Economics to Sociology - looks good???

[mv0027]

I have a background in economics (international econ, actually). I’m interested in getting a PhD in sociology and focusing on economic sociology. I was under the assumption that my econ background (lots of statistics/methods stuff) would be a huge plus in the application process. However, I have ZERO sociology classes in either my undergrad or masters. I don’t plan to apply until next year (to start in 2013).

Do I need to worry about taking a sociology class before then?

[mv0027]

Oh, and my rec letters would come from a top development economist, a decent financial economist, and a leading pol sci guy in stats/methods. I TAed a quantitative methods courses for two of them, so the letters should be pretty personal.

Is not having a sociology professor a big problem?

[avee]

You should apply to economic sociology programs specifically. You would likely use the skills you have right now in terms of analysis, but also get to delve into the sociological aspects of it. MIT has a good econ. sociology program.

[hoobers]

You're potentially in excellent shape, assuming your record is otherwise strong enough to get into top programs. The quant skills will help your chances with just about any top department. A soc class wouldn't hurt and would demonstrate you've thought about the discipline switch seriously, but it is not necessary. If you took an econ soc course it would be even better. You can also demonstrate this in a strong statement of purpose. Have a good argument for why economic sociology is a better fit for you than econ, and do this without either badmouthing or praising econ too much.

[mv0027]

Thanks! I'm just starting to dig into sociology reasearch. I read somewhere else that economic sociology is really just the sociology of work. Seems like that might have been the traditional line, but recently economic sociology is starting to branch out more. For example, I'm really interested in international trade. Economics has pretty much had the same position on trade for the past 100 years (which a few changes here and there). I'm interested in how trade effects communities on a more hollastic level than econ usually looks at (i.e. prices and wages). I'm more intereste in impact on crime, inequality, culture, religion, etc.

Any thoughts? Am I barking up the correct tree?

Decaf- Are you referring to the econ soc from the sloan school? I don't think I have the background to get into sloan. Although I do work with a professor from there!

[jonathanmc]

It's definitely not the case that economic sociology is just the sociology of work! There is a whole branch of sociology that attempts to understand the economy in terms of networks via the influence of both human and non-human actors, which would suit someone with an econ background quite well. Looking at trade in terms of a network of actors, and the effects of this network on crime, inequality, etc, would certainly be within the realm of The New Economic Sociology, and it seems like you're on the right path to some very interesting research! It borders somewhere between economic sociology and anthropology, and either an anthropology or a sociology department would be able to meet your needs. If you're interested in reading further, read Mark Granovetter's "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness."