department before the beginning of
the quarter in which the student wishes to enroll, and can only be taken
on a Pass/Not Pass basis. See the staff undergraduate coordinator for
the necessary application forms and deadlines.
Lower-Division
Sociology 1A, 1B, 20, and 60 are required for the major. We strongly
recommend that you take Sociology 1A and Sociology 1B in sequence.
It
is advisable that students complete these required lower-division courses
(which should be taken during the freshman or sophomore year) before
continuing with their upper-division work. Sociology 60 is a prerequisite
for all upper-division methods courses.
Upper-Division
Twelve upper-division courses are necessary for the majorfive
are courses in required clusters, and the other seven are upper-division
electives. The upper-division sociology curriculum is divided into four
areas of concentration (clusters) as follows:
- Theory and Method (courses designated Soc/A)
Theory 100, 102, 103T
Methods 103M, 104, 105, 106, 106M, 107, 108A, 108B, 109, 109S, 110A,
110B
- Culture, Language, and Social Interaction (courses designated
Soc/B)
111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 118A, 118L, 119, 120S, 125, 130,
131, 142, 143, 145, 146, 160, 160L, 161, 162, 162R, 164J, 166, 167,
170, 172, 173
- Organizations and Institutions (courses designated Soc/C)
121, 123, 124, 126, 129, 132, 134A, 134B, 135, 136A, 136B, 137, 138AB,
139, 140, 140F, 141, 144, 148, 148L, 148M, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156,
157, 159, 165A, 168E, 168T, 180
- Comparative and Historical (courses designated Soc/D)
151, 158, 158J, 169, 171, 176, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 185,
187, 187S, 188A, 188B, 188D, 188F, 188J, 188K, 189
All students must complete Sociology 100 (students are strongly advised
to do so by the end of their junior year) and one method course from
the list above. (Method courses are numbered Soc/A 103M to 110B; for
all of these methods courses, Sociology 60 is a prerequisite.) One
course is required in each of the other three areas. Students are encouraged
to complete their theory and methods courses early in their program,
since theoretical perspectives and skills in methods will enhance their
subsequent course work.
Education Abroad Program
Students are encouraged to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program
(EAP) or UCSDs Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still
making progress toward completing their major. Students considering
this option should discuss their plans with the undergraduate adviser
prior to going abroad, and courses taken abroad must be approved by
the department. It may be possible to use some related courses outside
of the discipline of sociology toward the major. For more information
on EAP, see the section of this catalog on the Education Abroad Program.
Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the
International Center. To petition particular courses taken abroad, see
the undergraduate adviser in the Department of Sociology.
Recommendations for Transfer Students
If students wish to use courses taken at other institutions towards
their major, they must first meet with the staff undergraduate coordinator
in the department during designated office hours. (College transcripts,
college catalogs, and course syllabi should be brought at the time of
appointment.) Students are required to fill out one student petition
per transfer course as well as an additional information sheet
available in the Department of Sociology. Once these petitions are turned
in, a determination will be made regarding the transferring of courses
into the program.
It is important to note that eight of the twelve upper-division courses
in the undergraduate program must be taken in the Department of Sociology
at UCSD, unless students obtain special acceptance of additional courses
from the chair and the faculty undergraduate adviser.
The Minor
The minor consists of seven sociology courses: two lower-division and
five upper- division. Unless colleges specify specific courses to be
taken, the student may choose any two lower-division sociology courses
(Soc/L 1A, 1B, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 60) and any five upper-division courses
(Soc. 100 to 190). Courses for the minor must be taken for a letter
grade only. Special study courses or internships may not be applied
toward the minor.
Science and Society Minor
OFFICE: 401 Social Science Building, (858) 534-4627
Faculty
Steven G. Epstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology
Andrew T. Scull, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
The Science and Society Minor offers an opportunity for students to
examine in a systematic and extended fashion the nature, significance,
and development of modern scientific, technological, and medical enterprises.
