rising_star

To me, this all depends on what field you're applying in. If you're applying in a field where you'll need to work across language and/or cultural barriers, then such a letter could be valuable. This might be field-specific. In STEM, it probably doesn't matter. In the social sciences, especially for someone wanting to do field work or qualitative research, it could be helpful to demonstrate such characteristics in one's application. Also, if it's showing skill the OP will need in order to complete their degree and the academic letters can't tlk about it, then why not get the army officer to talk about instead?

Yea, I would definitely try to talk to them in person. It seems kinda insane that anyone would expect signed and mailed hard copy forms to accompany an online method of data collection. Would it be possible to collect virtual signatures from your participants (e.g., type your name here to indicate agreement with the above consent form)?

This is really discipline specific. At most institutions, you can't teach a course as instructor of record without having a master's in hand. That said, even then there are exceptions and differences. My experience is that folks in the humanities (particularly English and modern language programs) tend to teach a class of their own starting early on. In my own grad program (social sciences), you needed a MA in order to teach a full 3-credit course by yourself. But MA students commonly taught labs (1 credit courses for which they were instructor of record) or led discussion sections. AKA, it's a difficult thing to generalize across institutions in the US.

I wouldn't do this. Instead, I'd try to find friends or mentors in sociology who could read your SOP if you really think you need that feedback.

@buttercup8d, I don't think anyone said that POC should just suck it up. I think it was more of offering the counterpoint that the grass isn't always greener. I have friends in the corporate world who go through the exact same BS that POC academics talk about. It's definitely worth being aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each so that you can make an informed decision about where you want to be and how you want to spend your life. I recommend deep introspection and loads of informational interviews to help as you try to figure that out.

Ford Predoctoral Fellowships are for three years of study. You'll probably be able to combine this with departmental funding, possibly using the fellowship early on and departmental funding later. You could probably do the same thing with the Soros fellowship or any others you may apply for. What the Ford Foundation says is actually pretty common: "Fellowship recipients must begin the first year of tenure on September 1, 2018 and must remain on tenure full-time for the academic year. After the first year of fellowship tenure, fellows may choose to defer funding for up to two years. All three years of support must be used within a five-year period."

Only contact them if you have a specific question to ask. And since you'll need a specific question, it probably makes sense to contact someone with whom you share research or other professional interests. Yes, you can contact more than one professor at the same school. No, a simple cold-call email isn't going to increase your chance of getting in.

I would talk only about the path that has led you to your current interests. If you do so, it'll give the adcom a sense that you know what you're getting yourself into and have a compelling reason for pursuing this particular MFA program.

It all depends on the kind of relationship you had with your letter writer beforehand. When I was having trouble getting one person on my doctoral committee to answer emails, I did contact her with a Facebook message. We'd previously interacted on FB so it wasn't totally out of the blue and I framed it as urgent because I needed an answer to a question over the weekend (yes, the timing was unfortunate but that part was out of my control). So, if I knew the person well, I wouldn't fret too much and just send them a short FB message asking if they were still interested in and available to write recommendation letters on your behalf. As for the prof at SAR, have you emailed them at their new email address? It's entirely possible their email at your university was discontinued or that they're no longer actively checking it.

To echo the above, that's going to be an issue when you're on the academic job market too. Jobs aren't often available in your field in places with loads of diversity (this is regardless of one's field).* Take a serious look at the job openings in your area (the Academic Jobs Wiki is a great place to start) to get a sense of what the market has looked like the past few years. If you don't like any of the kinds of options you're seeing, it's probably a good idea to start investigating alt-ac options and prepare for those while in your PhD program. *This is even more true if you're not looking at R1 jobs but rather R2s or SLACs. Many of the nation's liberal arts colleges are in small towns an hour or two drive away from bigger cities, sometimes even further.

Is the other school more diverse? Are you likely to find a job in a department that's significantly more diverse than where you are now? I ask because I come from a field where 1-2 POC out of 70 grad students isn't uncommon and the faculty mirror that lack of diversity. While I'm the first to admit that numbers aren't everything, in some ways the lack of multicultural competence comes out of and continues to be affected by that (no need to gain those skills if the students and faculty remain overwhelmingly white). If it's your first semester, I recommend trying to see a therapist and working on your depression. Actually, regardless of where you are in your academic career, I recommend that. There's something to be said for making yourself into a better person (no, this isn't the same as trying to "fix" yourself) and developing the skills needed to cope with difficult situations. Transfers are difficult at the grad level, especially if you don't earn a master's degree along the way. As far as social support, have you tried seeking that out on your own? This could be from multicultural student organizations, grad student groups, or other groups with whom you share an affinity/hobby/interest (e.g., book club, church/synagogue/temple, running club, etc.). I wouldn't let one person have that much control over my social life. There are definitely ways to find support though it may require some self-initiative. Good luck! Keep us posted please.

