Studying Social Movements: Political Science or Sociology?

[niabi]

Hello!

 

I will be applying to graduate school next year, and was hoping to get a little information/advice from the many helpful people on this forum!

 

I am primarily interested in researching social movements. I am majoring in political science and history, and while there is a decent amount of research conducted by political scientists on social movements, sociology is the home of most of this research. So which department should I try and apply to? Has anyone gone through the same kind of process (one focus of research, could fit into both x and y departments)? Are there any strategic considerations to keep in mind (political science programs are easier/more difficult to get in to, etc.)?

 

Brief bio:

Senior at a top 15 university. GPA 3.8, Political science GPA 3.88.

Senior thesis was on the 2012 Quebec student movement.

Taking a year off, applying to graduate school next fall.

Research experience with a professor.

 

tldr: I majored in political science and history, but want to study social movements in grad school. Should I apply for political science or for sociology programs?

 

Thanks so much!!!

[wanderingalbatross]

Sociology.

[wtncffts]

I think that the topic can be approached from both sides, but since your background is in political science, it'd be more feasible and advantageous for you to continue on that path. I don't think the job markets are too much different (both equally crappy...). You also should think about what other interests you have, because you're going to have to adjust:

 

1) what specifically you want to study is probably going to change somewhat, and

 

2) your first couple years of coursework and exams is meant to provide a 'teaching' knowledge of at least a couple fields, so you have to think about whether you want to be doing comparative politics, IR, American govt, etc., or whatever the subfields in sociology are (sorry for my ignorance). 

[hesadork]

I think it depends on how you want to approach social movements.  Either discipline can accomodate the subject, but they'll come at it in different ways.  Can you say more about your specific interest(s) in the subject?

[niabi]

Hello! Thanks to all for your responses.

 

@ADLNYC, Indeed, that is one important question. It seems to me that sociology in general has a better approach because of its use of ethnographies and interviews (supplemented by demographic and other such data). This kind of methodology is especially important considering that social movement literature has now moved away from purely structural explanation and has begun to emphasize such things as "meaning-making" and "emotions." 
 

However, I am working with a political science professor at my UG institution who recently used the kind of methodology that I am most attracted to. Namely, she traveled to the Middle East and interviewed hundreds of participants in the Arab uprisings. So it seems to me that even methods are not clear cut within departments.

 

Thanks again.

[jmu]

Find the people you like and see what disciplines they are in.

Think about which discipline you'd be happy teaching intro classes for.

Depending on the type of social movements you're interested keep in mind that these aren't the only disciplines studying them. Anthropology, geography, environmental justice, and interdisciplinary programs may also have something to offer.

[niabi]

Hi jmu,

 

Thanks for your response.

 

I spoke with a professor today about the subject, and she really emphasized what you mentioned second. It's not just about your preferred focus, but it's also about being a political scientist (which might mean teaching polisci intro classes, discussing democratization with colleagues, emphasizing state structures, etc.) or a sociologist (similarly, teaching soc classes, discussing the social implications of inequality with colleagues, emphasizing culture, etc.).

 

I'm leaning sociology

 

Thanks again everyone!

[Angua]

Find the people you like and see what disciplines they are in.

Think about which discipline you'd be happy teaching intro classes for.

Depending on the type of social movements you're interested keep in mind that these aren't the only disciplines studying them. Anthropology, geography, environmental justice, and interdisciplinary programs may also have something to offer.

 

I agree with this 100%, and I would add: you don't have to limit yourself to just one field.  As someone who is between fields, my strategy was to apply to professors who were doing work that interests me. Those are the people you will want to be working with, those are the people who will introduce you to the people and literature you need to know, and those are the people who are going to be interested in you as a candidate.  When you are interviewing, talking to students, and visiting schools, you can get a better feel for whether the department/field is where you really want to be.

 

I ended up in a different kind of place than I expected, but I think it's a great fit for me and my interests.  And it's a place I never would have considered if I had been caught up in department labels.  If I had only applied in my "primary" field, I would have ended up somewhere that had a bunch of people doing a bunch of things, but only some of which was exciting to me.  By broadening my approach, I found somewhere that has a small group of people doing work that is all interesting and exciting, and into which I can bring a new perspective.  Good luck!

[juilletmercredi]

Yes.  My interests could've been studied in a social psychology, public health, or sociology department.  I ended up going into a program that's sort of a hybrid of all three (a joint program in social psychology and public health, with the public health department having very heavy sociological influences).

 

My advisors told me that what department you go into doesn't really affect the questions you can ask, just the research methods you will use to answer those questions.  Social psychologists use psychological theories and methods to answer questions (experiments, quantitative surveys, large-scale epidemiological studies sometimes) and I was much more interested in those methods and theories than in sociological theory and methods (which could be quant surveys or qual interviews).  It ends up that I do use some sociological theory and some methods in my work, but I focus primarily on the psychological.

 

So given that you are a political science major, but likely have taken some sociology classes, which approach do you want to use?  What kind of department do you want to "grow up in" academically?  Also, what kind of classes do you want to teach?  I wanted to teach either in a school of public health or a psychology department, but not a sociology department, so that helped drive my decision.