Science, technology, and medicine permeate modern society, and scientific
developments often spark heated public debate. Yet undergraduate education
rarely offers the chance to engage in systematic reflection upon how
science influences society and how society influences science. The
Science
and Society Minor provides students with an innovative and inter-linked
series of courses that permit precisely such a disciplined discussion
of these issues.
Students complete the Science and Society Minor by taking two lower-division
and five upper-division courses, a sequence that allows them to explore
how modern scientific and medical knowledge and their associated technologies
developed from the Scientific Revolution to the present; to understand
how the roles of the scientist and the physician assumed their modern
forms; to grasp how the scientific, technological, and medical communities
came to possess their current authority; and to consider the appropriate
role of the public in debating scientific and technological issues.
A number of the courses offered focus on present-day scientific, technological,
and medical topics and controversies: the impact of the Internet, the
problems and prospects of molecular medicine, the disputes over the
reality and the possible impact of global warming, scientific fraud,
the ethics of medical experimentation, the AIDS epidemic, etc. Others
provide students with historical perspectives on the changing meaning
and character of science, medicine, and technology as key features of
modernity.
The Science and Society Minor is of particular relevance to prospective
science and engineering majors interested in developing a broader understanding
of the scientific enterprise; to pre- medical students wishing to understand
the intellectual and institutional foundations of modern medicine; and
to social science and humanities students wanting to obtain a systematic
grasp of contemporary scientific and technological society.
Science and Society Minor Requirements
The minor consists of two lower-division courses and five upper-division
courses, chosen from the list below. One or more relevant upper-division
courses offered in other departments or taken at another university
may be petitioned for the minor, with the prior approval of the coordinator
of the minor.
Lower-Division Courses
Soc/L 30: Science and Society
Soc/L 40: Sociology of Health Care Issues
Upper-Division Courses
Soc/C 134A: The Making of Modern Medicine
Soc/C 134B: Medicine in the Twentieth Century
Soc/C 135: Medical Sociology
Soc/C 136A: Sociology of Mental Illness: An Historical Approach
Soc/C 136B: Sociology of Mental Illness in Contemporary Society
Soc/C 137: Knowledge and Practice in Biomedicine
Soc/C 168E: Sociology of Science
Soc/C 168T: Sociology of Technology
Soc/D 171: Science and the Making of the Modern World
The Honors Program
The Department of Sociology offers an honors program to those students
who have demonstrated excellence in the sociology major. Successful
completion of the honors program enables the student to graduate With
Highest Distinction, With High Distinction, or With
Distinction, depending upon performance in the program.
Eligibility
Students may apply to the honors program if they meet the following
requirements:
- junior standing (ninety units completed)
- GPA of 3.5 or better in the major
- recommendation of a faculty sponsor familiar with students
work
- must have completed at least four upper-division sociology courses
- overall GPA of 3.2 or better
- must have completed Soc/A 100 and one upper-division methods course
prior to the fall quarter when the honors course begins; alternatively,
the consent of the honors program director or the undergraduate adviser
must be obtained
Interested students may pick up an application from the staff undergraduate
coordinator in the Department of Sociology. Completed applications must
be in the department office no later than week five of the spring quarter
prior to the start of the honors program in the fall.
Students traveling abroad during their junior year should note that
the deadline for applications still applies to them and should make
arrangements accordingly.
Enrollment in the honors program is limited. Final decisions on acceptance
into the program will be made by the presiding faculty member.
Course Requirement
The student must take Sociology 196A, Advanced Studies in Sociology,
and Sociology 196B, Supervised Thesis Research, which will count as
two of the twelve upper-division courses required for the major. Each
student will choose a faculty adviser to help supervise the thesis research
and writing with the honors program director.
Students whose GPA in the major falls below 3.5 or who do not earn
at least an A in the honors seminars will not graduate with distinction,
but they may count the two honors courses among the twelve upper-division
courses required for the major. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in
the major and a 3.2 overall GPA until final graduation, in order to
receive honors in the sociology honors program. To graduate With
Highest Distinction the student must earn an A+; to graduate With
High Distinction the student must earn an A; and to graduate With
Distinction the grade must be an A.
