Sociology with No Background

[Axelarate]

Hello,

I've spent a little while now reading through this forum and am impressed by the number of intelligent and helpful users out there! I'm hoping some of them may have some advice for me.

I graduated with a BA in English and History from a reasonably respectable university with a 4.0 GPA. I've lately developed a bit of an interest in sociology, and regret not having had the chance to take any courses in my undergrad. But one must look forward, and so I ask: what now?

What are the best ways to determine whether sociology is right for me? Reading theory? Reading journal articles? I'd love to hear of anyone's personal experience with sociology: their day-to-day activities, for example, whether in school or in their career, or perhaps what they love/hate about the field?

Should I decide that I do, in fact, wish to pursue sociology, what steps should I take toward admission into an actual program? I'm under the impression that, given the high standards for PhD admission, I'd have no chance without some credible background in the field, presumably in the form of a Master's. I've seen numerous pieces of advice on here about MAs, and those who grant that it's a worthwhile experience indicate that school selection must be undertaken with care. I understand that programs prepare students for various post-MA goals. If I do a Master's, it will be with at least some hope of pursuing a PhD--at the very least, I wouldn't want to close that door so early in the game. But in my (admittedly not yet extensive) search, I've had trouble uncovering very many schools that offer a terminal MA to begin with, least of all ones that are PhD-oriented. Would anyone be able to offer a few names I could look into?

Also, by the by, does anyone have any firsthand experience with the state of the job market?

I know I may appear hopelessly naive to some, but I hope a few of you will take the time to answer at least one of my many questions! (Of course I don't expect comprehensive answers to my entire long post!)

Thanks!

[COGSCI]

If you majored in History, you might be able to find someone who is cross appointed in sociology and history department. If you find someone that incorporates the two, you should be able to pursue your PhD under that faculty. Some English profs also use social theories (i.e. feminist theory) and they might be cross appointed as well. 

I think you need to identify your area of interest first and see if you need the master's training. If your interests has nothing to do with English or History, it might be difficult to go straight into a sociology PhD program. Having MA would definitely be helpful in your case, but it is not absolutely necessary. I would advise you to apply for both and see if you can get into a doctoral program.

[krispykreme]

Lehigh, U Chicago MAPPS, NYU AQR, Columbia QMSS (and Soc), Irvine DASA -- but these are for the rich. MPA, MPP, MPH, and Ed funded so less debt. The latter degrees give you room to take some sociology classes and write a thesis at the end. If you decide not to pursue PhD then you have a professional degree that will get you a JoB. Do some research and find out which schools fund well.

[julesevar]

I would recommend you look at the websites of the state universities in areas that you are interested in.  When I applied for Sociology grad school a long time ago I got into three schools out of seven masters programs.  So it isn't impossible to get in a MA program, just look to apply at those with good funding.  I would check out what kind of program you are getting yourself into, if they allow for electives and whatnot.  Have you taken a statistics class?  Some programs are really quite quantitative. Which is not my personal cup of tea, but anyway... another thing is you can take classes as a non-degree student to see if you like it, although you don't qualify for financial aid to do so. I wouldn't really recommend going to an unfunded MA program, you can find many that offer tuition waivers and stipends.

[anniesmith]

Hi Axelerate

I am doing my PhD in sociology even though I did my masters degree in politics. I was very nervous at the start having never even studied sociology before, yet did very well in my doctoral coursework. Enough about me, my point is about you - sociology is the sort of field you can pick up quick as it is about contemporary society - the world around us. So long as you can master agency-structure, and wrap your head around the ideas of agency-structure, group differences, power and social structure hierarchies, you should be fine. I think this is a great starting point. These points all come together. Sociologists focus on social problems and social policies.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~manicas/pdf_files/courses/AgentStructure.pdf

Best

Annie :-)

AgentStructure.pdf

[Axelarate]

Thanks, everyone! These are all really useful pieces of advice, and encouraging, too. It occurred to me that one of my big undergraduate papers was on how German-American soldiers constructed their identity during the Civil War--perhaps I wouldn't look like a total bozo in my applications!

In response to those who quite helpfully suggest developing a particular research focus, or at least to narrow down my interests, what would be the best way to do that? Is it by reading theory, or more contemporary publications in sociological journals? There's such a wealth of papers out there, I don't know where to start in terms of constructing a reading list. I know no one will be able to tell me what my own research interests are, but is there a particular type of reading you might think most helpful for someone just starting out?

Thanks again for the support! It's nice to know there are people out there so willing to help a total stranger