Research Interests and Programs

[THS]

So we've all applied and little debates about which programs are best for types of research methods or theory or culture have popped up on other threads.  I am interested in what everyone is looking to study and what programs they view as being the best fit for their research interests.  It'll be a better place for the back and forth too since now we can get some nuanced opinions from what others see as programs strengths/weaknesses that we didn't see (so if I applied to one or didn't apply to one that you think//know would have been a stronger fit...).  Given that sociology is such a diverse field I am sure we will see a lot of nuance in our answers.  

I research poverty, inequality, and class in the United States- focusing on policy initiatives and the consequences that these have for individuals- particularly with a rural/urban contrast.  I view my strongest fits as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Washington State- all have strong branches of their programs that focus on poverty (Johns Hopkins has the PSI, Stanford has the Center for Poverty and Inequality, and Washington's program has a concentration in social inequalities).  I applied to 13 programs in total, all have people who study facets of inequality that I am interested in, but the overall programs were not always the best fit. 

Thoughts on mine?  And what about all of your interests and choices?  

Edited February 2, 2017 by montanem
spelling

[LAG6]

My primary interest is cultural sociology, with a strong focus on mass media as a socializer. To give you a snapshot of my research interests, my current senior thesis is focusing on how well people can recognize emotional abuse in intimate relationships, looking at media exposure as a factor. Therefore, I think that Rutgers' cultural sociology program is really great because they focus on cognition, which is a unique perspective, closer to psychology than one might think sociology to be, and their perspective is one that fits snugly with my research.

Of course, I'm also interested in Michigan because they have a lot of Culture and Knowledge professors who primarily examine mass media.

[a little-stitious]

My research interests are in carceral studies/sociology of punishment, critical race theory, social inequality, and media portrayals of race, crime, and punishment (and the link between these portrayals and public opinion/policy). 

I've applied to both criminology/criminal justice programs and sociology programs. Of the sociology ones, I believe my best fits to be UW-Madison, UMass Boston, and (sadly) Berkeley. UW and Berkelely both have faculty who are really strong in racial inequality and imprisonment, and UMass Boston has faculty who seem to do a lot of work with penal policy. 

[sociologicalpizza]

I'm really interested in gender and education, particularly secondary education, the role teachers play in continued gendering of their students, and how factors in high school play into career options and choices for students in a gendered way, particularly for students from working class families.

There are professors at both Columbia and Brown that I really want to work with-Dr. DiPrete and Dr. Owens, respectively, and I've spoken with both of them briefly. I also think Indiana Bloomington would be a great fit, they have strong gender and strong education, and some grad students working on projects that are very similar to what I want to do- so I know I could do my research there. NYU would be great as well. I also applied to Harvard kind of as a yolo type of thing, SUNY Albany because it's close to home for me and their soc gender is good (but focuses more on the family), Kentucky because there's a professor there who's inspired me a lot but I'd be less than ecstatic about living in Kentucky, and Stony Brook for gender and also I went there as an undergrad. 

[draco.malfoy]

Great topic idea @montanem! 

I am interested in comparative-historical sociology as a methodology and cultural sociology as a theoretical perspective, with substantive research interests in politics, religion, and charisma. I'm very interested in theories of power and empire, as well as nationalism. I think my cases for research will be wide throughout time, with interests both in the early modern period as well as contemporary American politics and religion. Theoretically, I'm interested in all sorts right now. I'm just excited about theory. However, I have a general pull towards Weber and Durkheim (and their traditions), so it will be fun to continue to explore these seemingly different perspectives. 

As far as programs, I think Yale is probably the best fit for me. I'm really excited about the opportunity of working with Jeff Alexander and Phil Smith, with their emphasis on the Strong Program, symbolic performance, and the Center for Cultural Sociology, as well as Julia Adams and Phil Gorski for comparative-historical, and Ron Eyerman for cultural and collective trauma. I got to visit Yale in the fall and loved it, especially the CCS workshop. I think the Center for Comparative Research would be a great fit for me, too. 