The Graduate Program
The graduate program in sociology at the University of California,
San Diego is organized on the basis of programs of specialization in
comparative and historical sociology, the sociology of culture, and
the sociology of science, technology, and medicine. It is designed to
prepare students for two main goals: to contribute to the increase of
knowledge about societies and thereby advance the discipline of sociology;
and to teach sociology at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The
majority of graduates from the program find teaching and research positions
in colleges and universities, although some also work in non-academic
research and social policy positions. The department offers a course
of study leading to the doctor of philosophy degree. While the Master
of Arts degree is awarded as a step toward the completion of the Ph.D.,
applicants seeking only an M.A. degree are not accepted.
Departmental Research and Teaching
Members of the department are engaged in a wide variety of research
and teaching activities that fall into three broad areas of concentration
that correspond to our programs of specialization:
Comparative and Historical Sociology
Many members of our faculty have research interests in the historical
and/or comparative analysis of social institutions, structures, and
processes, and social change in general. Using methods of comparative
historical research and concepts drawn from social theory, individual
faculty are engaged in research on, among other things: (1) political
sociology, including revolution, social and political movements, and
the evolution of the modern state, (2) economic transformation in contemporary
societies (industrial countries, emerging markets, and agrarian
societies), including the labor process, stratification and the organization
of work, and the development of market economies, (3) collective identities
and social relations, including nationalism, class, gender, race, and
ethnicity, and (4) social control and institutionalization. The department
is among the most internationally oriented departments of sociology
in the world, with specialists in most regions of the world, including
Eastern and Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, Japan, China, southern
Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, as well as the United States.
Sociology of Culture
A great number of the faculty have research and teaching interests
in the sociology of culture broadly conceived. Sociology of culture
involves topics such as: (1) the interpretation of the symbol systems
that constitute meaningful resources for social action, (2) the analysis
of the processes through which patterns of meaning are socially reproduced,
and (3) the study of the interaction between culture change and social
change. Many faculty have an interest in the comparative study of cultural
traditions around the world. Others are interested in the relationship
of culture to social movements and collective identities. And some see
the sociology of culture not simply as a subdiscipline but as a general
theoretical perspective on social experience. More specific substantive
interests include sociology of knowledge and intellectuals, political
culture, the culture of work, education and socialization, comparative
moral cultures, the cultural dimensions of ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
and popular culture.
Sociology of Science, Technology, and Medicine
A substantial fraction of the faculty has research and teaching interests
focused on the interrelationships between science, technology, and medicine
and modern society. Drawing on a range of sociological and historical
methodologies, individual faculty are engaged in research on science
and social movements, scientists and the state, biomedicine, the social
history of madness and psychiatry, the historical sociology of scientific
knowledge and practice, and sociological approaches to the Scientific
Revolution. (For information on the interdisciplinary Science Studies
Program, see below Specialized Programs of Study.)
In addition, the department plans to add a fourth program of specialization
in inequalities (class, gender, and race). A substantial number of our
faculty teach and do research in these fields.
Admission
Admission to the graduate program in sociology is open to students
with excellent undergraduate records in any field. Some previous work
in sociology or the social and behavioral sciences is advisable, but
not required. New students are admitted in the fall quarter of each
academic year. A bachelors degree from an accredited college
or university is a prerequisite for admission to the graduate program.
Prospective applicants should submit the official online application
for admission and awards (same form), one set of official transcripts
from each institution
attended after high school, official scores from the Graduate Record
Examination, application fee, at least three letters of recommendation,
and one or more samples of the applicants own writing, such as
a term paper. Additionally, foreign applicants must submit official
scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the
Test of Written English (TWE). Applicants are encouraged to contact
and communicate with the department to talk with faculty and graduate
students. The application deadline is January 2, of each year.
