Santa Cruz Sociology

[possiblyapplying]

Hi,

 

I am a international graduate student in Sociology at a university on the east coast.

 

Lately, my research approach to my research areas (Sexuality, Social Movements) crystallised. I plan to apply places which does microsociology, ethnography, and influenced by non-orthodox theories (emotions in sociology, gay shame theories and other types of theories). I think Santa Cruz is one of those places. 

 

I seek for:

a) research fit,

b ) finishing my PhD fully-funded & without debt because I can not get loans from anyone, anywhere AND noone can support me.

 

My current program:

 

pros:

a) I can finish my PhD without debt. I am a TA every semester.

b ) My advisor likes me and knows new theories and literatures even if she does not use them. There is another professor who is a great fit in terms of ethnography and microsociology.

c) My advisor is known, strong in the field and has many contacts.

 

cons:

a) the graduate courses offered are always about institutional/organizational analysis, hardly about microsociology and emotions.

b ) some (powerful) professors outside my committee are cold to me and the ones who push the curriculum to the side of institutional/organizational courses. so there is no circulation of ideas between them and me. we are sooo different.

c) those professors are the ones which offer graduate courses (sometimes about archaic theories) more often because of their institutional power while i want to take more than one class about interactions and microsociology.

 

 

This is why I think of applying Santa Cruz because of its focus on new theories, approaches and research fit. Can anyone who is a graduate student at Santa Cruz answer my questions:

 

My questions:

 

a) Can you get funded during your PhD without problem? Can I finish the program without losing funding all of a sudden?

b ) Are there instances when they don't assign a student TAship and leave her on her own? (I hear that University of California system has trouble with money all the time- I don't want to lose funding all of a sudden and feel obliged to turn back to my country)

c) Is the funding enough for Santa Cruz? (I live in another expensive place but the funding is enough to live frugally)

 

 

Last question: should I change programs?

 

Best,

Possiblyapplying

Edited January 21, 2014 by possiblyapplying

[electric_burrito]

Look into Stanford, Iowa, Emory and South Carolina if you're interested in emotions/social psyc.

[gretagarbo]

I think your research interests fit anthropology departments more than sociology. I would advise you to check out which antropology departments study such issues, especially the non-orthodox theories (anthropology is more welcoming to those). Maybe you could apply to a couple of sociology departments that fit your interests, as well as anthropology departments. Regarding changing your school, I think you should do it. It is always better to study somewhere new in gradschool, you get to work with different people, plus I feel like by looking at those cons you won't be happy there if you stay there for another five years. You can get fellowship or TA positions from elsewhere.