I also think that UVA would be a great fit for me, as they now have Isaac Reed in the department. I think working with Reed might be like the early years with Alexander at Yale - the early years of an amazing program, very exciting research coming out of there. Krishan Kumar's work on English national identity would be a great fit for me, for my interests in comp-hist, Britain and nationalism. And James Hunter's research center, the Center for Advanced Studies in Culture, is exciting, although there isn't as much involvement for graduate students as there is at the CCS. I like Hunter's work on American evangelicalism and culture, though, and I think I would bring a unique ability to bridge his center and the department. We'll see! It will be fun either way.

I applied to Northwestern, Berkeley (rejected), UCLA (doesn't look good), and Michigan because they all have their strengths either in comp-hist and/or cultural sociology. But for me, I think Yale and UVA are the best fits.

Edited February 2, 2017 by draco.malfoy

[THS]

2 hours ago, a little-stitious said:

My research interests are in carceral studies/sociology of punishment, critical race theory, social inequality, and media portrayals of race, crime, and punishment (and the link between these portrayals and public opinion/policy). 

I've applied to both criminology/criminal justice programs and sociology programs. Of the sociology ones, I believe my best fits to be UW-Madison, UMass Boston, and (sadly) Berkeley. UW and Berkelely both have faculty who are really strong in racial inequality and imprisonment, and UMass Boston has faculty who seem to do a lot of work with penal policy. 

 

Here's to wishing you luck in hearing back elsewhere.  That's really interesting though.  I know someone at my current institution who does similar work but they are in ethnic studies.  I wonder how the methodology you'll use will differ from what they'll do.

 

2 hours ago, LAG6 said:

My primary interest is cultural sociology, with a strong focus on mass media as a socializer. To give you a snapshot of my research interests, my current senior thesis is focusing on how well people can recognize emotional abuse in intimate relationships, looking at media exposure as a factor. Therefore, I think that Rutgers' cultural sociology program is really great because they focus on cognition, which is a unique perspective, closer to psychology than one might think sociology to be, and their perspective is one that fits snugly with my research.

Of course, I'm also interested in Michigan because they have a lot of Culture and Knowledge professors who primarily examine mass media.

 

I also applied to Michigan!  For me it was for a couple faculty who look at poverty/inequality but your topic is really interesting. I have always had a hard time with cognative theory/buying into the ability of it to be something that is generalizable but I am excited to see how sociology deals with this- its a big deal in anthropology right now.  Good luck on your applications!  

1 hour ago, draco.malfoy said:

Great topic idea @montanem! 

I am interested in comparative-historical sociology as a methodology and cultural sociology as a theoretical perspective, with substantive research interests in politics, religion, and charisma. I'm very interested in theories of power and empire, as well as nationalism. I think my cases for research will be wide throughout time, with interests both in the early modern period as well as contemporary American politics and religion. Theoretically, I'm interested in all sorts right now. I'm just excited about theory. However, I have a general pull towards Weber and Durkheim (and their traditions), so it will be fun to continue to explore these seemingly different perspectives. 

As far as programs, I think Yale is probably the best fit for me. I'm really excited about the opportunity of working with Jeff Alexander and Phil Smith, with their emphasis on the Strong Program, symbolic performance, and the Center for Cultural Sociology, as well as Julia Adams and Phil Gorski for comparative-historical, and Ron Eyerman for cultural and collective trauma. I got to visit Yale in the fall and loved it, especially the CCS workshop. I think the Center for Comparative Research would be a great fit for me, too. 

I also think that UVA would be a great fit for me, as they now have Isaac Reed in the department. I think working with Reed might be like the early years with Alexander at Yale - the early years of an amazing program, very exciting research coming out of there. Krishan Kumar's work on English national identity would be a great fit for me, for my interests in comp-hist, Britain and nationalism. And James Hunter's research center, the Center for Advanced Studies in Culture, is exciting, although there isn't as much involvement for graduate students as there is at the CCS. I like Hunter's work on American evangelicalism and culture, though, and I think I would bring a unique ability to bridge his center and the department. We'll see! It will be fun either way.

I applied to Northwestern, Berkeley (rejected), UCLA (doesn't look good), and Michigan because they all have their strengths either in comp-hist and/or cultural sociology. But for me, I think Yale and UVA are the best fits.

 

Thanks!  I thought it would be interesting and so far, it is!  Good luck in hearing back from programs, it sounds like you will have some narrowing down to do for your dissertation!  Are you coming from a BA or MA?  I ask only because I am interested in the scope size of projects expected for sociology.  ANTH would advice to pick something managable until you are in a postdoc or tenure track position. 