Program of Study
The graduate programs in the University of California system work under
the normative time standard. Normative time refers to the
time period in which students, under normal circumstances, are expected
to complete their requirements for the Ph.D. degree. Each department
establishes a normative time for its doctoral program, and for the Department
of Sociology, as for most graduate programs in the university, it is
six years. To provide an incentive for students to complete the Ph.D.
within the normative time period, partial fee grants are made to all
students who have advanced to candidacy and whose accrued time does
not exceed six years (eighteen quarters). Once a student exceeds six
years, he or she must again pay the full fees quarterly until graduation.
Course Requirements
Students are required to enroll as full-time graduate students, to
carry a minimum enrollment of twelve units of graduate-level courses
each quarter, and to maintain a grade-point average of 3.5 or better.
Theory and Methods Requirements
Students take almost all the courses on theory and methods in their
first year in the program. They are required to take two courses in
classical sociological theory (Sociology 201A/B) and one in contemporary
theory (Sociology 202), two in quantitative methods (Sociology 205 and
206), and two in qualitative methods (from among Sociology 203, Field
Methods; Sociology 204, Text and Discourse Analysis; Sociology 207,
Comparative-Historical Methods; or Sociology 227, Ethnographic Film).
In addition, students enroll in a two-credit introduction to the faculty
and their research (Sociology 208, Faculty Research Seminar). Note:
Sociology 208 is in addition to other requirements.
The remaining theory and methods requirements are Sociology 252 and
253, a two-quarter practicum, which will be taken in the second or third
year. In these courses, students will complete a piece of research they
have started in a previous seminar, write a paper, and revise it for
submission to a journal. The emphasis in the first quarter will be on
the completion of the research for this project, and the second quarter
will focus on the writing of the results and revision of drafts.
Core Seminars
These are survey courses in major substantive fields. Students must
take three out of the following eight, which the department offers regularly:
Sociology 264, Economic Sociology; Sociology 226, Political Sociology;
Sociology 216, Sociology of Culture; Sociology 234, Intellectual Foundations
of the Study of Science, Technology, and Medicine; Sociology 212, Social
Stratification; Sociology 267, Sociology of Gender; Sociology 244, Sociology
of Race and Ethnicity; and Sociology 222, Social Movements. These are
major areas of sociology and fields in which several of the members
of our faculty specialize. Moreover, several of these seminars serve
as introductions to the programs of specialization on which the program
is based (see below).
Remaining Courses
Beyond these requirements, students must take six seminars, at least
two of which must be in the program of specialization selected by the
student. In total, eighteen graduate courses, plus the introduction
to the faculty, are required for advancing to candidacy.
The Programs of Specialization
The department currently offers specialized Ph.D. programs in comparative
and historical sociology, sociology of culture, and the sociology of
science, technology, and medicine. We are planning to establish a fourth
program in social inequality (class, gender, and race). Affiliation
to the clusters is voluntary and non-exclusive, and the department encourages
multiple participation and joint activities among the groups. Students
could qualify in more than one concentration, if they wish, and they
will not be required to specialize in any one of them (although we are
confident that most will find it advantageous to do so). The curriculum
for each specialization is relatively light, in order to provide students
with a solid common background in theory and methods, and allow for
as much interface as possible between the programs. The requirements
are: appropriate qualitative methods courses, one of the core seminars
(see above) in areas relevant for the concentration, two specialized
seminars, pertinent specialties for the field examination, and the dissertation.
The qualitative methods requirement varies according to the program
of specialization. Students who concentrate in comparative and historical
sociology must take Sociology 207, Comparative-Historical Methods. For
sociology of culture, Sociology 203, Field Methods, is required. Finally,
students specializing in sociology of science, technology, and medicine
must choose two of the following three courses in qualitative methods:
Sociology 203, Field Methods; Sociology 204, Text and Discourse Analysis;
and Sociology 207, ComparativeHistorical Methods. The required
core seminars are survey courses in major substantive fields. Students
must take three out of the following eight, which the department offers
regularly: Sociology 264, Economic Sociology; Sociology 226, Political
Sociology; Sociology 216, Sociology of Culture; Sociology 234, Intellectual
Foundations of the Study of Science, Technology, and Medicine; Sociology
212, Social Stratification; Sociology 267, Sociology of Gender; Sociology
244, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity; and Sociology 222, Social Movements.
