Switching from History to Sociology?

[Henry Hudson]

Hello all-

 

I have an MA and BA n History but am now thinking of switching to Sociology for a PhD. I would be staying with the general research area I pursued in History, but applying Sociology approaches seems like a logical progression of my most recent work.

 

Can anyone who has moved from academic History into Sociology offer any advice on such a transition? I have friends who have gone the other way, from Sociology into History, and have heard some of their thoughts, but thoughts and experiences from people heading the other way would be most appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

[Whatishistoryanyway]

Hi Henry, I'm making the switch from history to sociology. I did history in undergrad, but I'm only applying to sociology programs this year. You've probably already been told this, but just make sure you're caught up with things like theory and methodology. Research methods are somewhat different in sociology, but the field is, from what I've been told, much more open to interdisciplinary work than history is. 

[Roll Right]

Historical sociology derives from the work of Max Weber and Karl Marx. If I were you, I would become well versed in their work. Peruse economy and Society from Weber and The Germany Ideology and Capital from Marx. Each of those works lay out the general theories of history which sociologists work from.

It may also be good to pick up a reader on comparative historical analysis in sociology, and a reader on historical materialism.