 

[IncomingPhD2017]

I'm interested in all things digital sociology, which can make it tricky to find soc PhD programs with a good "fit" because of how interdisciplinary digital soc is right now. Many profs that I'd want to work with are hiding in comm, history, library science, etc. departments. That being said, all the schools I applied to (see signature) have either someone doing digital sociology and/or a very strong cultural/theory component. Those are the three for me: digital sociology, cultural sociology, and theory. I'm also dipping into race and ethnicity studies for my current master's thesis, and that might continue in my PhD.

[draco.malfoy]

2 hours ago, montanem said:

Here's to wishing you luck in hearing back elsewhere.  That's really interesting though.  I know someone at my current institution who does similar work but they are in ethnic studies.  I wonder how the methodology you'll use will differ from what they'll do.

 

I also applied to Michigan!  For me it was for a couple faculty who look at poverty/inequality but your topic is really interesting. I have always had a hard time with cognative theory/buying into the ability of it to be something that is generalizable but I am excited to see how sociology deals with this- its a big deal in anthropology right now.  Good luck on your applications!  

Thanks!  I thought it would be interesting and so far, it is!  Good luck in hearing back from programs, it sounds like you will have some narrowing down to do for your dissertation!  Are you coming from a BA or MA?  I ask only because I am interested in the scope size of projects expected for sociology.  ANTH would advice to pick something managable until you are in a postdoc or tenure track position. 

 

Well, manageable is a universal recommendation for any program, wouldn't you think? I have a few ideas that weave together all of these things but I'm not really pinning myself down at all right now because I expect things will change when I begin.

[THS]

2 hours ago, draco.malfoy said:

Well, manageable is a universal recommendation for any program, wouldn't you think? I have a few ideas that weave together all of these things but I'm not really pinning myself down at all right now because I expect things will change when I begin.

 

Wise choice, they definately will!  

[THS]

17 hours ago, IncomingPhD2017 said:

I'm interested in all things digital sociology, which can make it tricky to find soc PhD programs with a good "fit" because of how interdisciplinary digital soc is right now. Many profs that I'd want to work with are hiding in comm, history, library science, etc. departments. That being said, all the schools I applied to (see signature) have either someone doing digital sociology and/or a very strong cultural/theory component. Those are the three for me: digital sociology, cultural sociology, and theory. I'm also dipping into race and ethnicity studies for my current master's thesis, and that might continue in my PhD.

 

What did you do your thesis on?  I am choosing to stick to my MA research area, it just seems like I've done so much work/reasearch on my topic at this point that I'm starting to have a working lit review ready to go at the start of projects which is nice.  

[THS]

19 hours ago, sociologicalpizza said:

I'm really interested in gender and education, particularly secondary education, the role teachers play in continued gendering of their students, and how factors in high school play into career options and choices for students in a gendered way, particularly for students from working class families.

There are professors at both Columbia and Brown that I really want to work with-Dr. DiPrete and Dr. Owens, respectively, and I've spoken with both of them briefly. I also think Indiana Bloomington would be a great fit, they have strong gender and strong education, and some grad students working on projects that are very similar to what I want to do- so I know I could do my research there. NYU would be great as well. I also applied to Harvard kind of as a yolo type of thing, SUNY Albany because it's close to home for me and their soc gender is good (but focuses more on the family), Kentucky because there's a professor there who's inspired me a lot but I'd be less than ecstatic about living in Kentucky, and Stony Brook for gender and also I went there as an undergrad. 

 

I don't envy your future IRB process, working with minors is a headache.  My friend went through that process for her MA research (she does work w/ education too, but with indigenous youth and ways of learning (conflict between traditional and government imposed) in Central America).  Super interesting work on the whole though- there's a lot to be learned from where we teach our young people how to be people.  Good luck with your applications!  

[Illusio80]

Cultural and political sociology (empirical), and cultural theory.  I wrote my writing sample on liminality as it relates to 9/11.  A previous paper examines Facebook data relating to Somali and Hmong communities and political communication.  Also interested in Austrian political scandals.  (I feel like I've blown my cover here and might as well just post my real name for everyone to see, but at this stage, whatever, I guess.)