These are major areas of sociology and fields in which several of the
members of our faculty specialize. Moreover, several of these seminars
serve as introduction to the programs of specialization on which the
program is based.
The core seminars required for each program of specialization are the
following:
Sociology 264, Economic Sociology or
Sociology 226, Political Sociology, for comparative and historical
sociology
Sociology 216, Sociology of Culture, for sociology of culture
Sociology 234, Intellectual Foundations of the Study of Science,
Technology, and Medicine, for sociology of science, technology, and
medicine
Program Overview
First-year Evaluation
All students are evaluated by the department faculty toward the end
of the academic year. At the end of the students first year in
the program, student performance is also evaluated by the Graduate Program
Committee, including the director of Graduate Studies, the faculty teaching
the core sequences, and by their faculty adviser. Students whose performance
is satisfactory are allowed to continue the regular course of study;
others may be asked to repeat some courses or to do additional coursework;
others may be asked to withdraw from the program. Evaluations are communicated
to students in writing.
Second-year Evaluation and the M.A. Degree
The masters degree is earned as one of the requirements of the
Ph.D. and is based on the quality of the students course work
described below. At the end of the second year, students are evaluated
by the Graduate Program Committee for the masters degree. At that
time, the committee ascertains the students suitability for doctoral
work.
The 15 core courses required to receive the M.A. degree are:
Sociology 201A: Classical Sociological Theory I
Sociology 201B: Classical Sociological Theory II
Sociology 202: Contemporary Sociological Theory
Sociology 205: Quantitative Methods I
Sociology 206: Quantitative Methods II
Two courses chosen from:
Sociology 203: Field Methods
Sociology 204: Text and Discourse Analysis
Sociology 207: Comparative-Historical Methods
Three seminars from:
Sociology 212: Social Stratification
Sociology 216: Sociology of Culture
Sociology 222: Social Movements
Sociology 226: Political Sociology
Sociology 234: Intellectual Foundation of the Study of Science,
Technology, and Medicine
Sociology 244: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Sociology 264: Economic Sociology
Sociology 267: Sociology of Gender
Five elective Sociology graduate seminars.
One may be outside the department and may be taken S/U
At the beginning of the spring quarter of their second year in the
program or at the beginning of the quarter in which they wish to to
be considered, students must submit to the committee for evaluation,
three papers they have written for seminars taught by different faculty.
Reviewers assess the quality of the overall record and determine whether
it indicates a potential for conducting doctoral research.
The final decision regarding the M.A. degree is based on the students
GPA, the three papers, and yearly faculty evaluations. The committee
makes one of the following three recommendations: pass, M.A. only , and
non-pass. Pass means that students may proceed toward the Ph.D. Those
given M.A. only evaluations are granted the degree but may not continue
toward the Ph.D. Students who received non-pass evaluations are asked
to withdraw without a graduate degree.
Students admitted for a Ph.D. With a masters degree in sociology
may not be candidates for a second masters degree.
The Field Examination
In the quarter in which students expect to finish the theory and methods
requirements, the three core seminars, and the six elective seminars,
students become eligible to take the field examination. This examination
must be completed by the end of the students third year in
the program. The object of the field examination is to demonstrate mastery
of two established, broad, and distinct fields of sociological inquiry,
selected from a list of fields provided by the department. The examination
is carried out by a faculty committee composed of no fewer than four
departmental faculty, one of whom serves as chair. The choice of fields
and the composition of the committee must be approved by the
Graduate Program Committee before the student starts preparing for
the exam. Faculty from departments other than sociology may be added
(or, if necessary, substituted) by petition to the Graduate Program
Committee.
