plants45

Echoing what others have said, you can only expect so much interest from students. It's perfectly reasonable that many of them are taking the class because it's required, not because they love the subject. It sounds like you've provided plenty of resources for those who do want to invest time and do really well. Just remember that student interest (or lack thereof) is not necessarily a comment on your ability to teach. When I started TA-ing, I had to remind myself that most undergrads are not (and honestly don't need to be) super invested in their coursework.

It sounds like you have good reasons for going into sociology. I know that some programs specify a number of sociology courses needed to qualify, though I'm not sure if that is necessarily strictly adhered to. In my program, plenty of people come from non-soc backgrounds, and it's definitely not a problem for them. Everyone has to take the same first year coursework to get up to speed in the discipline. Sociology is so heterogeneous and interdisciplinary, it sounds like you'd fit right in.

I know that this is a topic that has been amply addressed, but would some feedback. I'm in my third year of a doctoral program in sociology. My funding is okay, the faculty that I work with are generally supportive, and I have an exciting dissertation project beginning to be lined up (though it's very much covid pending). The thing is, I have really grown to hate academia. I love reading and teaching sociology, but I hate the disciplinary field itself. Everything seems quite cut throat. I've pretty much decided that I do not want to stay in academia after/if I finish. But I'm also not sure how much longer I can go on. I'm pretty tired of the nature of the work - which has definitely been made worse by covid - and have a very difficult time concentrating and being productive. I find myself longing for a job where I can more easily leave work at work and have more of a semblance of a personal life, without the constant cloud of needing to be productive hanging over me. I considered mastering out when I received my master's degree last year, but decided that job hunting in the middle of the pandemic would be a nightmare. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I think that I would enjoy doing my dissertation research and that it would be a welcome change from the coursework and other training that I've done to date. But I'm wondering if it would just be smart to totally get out of academia now, rather than continue through. I keep trying to set more boundaries (setting cutoffs for amount of work done, trying to take a bit more time off), but I find myself feeling guilty for not being maximally productive. Beyond that, I'm also just tired of making so little money and constantly being quasi-broke, and the possibility of entering into the academic job market is just pretty depressing. If I get the PhD and leave academia, I would certainly have some options, but I'm not sure it's worth sticking it out. I would love to hear advice, particularly if you've been in a similar situation.