Hoping against hope that there is still a chance at Minnesota, Notre Dame, Virginia, Albany, or Yale.  :-/

[IncomingPhD2017]

8 hours ago, Illusio80 said:

Cultural and political sociology (empirical), and cultural theory.  I wrote my writing sample on liminality as it relates to 9/11.  A previous paper examines Facebook data relating to Somali and Hmong communities and political communication.  Also interested in Austrian political scandals.  (I feel like I've blown my cover here and might as well just post my real name for everyone to see, but at this stage, whatever, I guess.)

Yea, I echo Bradley610's sentiment; unless you've got a highly regarded published work or something like that, how would we possibly know who you are? Not to be rude or anything, just really don't understand how we'd know you.

 

23 hours ago, montanem said:

What did you do your thesis on?  I am choosing to stick to my MA research area, it just seems like I've done so much work/reasearch on my topic at this point that I'm starting to have a working lit review ready to go at the start of projects which is nice.  

Well my thesis is still a work in progress  But I'm analyzing some viral content on Imgur.com, looking at both the images posted and the comments written by the users, specifically looking for colorblind racism/ coded racetalk. Essentially I'm looking into how race & racism persist in anonymous digital spaces.

[Illusio80]

12 hours ago, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Yea, I echo Bradley610's sentiment; unless you've got a highly regarded published work or something like that, how would we possibly know who you are? Not to be rude or anything, just really don't understand how we'd know you.

 

Well my thesis is still a work in progress  But I'm analyzing some viral content on Imgur.com, looking at both the images posted and the comments written by the users, specifically looking for colorblind racism/ coded racetalk. Essentially I'm looking into how race & racism persist in anonymous digital spaces.

No, my point is that the committees are looking at this too.

[sociologicalpizza]

1 hour ago, bradley610 said:

Not trying to be a pest, but are you saying that you think admissions committees are looking at this forum?

I guess it's possible, but it would be a very strange thing to do.

 

Same wait why would they care 

[THS]

 I highlly doubt anyone would read this and guess who any of us are...unless they have a LOT of time to sleuth.  

On 2/4/2017 at 8:29 AM, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Well my thesis is still a work in progress  But I'm analyzing some viral content on Imgur.com, looking at both the images posted and the comments written by the users, specifically looking for colorblind racism/ coded racetalk. Essentially I'm looking into how race & racism persist in anonymous digital spaces.

 

Interesting!  Is that a typical methodology in soc?  All of my work was in person/hands on but I know that media/internet changes how you can collect data.  I bet that final product will be super interesting!  Good luck finshing up!  I am finishing my thesis but my research is completely done- I'm just in edits/writing my intro/conclusion- I get  to defend the first week of March! 

[IncomingPhD2017]

7 hours ago, montanem said:

Interesting!  Is that a typical methodology in soc?  All of my work was in person/hands on but I know that media/internet changes how you can collect data.  I bet that final product will be super interesting!  Good luck finshing up!  I am finishing my thesis but my research is completely done- I'm just in edits/writing my intro/conclusion- I get  to defend the first week of March! 

Yea, it's fairly typical for digital sociology/ internet studies, though this is a very, very new field. Look here for an example of a similar methodology to my own. And if you're interested, a core text on virtual methods would be this one. Thanks! I'm hoping so too  I'm hoping to defend in early April. Cutting it down to the wire a bit, but that's where I'm at.

[Illusio80]

22 hours ago, bradley610 said:

Not trying to be a pest, but are you saying that you think admissions committees are looking at this forum?

I guess it's possible, but it would be a very strange thing to do.

 

From their perspective, why not try to gather all possible information on candidates?  It's almost like an extended group interview.  

The NSA might be (is) watching too.

Anyway, I try to put my best foot forward around here.  All I really wanted to encourage was some real sociological discussion, but I keep getting rather insulting feedback every time I do it.

[Illusio80]

On 2/2/2017 at 4:36 PM, draco.malfoy said:

Great topic idea @montanem! 

I am interested in comparative-historical sociology as a methodology and cultural sociology as a theoretical perspective, with substantive research interests in politics, religion, and charisma.

Have you read Fascist Spectacle by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi?  Good book!

[draco.malfoy]

3 hours ago, Illusio80 said:

Have you read Fascist Spectacle by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi?  Good book!

No, but it sounds fascinating. I'll check it out.