The demonstration of mastery has both written and oral components.
The written part consists of two papers, one in each field, and a course
syllabus for a course they would teach in one of the two fields in which
they take their orals. In these papers, students are expected to demonstrate
a grasp of key issues and debates, and of the broad, conceptual history
of the field. These reviews are based on a bibliography drawn up by
the student in consultation with relevant committee members and other
faculty in each field. Students are expected to know the central arguments
of all the books and papers in the bibliographies, regardless of the
extent to which these books and articles have been used in the papers.
Field papers must be a minimum of thirty and a maximum of fifty
pages each, exclusive of notes and should include at least twenty to
thirty books or article equivalents. The two bibliographies may not
significantly overlap, either in literature surveyed or in specific
titles. The papers, the bibliographies, and the syllabus must
be submitted to the committee at least two weeks before orals,
or the orals cannot go forward.
The oral part lasts two hours and covers both fields. It is given by
the examining committee, sitting as a whole, and is based on the bibliographies,
papers, and course syllabus submitted by the student. The exam does
not focus on the papers, but on the students knowledge of the
fields. Following the oral examination, the committee evaluates the
student on the basis of both the written and the oral components of
the examination. Possible grades are high pass, pass, conditional pass,
and no pass. High pass recognizes exceptional performance. Conditional
pass indicates that the committee has passed the student pending the
completion of additional work. Students receiving a grade of no pass
will have an opportunity to retake the examination, should they so desire,
no later than the end of the subsequent quarter. Students electing not
to retake the examination or receiving a grade of no pass a second time
will be asked to withdraw from the graduate program.
Students will have to constitute their field exam committee two
months before the proposed date of the exam. Once the committee
is constituted it can be changed only if a faculty member becomes unavailable.
Students will have to submit one copy per member of a substantial draft
of their field papers one month in advance to the graduate coordinator,
who then distributes them to the committee members. Faculty, in, turn
will commit to read and comment on the papers in two weeks time.
All papers (as opposed to the drafts) and the syllabus must be submitted
to the committee two weeks before the fields.
The Dissertation Prospectus and Hearing
The central intellectual activity leading to the award of the Ph.D.
Degree is the doctoral dissertation: an original contribution to knowledge,
based on substantial, original research on a topic of intellectual significance
within the field of sociology.
Following successful completion of the field examination, the student
establishes a doctoral committee to supervise dissertation research.
This is a five-person committee, including three faculty from within
the department and two from other departments within the university.
The committee should include the faculty members whose fields of expertise
make them most appropriate for supervising the students research.
The student approaches the faculty member he or she would like to include,
but the committee must be approved by the director of Graduate
Studies and the department chair before the student starts working
on the prospectus. The composition of the committee may or may not overlap
with the committee that carried out the field examination. If the student
elects to have six member committee, the sixth member has all the same
obligations as the other committee members.
By the end of the spring quarter of the fourth year in the department,
the student must have a dissertation prospectus approved by his or her
doctoral committee. The dissertation prospectus is a document that presents
the research topic of the dissertation, places it in the context of
the relevant literature, discusses its significance, specifies and justifies
the methods the student intends to use, establishes the feasibility
of the research, and indicates the anticipated steps leading to completion.
Following submission of the dissertation prospectus, the student must
defend it at a hearing before the doctoral committee. The purpose of
the hearing is to certify that the prospectus is significant and feasible,
that the research design is appropriate, and that the student is prepared
to carry it out successfully. Based on the written prospectus and the
hearing, the committee may choose to approve the prospectus or to ask
for revisions and resubmission. The prospectus hearing serves, in effect,
as a qualifying examination, and approval of the dissertation prospectus
is the final step to advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree
Students will have to constitute their dissertation committee three
months before the proposed date of the exam. Once the committee
is constituted it can be changed only if a faculty member becomes unavailable.
