Sociology (PhD)
The PhD program in Sociology is designed to produce independent scholars able to conduct research, teach or serve in a variety of settings. We offer comprehensive training in the knowledge and skills which constitute professional competence in the field. The curriculum is designed to equip students with a broad foundation in general sociology and in more specialized knowledge related to students' career interests in teaching, research, governmental work, or public service.
PhD students work closely with faculty as they advance in the program. The program has particular strengths in the following sub-fields of sociology:
- Urban, Environment, and Community
- Health and Medicine
- Power, Politics, and Social Justice
- Global and Transnational
- Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
- Religion, Science, and Knowledge
Curriculum
The PhD in Sociology requires 60 credit hours, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation. Students who enter the program with a master's degree in Sociology are required to complete 30 credit hours of coursework at Loyola. The student's thesis or research paper may also be certified at this time as meeting the department's master's thesis requirement for the PhD.
Course Requirements
After the initial integrative coursework in preparation for the qualifying exams and the doctoral review, students move on more advanced coursework. This involves specialized courses, individual study, and seminars in areas relevant for the student's scholarly and professional development.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Courses | ||
| SOCL 405 | History Sociological Thought | 3 |
| SOCL 406 | Modern Sociological Theory | 3 |
| Methodology and Research Courses | ||
| SOCL 410 | Logic of Sociological Inquiry | 3 |
| SOCL 412 | Qualitative Methods in Social Research | 3 |
| SOCL 414 | Statistical Methods Analysis I | 3 |
| SOCL 415 | Statistical Methods of Analysis II | 3 |
| Select Fourteen Courses Toward Specialization 1 | 42 | |
| Demography | ||
| Theories Social Change | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Inequality and Society | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Political Sociology | ||
| Poverty and Social Welfare | ||
| Socialization Thru Life Cycle | ||
| The Family | ||
| Community Change | ||
| Organizations & Organizational Change | ||
| Sociology of Religion | ||
| Religious Conflict & Change | ||
| Knowledge, Power & Expertise | ||
| Sociology of Culture | ||
| Technology & Material Culture | ||
| Complex Organizations | ||
| Occupations and Professions | ||
| Race & Ethnicity | ||
| The Urban Metropolis | ||
| Sociology & Natural Environment | ||
| Sociology of Deviance & Control | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Medical Sociology | ||
| Workshop: Applied Sociology | ||
| Sociological Discourse | ||
| Internship | ||
| Independent Research | ||
| Independent Research | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Seminar-Applied Sociology & Social Policy | ||
| Controversery Current Social Thought | ||
| Research Special Areas | ||
| Topics in Contemporary Society | ||
| Seminar in Comparative Studies | ||
| Issues: Sociology of Religion | ||
| Seminar-Issues in Communities & Urban Sociology | ||
| Seminar: Issues in Medical Sociology | ||
| SOCL 600 | Dissertation Supervision | 0 |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
In planning the more specialized phase of their graduate program, doctoral students are encouraged to take full advantage of the resources of the university and, where pertinent, to take courses in other graduate departments.
Comprehensive Examinations
Written examinations in two related special fields are normally taken after coursework is completed. Students must choose two Special Fields, or sub-fields in sociology, in which they wish to be examined. We strongly suggest that these exams be completed in the third year or the beginning of the fourth year. You may not take an exam if you have any Incompletes, or if you are on Academic Probation. The Department offers exams in Gender and Sexuality, Social Movements, Medical Sociology, Political Sociology, Race and Ethnicity, Sociology of Religion, Urban and Community Sociology, Sociology of Science and Technology, and Sociology of Immigration. Students may petition to take one of the two exams in another area (but not more than one) upon consultation with the Graduate Program Director. Such exceptions are not regularly granted. The only fields that will be considered are those established as sections within the American Sociological Association: http://www.asanet.org/asa-communities/asa- sections/current-sections.
The goals of the Special Field exams are to demonstrate:
- sophisticated knowledge of the development and current theoretical and empirical debates in a sub-field
- knowledge of important empirical patterns relevant to a sub-field
- the capacity for analytic writing, including the ability to marshal evidence to make claims, the capacity to make logic comparisons, and the capacity to identify gaps and issues in fields.
- the capacity to write in a clear, organized academic style, with few grammatical and spelling errors
The exam is a five-day, take-home exam, in which students answer 3 to 4 questions chosen by the committee. The questions are typically handed out on a Monday morning and completed by the end of the day on a Friday (or a similar time period). Students, who for medical, family, or work reasons, are unable to take the five-day exam, may petition the GPD to use a different exam form: a 30-40 page review that demonstrates your knowledge of the key developments and current debates in the field, key empirical patterns relevant to your field, and methodological techniques and tools commonly used in the sub-field. Students may want to model their papers on articles in The Annual Review of Sociology and similar periodicals. Again, this option is reserved for students who have extenuating circumstances that strongly limit their ability to take the 5-day exam. The Director will provide more guidance on expectations. Under no circumstances may students answer specific questions set by the Director and Reader: the student must produce a review essay.
Dissertation
Once both comprehensive exams are passed, the next step is to prepare the dissertation proposal. The proposal is an important document for the candidate, for the faculty committee, and for the department. The acceptance of the dissertation proposal indicates that your committee is confident that the proposed research is highly likely to contribute original results that are important to other sociologists, under the limited time frame of graduate school. The Sociology Department requires that all dissertation proposals be defended in front of the Dissertation Committee. At Loyola, these hearings are “open,” which means that members of the university, as well as family and friends, may attend the defense. The purpose of the proposal hearing is primarily to judge whether the proposal is sound enough for the research to go forward; secondarily, it is to provide constructive feedback. For more on the dissertation proposal and defense, please see the graduate student handbook.
The dissertation is the culmination of your doctoral program career. It will be the most sustained piece of research and writing you will have done to this point in your career, and it will serve as the basis of publications as an Assistant Professor if you are planning an academic career. A well-planned dissertation is one of the keys to success; time management is another. The Department requires a public defense of all doctoral dissertations. When your committee agrees that the dissertation is ready for defense, you will need to follow the formal procedures laid down by the Graduate School for final defense and deposition. For more information on the dissertation and dissertation defense, please see the graduate student handbook.
Responsible Conduct of Research
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
This degree prepares students for research and teaching positions in the academic, government, non-profit, and for-profit sectors.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the broad theoretical orientations of the discipline. [Research learning outcome]
- Demonstrate knowledge of two empirical sub-fields in the discipline. [Research learning outcome]
- Frame sociological research questions both theoretically and empirically. [Research learning outcome]
- Select appropriate data sources. [Research learning outcome]
- Analyze and present data in accordance with ethical and professional standards. [Research learning outcome]
- Use one or more data collection methods to carry out a major research project: interviews, participant observation, surveys, or archival evidence. [Research learning outcome]
- Analyze quantitative or qualitative data with respect to sociological claims or theories. [Research learning outcome]
- Write for publication. [Research learning outcome]
- Present findings orally for lay or professional audiences. [Research learning outcome]
- Assist an instructor of record with grading, tutoring, and class presentations. [Teaching learning outcome]
- Teach as an undergraduate instructor of record, by developing the capacity to: design a syllabus; create and carry out assignments, assessments, and lectures; integrate Ignatian pedagogical techniques, including curia personalis; and reflective learning. [Teaching learning outcome]