[a little-stitious]

On 2/4/2017 at 11:29 AM, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Well my thesis is still a work in progress  But I'm analyzing some viral content on Imgur.com, looking at both the images posted and the comments written by the users, specifically looking for colorblind racism/ coded racetalk. Essentially I'm looking into how race & racism persist in anonymous digital spaces.

That sounds super interesting! And kind of similar to what I did for my undergrad thesis. I looked into racism in a digital space, just not an anonymous one. I analyzed posts and comments made on a Facebook group page and the ways that the text and images contributed to the reproduction of racism.

[Spirits of Lavender]

My interests reside at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and embodiment. I am fascinated by the ways in which ideological gender is exacted on material bodies, particularly through adornment, modification, and dress. For context, my senior honors thesis investigated the Biblical modest dress practices of fundamentalist Christian women, while my secondary writing sample theorized the complicity of historical and modern incarnations of the corset in fabricating sexual difference. I've nothing definitive slated, but I'm interested in tracing the historical lineage of patriarchy as female reproductive commodification, participating in debates within feminist theory (problematizing queer theory as ahistorical and divorced from material reality, specifically), and examining hair removal and makeup imperatives among women. I am one of those insufferable "my feminism is inextricable from my scholarly pursuits" gals, and I list emancipating women from patriarchal beauty regimes and advocating for their sexual sovereignty among my chief academic objectives. 

I'd prefer not to disclose which programs I view as my most attractive prospects until all of the decisions are rendered. This is mainly because I will need to visit before I can ascertain the "feel" of a program (which cannot be gleaned from its online recruitment materials alone) and also because if I were on the admissions committee I'd absolutely lurk on this forum. Sneaky, sneaky. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by Spirits of Lavender

[THS]

On 2/5/2017 at 8:15 PM, IncomingPhD2017 said:

Yea, it's fairly typical for digital sociology/ internet studies, though this is a very, very new field. Look for an example of a similar methodology to my own. And if you're interested, a core text on virtual methods would be this one. Thanks! I'm hoping so too  I'm hoping to defend in early April. Cutting it down to the wire a bit, but that's where I'm at.

 

I mean as long as you finish Thanks for the links!  I just had time to actually check it out.  That's is so interesting!  First: Wow to what you study, that's definately a type of research that is different from mine!  I don't think I could read racism all day and end the day being very happy- but you are making the world a better place for trying to understand the imapct of anonymity online.  Two: The theoretical basis for these methods is then ??? Goffman?  Just wondering.  The best thing about that field book is that it has the chapters on data analysis and writing/publishing.  Not many include that!  Thank you for sharing!  I've always wondered how the digital studies worked.  

[THS]

On 2/8/2017 at 11:56 AM, Spirits of Lavender said:

My interests reside at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and embodiment. I am fascinated by the ways in which ideological gender is exacted on material bodies, particularly through adornment, modification, and dress. For context, my senior honors thesis investigated the Biblical modest dress practices of fundamentalist Christian women, while my secondary writing sample theorized the complicity of historical and modern incarnations of the corset in fabricating sexual difference. I've nothing definitive slated, but I'm interested in tracing the historical lineage of patriarchy as female reproductive commodification, participating in debates within feminist theory (problematizing queer theory as ahistorical and divorced from material reality, specifically), and examining hair removal and makeup imperatives among women. I am one of those insufferable "my feminism is inextricable from my scholarly pursuits" gals, and I list emancipating women from patriarchal beauty regimes and advocating for their sexual sovereignty among my chief academic objectives. 

I'd prefer not to disclose which programs I view as my most attractive prospects until all of the decisions are rendered. This is mainly because I will need to visit before I can ascertain the "feel" of a program (which cannot be gleaned from its online recruitment materials alone) and also because if I were on the admissions committee I'd absolutely lurk on this forum. Sneaky, sneaky. 

 

I don't think that's insufferable, I think it's natural after a while to embody what you study to some degree.  I might disagree with you about the ability for a program to sniff us out but I agree it is possible (I just finished Posset's Inside Graduate Admissions and it seems like they barely have time to read our personal statements and writing samples).  At any rate fantastic topics all around!  Sounds like you are going to make for a fervent academic!  Best of luck and congrats on your acceptances thus far!!  Looks like you have some options!