Students will have to submit one copy per member of a substantial draft
of their prospectus one month in advance to the graduate coordinator,
who then distributes them to the committee members. Faculty in turn,
will commit to read and comment on the papers in two weeks time.
The Doctoral Dissertation
Upon approval of the dissertation prospectus, the student proceeds
with dissertation research. Students are expected to consult with committee
members as the research progresses and to keep the committee chair advised
of progress made.
Once the dissertation is substantially completed and committee members
have had the opportunity to review drafts of the written work, the committee
meets at least one month before the defense takes place, with or without
the student present, to consider the progress made and to identify concerns,
changes to be made, or further work to be done. Once the committee members
are substantially satisfied with the written work, the student, in consultation
with the committee, schedules the oral defense of the dissertation.
By university regulation, this defense is open to the public.
The final version of the dissertation must be approved by each member
of the doctoral committee. All members of the committee must
be present at the defense. Exceptions may be made only under
very restrictive conditions. Further, the student must consult
with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research to be told of appropriate
requirements for the thesis to be filed. Having obtained this approval
and successfully defended the dissertation in oral examination, the
student is eligible to receive the Ph.D. Degree The final version of
the dissertation is then filed with the university librarian via the
Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Acceptance of the dissertation
by the university librarian is the final step in completing all requirements
for the Ph.D.
Ph.D. Time Limit Policies
Students must be advanced to candidacy by the end of four years (PCTLPrecandidacy
Time Limit). Normative time is six years. Total university financial
support (SUTLSupport Time Limit) cannot exceed seven years. Total
registered (TRTLTotal Registered Time Limit) time at UCSD cannot
exceed eight years.
Interdisciplinary Programs of Study
Sociology of Science, Technology, and Medicine and the Science Studies
Program
Students interested in the interrelationships between science, technology,
and medicine (STM) and the larger social order can opt for one of two
specialized programs of study. The first of these is undertaken wholly
within the department (see above). The second approach is to seek admission
to the Science Studies Program, a joint doctoral program that brings
together graduate students from the Departments of Sociology, History,
Philosophy, and Communication. Students in the Program pursue a cross-disciplinary
curriculum leading to dissertation research in the sociology of science,
technology, or medicine, broadly conceived. Sociology faculty affiliated
with this Program have research interests across the broad spectrum
of science studies, from the philosophy and history of science to the
organization of scientific discovery and the culture of specific work.
Students may seek admission to the Science Studies Program at the same
time they apply for admission to the Department of Sociology, or may,
in certain circumstances, request to be accepted into the Program at
some point after entering the University of California, San Diego. The
requirements of the Science Studies Program are similar to those of
the standard graduate program. However, there are some distinct curricular
requirements in the first two years of the Program, as well as some
distinct emphases in the qualifying examination. The core of the Program
is a two-quarter team-taught seminar sequence taken in the first year,
the first quarter being an interdisciplinary introduction to science
studies and the second quarter (or core seminar) being devoted to special
topics in science studies which vary from year to year.
For details on the Science Studies Program, including information about
requirements, write to the University of California, San Diego, Coordinator,
Science Studies Program 0104, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0104;
or telephone the program coordinator at (858) 534-0491. Visit their
Web site: http://sciencestudies.ucsd.edu
Interdisciplinary Program in Sociology and Cognitive Science
This program allows students to earn a Ph.D. in sociology and cognitive
science. Students must complete all the regular sociology requirements.
In addition, they take six cognitive science seminars and select a dissertation
committee composed of three Sociology and three Cognitive Science Program
faculty. Admission to this program requires a separate application and
is contingent on acceptance into the Sociology Department. For more information,
contact the coordinators in the Sociology Department, (858) 534-4626,
(jrudolph@ucsd.edu) or the Cognitive
Science Department, (858) 534-7141, (rburrola@
ucsd.edu). Please view our Web site for application and department
handbook information: http://dssadmin.ucsd.edu/sociology/gbroch.htm.
Sociology
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