That's pretty standard, to be honest. Just be sensible with the drinking (or don't drink at all). There are way too many stories of candidates getting tipsy/drunk on interviews. My rule of thumb is one drink with dinner only, but that's just me personally. Also, remember that they're trying to convince you to like them just as much as you're trying to convince them to hire you. I say this because I've definitely been on campus interviews where, after meeting with everyone, I realized there was no way I could be happy working in that department. Sometimes it's then a sigh of relief to find out they hired someone else. (And, even in those cases, I'm always polite and professional since you never know how things may change in the future for both you and the department. In one case, it turns out that the people that I didn't get along with have mostly retired and I've been invited to apply for a different opening in the same department. Like I said, you never know!)

To answer your questions in order: 1) I never said that anyone should tolerate misconducts. Instead, what I pointed to was a realistic way to address the concerns you're interested in. A respected researcher and administrator is going to be more effective at addressing misconduct than an aspiring graduate student for many reasons including but not limited to those explained to you y TakeruK and fuzzylogician. 2) That's a matter of personal conscience. I cannot tell anyone else whether they should take actions which would damage their career but I know what I personally would do (some of which involves considering the effect it will have on others). 3) Yes, there are always "good" excuses not to act. Take all the people who did nothing while the KKK literally murdered people for the crime of having dark skin. But, that wasn't everyone. Some people spoke out. Some people did act. And, working together, they slowly pressured governments into enacting changes. Whether or not someone is too afraid to act is really an individual thing and, again, I cannot tell anyone else what they should do.

I don't think of historiography as a literature review though. If we're talking a standard literature review of a topic, it doesn't matter whether one is writing for a course in sociology, English, or conservation biology because the basic tenets of a literature review don't change. A good literature review provides clear evidence about how a particular topic has been thought about and guides the reader toward a specific question or an understudied area. Or, you know, what various online handouts say (examples here, here, here, and here). I only took two PhD-level history courses so I'm not going to speak about historiography in detail. But, from what I recall, the historiography papers I had to write did involve reviewing sources, the evidence they used, and their overall argument and using those to show general trends in the field. That... yea, that's what happens in social and natural science literature reviews all the time. Depending on one's specific study/topic, there may be more emphasis on the use of particular data sources (e.g., archives, existing national data sets, etc.) or the methodologies used to examine those data. Still, the similarities are there. (But also, OP asked about a lit review for a women's/feminist studies course and those can't really be that dissimilar from those in other social sciences and humanities areas. Or, if it is, the professor for the course should've already made that clear to the students.)

I'm confused by the question. The way a literature is done doesn't change based on the course. A literature review is a literature review. Now obviously you'll want to include how feminist thinkers/scholars have written about your topic but otherwise you approach this the same way you'd approach any literature review. There are a number of quick writing guides for lit reviews online (I like the one from UNC's writing center as a basic resource). You may also want to review the section on literature reviews in Leanne Powner's Empirical Research and Writing book. It's written for political science undergraduates but all of the same advice replies regardless of one's field, imo.

Email and ask if you can submit an updated resume.

So what? Lots of things happen that don't result in disciplinary action for all sorts of reasons. If you really want to be in a position to stop this, become a renowned researcher then move into the administrative ranks and become a provost/dean.

I feel like if your passion is education research/policy and you want to go into higher ed admin, a PhD in Education makes more sense than a PhD in political science. So maybe look into research doctorates (PhDs) in education programs.

What do you mean? Many programs grant something like a Master's in Liberal Studies or more generally in the humanities. Are you looking for something that is also only a 1 year program like MAPSS?

No, it's not common. Most MAs are two year programs and most graduate programs will only allow students to transfer in 9-12 credit hours. Consequently, it wouldn't be a transfer as much as it would be starting over since, at most, one of the two semesters you've already completed would count toward your degree at the new institution.

@Adelaide9216, it's definitely possible. A lot of mixed methods research involves a blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches to answer a question.

The suggestions above are awesome. You might want to ask students what kinds of things they'd like to do. Assuming that they're all first years, many are probably new to the town/area and thus don't know what opportunities are available. You could organize a trip to the local farmers market or another interesting community venue they may not know about. It's also possible that your university offers discounted tickets or cheap/free access for students, which might make it possible for you all to attend an event at little or no cost to the students. For example, if your school gives free bus passes, you could all take the bus to a neighborhood and just walk around and explore it together. Hope this helps! Let us know what you decide to do.

At most high-level research institutions, absolutely, yes, that person would be considered successful.

There's not enough here for anyone to tell you where to apply. Have you read any intro to sociology textbooks? That might help you understand what kinds of things sociologists are interested in.

How much more time would you need to invest in order to make these potentially meaningful discoveries? Is it something that could happen by delaying your graduation for a semester or is it something that would take years? If it's the former, I'd go ahead and stay since you seem to like this research. If it's the latter (years away from a major breakthrough), then I'd continue on with your previous plan of graduating and finding a job. But that's just me.